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

Special thanks should be offered to all my friends at the Grotto Keep forum, whose constant encouragement and inspiration are chiefly responsible for this story's existence.

I'd also like to mention Ms. Julianna So, who edited this work in the same way that I wrote it: for no compensation and merely for the love of the story. Her painstaking effort and love of the world of Harry (and James) Potter were invaluable all through the editing process. Every correct detail in this story can be credited to her; every incorrect detail is probably a result of my ignoring her suggestions.

Also of great assistance was Mr. Derek Kelley, whose grasp of language, history, and all things English was of immense help. Among many other things, he is responsible for the Shakespearean "translation" of all the passages from the Triumvirate, giving my clumsy lines the metre of true poetry.

Finally, of course, many thanks to my wife, who endured my reading every new chapter to her each night as I finished it, and whose sincere enthusiasm and feedback was the first step in helping these stories to happen.

In all honesty, I wasn't sure there really would be a sequel to James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing, even though, as I was writing that first book, I knew it was part of a much larger story. Now that I've finished Curse of the Gatekeeper, I can see that there is still an awful lot of story to tell. Will Scorpius win the struggle against the inertia of his pureblood heritage? How will Ralph cope with the ongoing baggage of his own family name? What of Petra, whose struggle between her own goodness and the last shred of the Dark Lord so closely mirrors the struggle we all have in our hearts? Will James ever be able to face Petra if she allows darkness to rule her? And most importantly of all, what was the meaning of James' last, mysterious dream, in which Petra and Albus stood at the edge of that freshly dug grave beneath the green glow of the revived Dark Mark?

As I sit here, two months before the official release of JPCG, I wonder how this story will be received. Will people be angry about what happens with Arthur Weasley? Will people hate the story, since it is so unlike JPHEC in many ways? Or will they be asking, when it is finished, "What happens next? Will there be a book three?"

And will there be? The answer to that question is: I don't know. I have an idea of how this whole story is meant to play out, of course, but it is exhausting writing stories grown in someone else's creation. Not because the ideas won't come, but because the seeds aren't mine. They belong to Ms. Rowling. I cannot sell these stories, and there are loads of legal restrictions about what can be done even with a free distribution. In short, there is only so much practical benefit to writing more James Potter stories. I should probably write some of my own stories, don't you think? It scares me a little bit, but I think I can do it. I think I will do it.

But do you want to know a secret, dear reader? I am almost positive I will eventually, in some way, shape or form, write the rest of James Potter's story, even if I never release it. Why? Because I, myself, want to know what happens! You may laugh, but it's true. I know the basic outline, but I don't know the details at all, and I'm very, very curious to find out. Does James' growing love for Petra win her over? Does Albus change Slytherin, or does Slytherin change him? And what, oh what, really happens in that scene in the graveyard beneath the eerie glare of the Dark Mark? Someday, somewhere, I believe I will write the rest of these stories, because I want to find out for myself. And if I do, I probably will share them.

…probably.

(Evil grin)

G. Norman Lippert 27 June, 2008