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

Rose grinned at her mother. "James is right. We have an awful lot to tell you about. Our first week here, Merlin took us for a hundred-kilometer walk through the woods to go and get this magical box of all his stuff, and—"

"Just a moment, Rosie," Hermione said. "Ron, I'll ask in a minute. And do you really want to eat that biscuit? How many have you had?"

Hermione's face vanished from the grate. A second later, Ron's grin surfaced. "Hey, Rosie! Are these two taking good care of you? 'Cause if they aren't…"

"Hi, Uncle Ron," Albus said happily. Ron had always been Albus' favorite. "I'm a Slytherin!"

"Hi, Dad," Rose grinned. "How's Hugo?"

"Everyone is fine here, considering everything," Ron said, his grin fading. "Ted and Charlie got in a fight over something Victoire said, although nobody seems all that sure what it was. George drank a little too much Firewhisky, tripped over the ghoul, and broke his left pinky finger on some trunks. And your Grandmother is either yelling at everybody or breaking down in tears. It's a glorious Christmas all round. Come to think of it, do you blokes have a spare bed there? I think I'd even be willing to bunk out with you in the Slytherin quarters, Al."

"Yeah!" Albus agreed instantly. "Come on over by Floo! You can have Ralph's bed!"

From behind Ron, Aunt Fleur's voice said, "You are not going anywhere, Ron Weasley."

"It was a joke, Fleur. Bloody hell."

Ron's face sank out of the coals. There seemed to be some commotion, then Ginny appeared.

"Hi, boys! Hi, Rose! Happy Christmas!" she said, smiling.

"What's going on over there, Mum?" Albus asked. "Sounds like quite a ruckus."

Ginny sighed. "You three are lucky you aren't here. It's just not a very nice way to spend Christmas. Fortunately, most everything is packed and moved out. We saved the beds for last so we can spend the night, but tomorrow morning, we'll take them away too. How are the three of you doing?"

James, Rose, and Albus told Ginny they were doing fine. Rose asked, "So what's it like? I can't bear to think of the Burrow all empty. What's Grandmother going to do?"

"It's fine, actually," Ginny said, but not very convincingly. "I mean, yes, it's sad. Most of us have been coming here all our lives. But it's for the best, really. Everybody knows that. Grandma Weasley will be staying with us for the time being. We have plenty of room, especially now that you two are out of the house," she indicated James and Albus with her eyes. "But still. Your father packed up Granddad Weasley's garage all by himself. I couldn't bear to look at it all. He was very strong about it though. I'm… I'm very proud of him."

Ginny stopped abruptly. She sniffed and looked down for a moment. Then, with a different expression, she looked up again. "How's Slytherin treating you, Albus? Do they feed you well?"

Albus laughed. "Mum, we all eat together in the Great Hall. You know that. It isn't like Slytherins have a secret dining room or anything."

"Well, I was never in the Slytherin quarters, you know. I didn't know they had a spell-casting range either. But they're taking good care of you?"

"Sure, Mum," Albus said, smiling. "I like it there."

"And what about you, James?" Ginny asked, turning to her oldest son.

"I'm fine," James answered blandly, not quite looking at his mum. "I got your Howler. Sort of."

"I'm sorry, James," Ginny said. "I was very angry when I sent that. There was more to it than just the missing Cloak and map. I know that now. This is a very stressful time for us all here. It just wasn't a good time to pull something like that again."

"I didn't take them, Mum!" James said suddenly, desperately wanting his mum to believe him. "I thought Albus must have done it, but he says he didn't take them either!"

Ginny studied James' face for a long moment. "Well, if neither of you took them, where have they gone?" she asked reasonably.

"How should I know?" James answered, a little mollified. "Maybe Kreacher hid them away in his cupboard. You know how he used to do that with old Mrs. Black's things when he thought they needed protecting. Have you checked his cupboard?"

Ginny exhaled wearily. "No. Honestly, it didn't occur to me. I hope you are right, James. Are you absolutely sure you're telling me the truth, son?"

"Yes, Mum! I promise! I didn't touch them this time."

"And you, Albus? You don't know anything about it?"

Albus shrugged. "First I heard about it was when James' Howler went off at breakfast. Then James nearly tackled me after the last Quidditch match, accusing me of setting him up. That's all I know about it, Mum."

Ginny shook her head dismissively. "Then I'm sure they'll turn up. I'll ask Kreacher about it. Maybe he took your doll too, James. He may have them all together down there in his little collection."

"My doll?" James asked.

"Yes," Ginny answered, distracted by something going on elsewhere in the Burrow. "The little James doll you gave me last year at the end of school. It went missing at the same time as the Cloak and map, but I just assumed I'd misplaced it. I wasn't as worried about that. I mean, why would you sneak your doll back to school with you?"

Rose had turned to look at James, her eyebrows raised in alarm.

"Oh, and James," Ginny said, interrupting herself, "did you talk to Zane?"

James blinked, his thoughts racing. "What? Zane? No, not lately."

"He showed up in the Burrow earlier today. Well, I say 'showed up'. He sort of, er, materialized. We had to shoot him with Stunning Spells to keep him visible. Those Americans have some really curious methods of communication, don't they? Anyway, he thought you'd be here along with Rose. He said he really needed to talk to you. He asked me to tell you to keep an eye out for him."

James nodded. "Sure, Mum. OK."

"Well, I really should go," Ginny said. "Grandma says happy Christmas, and she'd love to chat, but we already packed the floor rug and kneeling on the hearthstones is too hard on her knees. Take care of each other. Rose, make sure those two eat something green every now and then. And be sure to keep up with your studies, you two!"

"Yes, Mum," Albus and James said in unison.

Ginny smiled mistily. "I love you, all three of you. Goodnight and happy Christmas!"

Ron and Hermione each made one more appearance in the fireplace, saying their goodbyes. Finally, Harry appeared once more. He smiled wearily. "Take care, you three. You're not getting into any trouble, are you?"

"No more than you would've," Albus smirked.

"Dad," James said, "I didn't take the Cloak and map this time."

"I know, James. Your mother already told me. I believe you."

"But who has them, then?"

"You leave that to me," Harry smiled. "I'm Head Auror, remember? What kind of Auror would I be if I let something like the Invisibility Cloak slip out of my hands? If you don't have them, then they're probably lost under the bed back at home, or in the bottom of the clothes hamper. They'll turn up."

"But Dad," James said, lowering his voice, "what about the voodoo doll I got from Professor Jackson last year? That's me! Mum says it's gone missing too!"

Harry seemed to understand James' concern. "Those things don't work like they show in the Muggle films, son. You'll be all right. Your mum liked it a lot though. She squeezed it every night."

"I know," James said, smiling slightly. "I felt her squeezes, a little."

Harry's smile widened. "Don't worry about it, James. It'll turn up. Things always do, no matter how lost they seem. It's a rule of life."

James nodded. "Thanks, Dad."

"Good night, all of you," Harry said. "Happy Christmas. Now go get some rest."

"You too," Rose answered. "Give everyone our love. Squeeze Lily for us when you see her next."