James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper

        James pointed his wand. 'What are you?' he called down to it. 'What are you doing here?'

        The creature suddenly bent down. It wrapped its many-jointed arms around the pin that secured the knuckle together. It began to pull fiercely, trying to force the pin out and disconnect the train.

        'Stop it!' James commanded, trying to keep his wand steady in the push of wind and mist. 'Stop it or I'll Stun you! I know how to do it!'

        The creature increased its ferocity, yanking on the pin wildly. James drew his breath.

        'Stupefy!' he yelled at the exact moment that a large hand grabbed his wrist, pulling it up. The spell rebounded off the iron wall of the coal car and vanished into the blowing mist outside. James spun as far as he could, his arm still held upright in a vice-like grip.

        'That would not be a wise idea,' Merlin said in his calm, rumbling voice. He was standing directly behind James, resplendent in his dress robes and oiled beard, his eyes locked on the shadow creature. He released James' hand but did not step back.

        James shifted aside as the wizard moved forward. Albus was standing nearby, his eyes wide.

        Merlin spoke to the creature. James couldn't understand the words but recognized the language Merlin had used when speaking to Headmistress McGonagall on the Sylvven Tower, the night after his arrival. It was a very dense language, full of corners and tongue-twisting piles of consonants.

        The imp stopped pulling the pin of the knuckle and slowly stood up, as if transfixed. It stepped into the compartment, almost between Merlin's feet, and stopped, swaying slightly as the train rocked. Merlin slid the door shut, closing off the wind and the clack of the wheels. He stepped back, still keeping his eyes on the shadowy shape.

        'Mr. Potter,' he said calmly, 'would you be so kind as to stand guard for a moment? I need to retrieve something from my compartment. I'm afraid I was rather unprepared when I saw you running past in pursuit of the Borley.'

        'The Borley?' James said, looking down at the slowly swaying creature. 'Er, yeah, sure. What do I need to do to guard it?'

        'Absolutely nothing,' Merlin said. 'I've entranced it, but the words won't last long. Just watch it in case it awakens again.'

        'What should we do if it does?' Albus interjected, pushing between Merlin and James.

        Merlin looked down at him. 'Tell me which way it goes,' he rumbled. He turned to stalk heavily down the corridor. 'Oh, and boys?' he said, looking back at them over his shoulder. 'Whatever you do, use no magic in the Borley's presence.'

        A moment later, the connecting door opened and slammed as Merlin passed through.

        'What in the world is a Borley?' Albus asked, staring down at the entranced shadow shape.

        'I've no idea.'

        'So that was Merlin, eh?'

        James nodded. 'He's pretty hard to miss.'

        Halfway down the corridor, a compartment door slid open. Both Potters looked up as a boy stepped out into the corridor. The boy glanced back in the direction Merlin had gone, and then turned to James and Albus. His face was cold, disinterested, and very pale. James recognized the son of Draco Malfoy.

        'Mischief already?' the boy commented. 'And already in trouble with the new Headmaster to boot.'

        'Well, it's no business of yours either way,' James said, trying to stand in front of the tiny shadow creature.

        'I know you,' the boy said, smiling and narrowing his eyes. 'The two Potters. I can't remember your first names. What's the point, really?'

        'What do you want?' James asked, trying to put some authority into his voice. He was a secondyear, after all. It wasn't much, but it was something.

        'At first, I wanted to see if you were as thick as I'd heard. The story among the Slytherins is that the older of you has delusions of being a great hero, just like your father supposedly was. But now that I see that you're both only a pair of frightened kids, I just want to see what you have cornered there,' the boy said, gesturing toward the floor at James' feet.

        Albus stepped forward. 'Like he said, it's none of your business. Why don't you shove off, Scorpius?'

        'As a matter of fact, I don't plan to,' the pale boy said, still smiling indulgently. 'I'm the curious type, I am. Let's have a look, why don't we?'

        'I saw your dad last week,' James said. He realized he still had his wand in his hand.

        'Yes,' Scorpius said, rolling his eyes. 'At the old man's funeral. He thought it was the noble thing to do, I suppose. Mother didn't agree, but she goes along with Father's ideas like a good wife should. Personally, I didn't see the point. It's hard to feel bad about one dead Weasley when there are so many more to take his place.'

        James felt something rush past him and glanced down, certain that the shadow creature had reawakened. He was only aware of what was happening when he heard the thump that followed. Albus had rushed Scorpius, throwing him against the wall of the compartment hard enough to make the boy stagger. They collapsed to the floor in an untidy jumble.

        'How dare you? Get your hands off me!' Scorpius cried, struggling as Albus wrestled to keep him down.

        'Take that back!' Albus yelled furiously. 'Take it back right now!'

        More doors opened along the corridor. Curious students gathered, some grinning and pointing.

        'James,' Sabrina Hildegard, a fellow Gryffindor, said as she stepped into the corridor. 'What's going on? First, the connecting door is left open, and then—'

        There was a sudden crack and a flash of red. Scorpius clambered to his feet, his face livid. He pointed his wand wildly, but Albus lunged at him.

        'No!' James shouted. 'Albus, stop!'

        There was a furor of voices and clamoring figures as Scorpius stumbled backwards, trying to evade Albus' reaching arms. Another spell ricocheted off the ceiling of the compartment. Suddenly, James remembered the Borley. He spun around, looking for it, but the creature was gone. Desperately, he scanned the corridor.

        'No spells!' he shouted, holding up his hands, but no one noticed him. James was jostled as more students pressed into the narrow space, crowding to see the fight. He spun around, looking for the creature, and suddenly saw it. The Borley leapt within the shadows of the milling students. It was much larger than it had been at first, and seemed rather more solid. It jumped to the floor and James heard a thump as it landed. Unthinkingly, he pointed his wand at it. The Borley saw him and lunged as if to attack. James pulled his wand up and ducked. The creature went over his head and disappeared into the throng that filled the corridor.

        'BE STILL!' a very large voice boomed, and James didn't have to guess who it belonged to. He grimaced and slumped against the wall.

        The crowd of onlookers silenced immediately. A moment later, the corridor had emptied again as the milling students slipped sheepishly back into their compartments, leaving James, Albus, and Scorpius. Albus had a handful of Scorpius' robes. Scorpius still had his wand in his hand. He tried to slip it surreptitiously into his robes.

        Merlin rolled his eyes slowly. 'So,' he said in his low, rumbling voice, 'can any of