G. Lippert - James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper

"Convulsis!" he called, attempting the destroying spell he had last seen Rowena Ravenclaw use on the painting in Salazar Slytherin's quarters. The spell struck the knuckle and exploded brightly. When the sparks cleared, however, James could see that it had had no effect on the knuckle.

"A worthy attempt," Merlin called, glancing up at James. "But the Gatekeeper has foreseen such measures."

James nodded, disheartened, and continued to climb the ladder. The Dementors swirled around him but kept their distance. James scrambled over the lip of the coal car and dropped onto the irregular pile of coal inside.

Behind him, he heard Merlin's voice call out firmly, "Chrea Patronym!"

There was a burst of silvery light and the swarm of Dementors broke apart, repelled by the force of the glare. James glanced back and saw Merlin clambering onto the pile of coal behind him, his staff glowing greenly in his hand. In front of Merlin, standing between him and James, was a large, ghostly jackal. The silvery light pulsed from it, and it bore its shining teeth in a silent snarl, forcing the Dementors back. James felt a little better seeing Merlin's ferocious Patronus, and he wasn't surprised at the form it had taken. He turned back and slowly began to force his way along the length of the coal car, struggling over the rough chunks of black coal. Trees whipped past, and James could tell that this length of track was unfamiliar. He had no idea how long they had until the train met the unfinished bridge. Panic tried to grip him, but James fought it back, concentrating on the task at hand.

Finally, he met the other end of the coal car and clambered through an open iron door. A shovel rattled on the small platform behind the engine, but there was no one in sight. Merlin climbed through the iron door behind James, but his Patronus jumped over the front of the coal car, landing on the platform with its hackles raised. The noise of the engine made it almost too loud to speak. Merlin nodded toward the closed door in the rear of the engine. It was painted bright red, just like the rest of the engine. Across it, in gold letters, were the words 'Hogwarts Express Engineers Only'.

James reached for the door handle and heaved it open. It was pitch dark inside the engine compartment. James took a deep breath, steeled himself on the swaying, speeding platform, and stepped into the waiting darkness.

The noise and wind vanished instantly. There was no sense of speed or motion at all. Nor did the space inside the engine feel hot or confined, as James had expected. It felt huge, silent, and eerily cool.

"James," a voice said comfortably, "how good of you to come."

James glanced around, but he couldn't see anyone. There was no sign of Merlin, or anything else for that matter. The space seemed completely dark and featureless but for a pool of dim light that James stood in. "Where am I?" he asked, gathering his wits. "Where's Merlin?"

"He's near," the voice answered cryptically. "Interesting fellow, Merlinus, don't you think? He was the first human I ever met, you know. His fear tastes particularly piquant." The voice sighed in a selfsatisfied manner. "As far as where you are, that's a rather more difficult question to answer. I didn't want you to be overly concerned about your friends, so I took us… away. Outside of time. Outside of… well, everything, really."

"Where are you?" James demanded, glancing around.

"Oh, I keep forgetting," the voice said, laughing lightly. "You humans don't much like the whole 'godlike voice out of nowhere' sensation, do you? I'm right here."

On the word here, the voice localized. James turned toward the sound and saw a figure standing before him. It was exactly the same figure he'd seen in Merlin's Magic Mirror, right down to the tattered robe with no feet and the dark, featureless hood. James scrambled back from it, gasping.

"I apologize again," the figure said, reaching up. "Perhaps this is a bit better."

The figure of the Gatekeeper touched its hood and then swept it back. James was afraid to look but couldn't help himself. He winced at the revealed shape, and then frowned a little.

"You're the Gatekeeper?" he asked, stepping forward again. "You look a little like… like my dad. But not exactly."

"This isn't how I truly look, of course," the figure said offhandedly. "I'm still learning about humans, I admit, but I've come to understand the sorts of shapes you find acceptable." The Gatekeeper smiled disarmingly. "You expected something awful, I presume? A thousand eyes and a long, forked tail? That sort of thing?"

James nodded, and then shook his head. "I don't know what I expected. It doesn't matter, really. What do you want?"

"Right down to business," the Gatekeeper said, nodding curtly, still smiling. "That's what I respect about you, James Sirius Potter. No sentimentals. I'll tell you what I want. I want to help you."

James shook his head. "I'm not buying that. You're a liar. You want me to be your host so you can stay here on the earth and destroy everything. I've learned all about you. You just want to use me."

"Alas," the Gatekeeper said, frowning a little, "put like that, it sounds rather awful, doesn't it? On the surface of it, I mean."

"Well…," James said, a little uncertainly, "yeah, it does."

The Gatekeeper nodded, pressing its lips together. "I guess that settles it, then. You say no to me, I get no human host. Shortly, I'll lose my footing on this earthly plane and be forced back to the Void. You win." The figure shrugged, as if mildly disappointed.

"Yeah…," James agreed tentatively, "I guess that's pretty much it."

"In that case, do you mind if we just chat for a moment, James? There's no harm in that, is there?"

"Er, I guess not."

"You fancy Miss Morganstern, don't you?" the Gatekeeper said, arching an eyebrow at James and winking. "I don't blame you. Really, I don't. Delightful girl. She and I were supposed to be… very close. I have to admit, though, that I had my doubts about her. Your dead Voldemort has his rather devoted followers, and they insisted she was the one for me, but I suspected differently. And, of course, I was right. I'm always right, James. That's not pride talking, mind you. Uncertainty is the hallmark of time-bound creatures. I see history as an open book, from start to finish. I know how things are going to happen because, metaphorically speaking, I've already skipped to the last page." The Gatekeeper sighed indulgently. "Let me ask you something, James: do you know who I really am?" it asked, tilting its head.

"You're the Gatekeeper," James answered carefully. "You're evil."

"Yes, yes," the figure said, waving a hand impatiently. "But besides all of that. I have loads of names other than that one, you know. There is one that I am particularly fond of. I think it'll amuse you."

James shook his head, feeling increasingly cautious. "I don't know what you mean."

"Then let me illuminate you, James," the Gatekeeper said, suddenly approaching James and dropping to one knee. It looked closely at him, its eyes sparkling mischievously. "James, my boy, do you remember the story? The one your friend Ralph regaled you with in Wizard Literature class? You do, don't you?"

James nodded, perplexed. "Sure, but I don't see…"

"You don't see because you don't look!" the Gatekeeper interrupted. It lowered its voice and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "I, James, am the King of the Cats!"

James backed away as fear tingled up his back.

"Think about it," the Gatekeeper insisted, standing again and following him. "I sit at the base of the steps, Lord Guardian of the doorway between the living and the dead! I determine who passes through the Void, who proceeds into the Everlasting! And, I might add, I am also the Lord of… who comes back!"