James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper

        'Stupid, lazy tree,' Ralph muttered.

        'Cameron, that was a very reckless thing to do,' Rose said reprovingly, still holding her wand aloft to light the way.

        'Well, you can't blame me, can you?' Cameron protested shrilly. 'I've read all the Harry Potter stories at least a dozen times! When I saw you sneaking off, I knew you were going on some big secret adventure! I just wanted to see it in person. I promise I won't get in the way!'

        'Those stories are all rubbish, Cameron,' James grumbled, not really believing it. 'My dad says that he couldn't even read them all the way through. They make it all seem like an exciting romp, but it was mostly really scary and people dying and buckets of dumb luck.'

        'Oh, I know,' Cameron enthused. 'Believe me, I understand all that. I know Revalvier's books are cleaned up a little bit. I mean, they were written to be children's stories. But still, my dad says they got the main parts all right. And your dad really did fight Voldemort and defeat him, all because of the protection his mum gave him when she died to save him. That part wasn't made-up, was it?'

        'Look, Cam,' James began a little angrily, but Rose cleared her throat and nudged him.

        'We weren't the only ones to lose relatives in the fight against Voldemort,' she said softly.

        James remembered. Cameron's Uncle Colin had been killed during the Battle of Hogwarts. James sighed. 'All right, Cameron, I guess you've a right to come along today as any of us. But trust me, there aren't going to be any grand adventures.'

        'There better not be,' Ralph said darkly.

        'I told you, Ralph,' Rose said, 'the tunnel to Hogsmeade is technically a part of Hogwarts. It's under the protection Merlin gave the castle. We're safe here.'

        Ralph didn't seem particularly relieved. 'Yeah, well, what about when we get to Hogsmeade? Are you going to tell me that somehow the whole village is 'technically a part of Hogwarts'?'

        'Arguably, it could be,' she answered. 'It's probably the last vestige of the fief that once surrounded the castle. But either way, there will be loads of people there. Not even… er, someone really powerful would attack us with all those crowds around. Besides, no one has seen the Headmaster for almost two weeks, have they?'

        'I saw him just yesterday,' Cameron piped up. 'He was in the hall outside the common room, just walking along like he was on a stroll.'

        James glanced back at Cameron. 'You saw Merlin in the castle? Are you sure it was him? I thought he was off travelling somewhere. That's what Professor Longbottom said.'

        'I guess he got back, didn't he?' Cameron replied. 'What? I thought you all liked Headmaster Merlin.'

        'Sure, Cam,' Rose said. 'We like him well enough. We just, er, wouldn't want to get caught sneaking off the grounds like this.'

        Cameron grinned. 'Oh, you three won't get caught. That wouldn't make a very good story, would it?'

        James was becoming rather annoyed with Cameron. 'This isn't a 'story', you know. Merlin knows when things are going on around the school. If he's here…'

        'Let's not spook ourselves,' Rose said soothingly. 'We're not doing anything terrible. We just want to get a look around Hogsmeade, that's all. Nothing bad is going to happen. Cameron's probably right. It wouldn't make a very good story if we were all captured and horribly dispatched by some waiting enemy in the Shrieking Shack…,' her voice trailed off uncomfortably. 'Er… would it?'

        'Depends on what kind of story it is,' Ralph said gloomily.

        They walked in nervous silence for awhile. Eventually, the tunnel began to slope upwards. It ended at a jumble of broken crates and bits of furniture, all covered with dust and cobwebs. Beyond was only thick darkness.

        'We must be at the Shack,' Rose said in a whisper. 'James, can we make it through?'

        'Just barely, if we move some of this rubbish around.' James gingerly began to stack some of the fallen crates. Dust puffed up at his efforts, clouding Rose's wandlight. Spiders skittered on the walls.

        'So we're at the Shrieking Shack, then?' Ralph asked in a quavering voice. 'Should we be expecting it to, you know, start shrieking?'

        Rose answered, 'It doesn't do that, Ralph. It's a long story, but there's nothing to be afraid of here. At least, not anymore.'

        Ralph gulped. 'Then why are you whispering?'

        'There,' James said, wiping his brow with his sleeve. 'I can see through. It's really dark, but if you duck right here we can get into the next room.'

        James led the way, clambering through the small opening on his hands and knees. He could see that the tunnel entrance had once been larger, but the Shrieking Shack had deteriorated quite a lot in the years since the tunnel had been used. Much of the wall had crumbled around the opening and the ceiling overhead had partially collapsed.

        'Whoa,' Cameron said in awe as the four students dusted themselves off. 'This is where it all happened! This is where Harry Potter learned the truth about Sirius Black! I bet it was right over there that Black almost killed the rat, Peter Pettigrew!'

        'Thanks for the play-by-play, Cam,' James muttered. 'Come on, let's get out—'

        Cameron gasped, causing everyone to jump. 'It must have been right here that Voldemort ordered his snake Nagini to attack Professor Snape!' Cameron said breathlessly. 'He probably died right where you're standing, Ralph!'

        'Can you, like, stop talking about who killed who in this very room, Cameron?' Ralph exclaimed. 'It's not like the place needs any more ambiance.'

        'Oh,' Cameron said sheepishly. 'Yeah. Er, sorry.'

        Slowly, the four made their way upstairs, stepping carefully through a strew of broken furniture and collapsed ceilings and walls. The deterioration of the Shrieking Shack was severe enough that James worried the place might simply collapse on top of them. Wind whistled and moaned through cracks in the walls, making the entire house creak. As they reached the main floor, broken windows let in enough daylight that Rose could finally extinguish her wand.

        'There's the door,' Cameron said, pointing. Remarkably, the old door was still intact and fit snugly enough in its warped frame that the four of them had to pull the handle simultaneously to budge it open.

        'I sure am glad to be out of there,' Ralph said, jumping off the sagging porch. 'I think the only thing holding that place up is force of habit.'

        James glanced back at the Shack. 'Let's just hope it holds up for at least a few more hours.'

        'It occurs to me,' Ralph said, looking at James and Rose, 'that this is an awful lot to go through just to get some Drooble's Best Blowing gum and say hi to Ted.'

        Rose shook her head and trotted along the path leading toward the village. 'Oh, come on, Ralph. Where's your sense of adventure?'

        'I think I used it all up last year.'

        James smiled. 'The worst part's behind us, Ralphinator. Come on, it'll be fun!'

        'Hurry up, you guys,' Cameron called, halfway between Rose and the two boys. 'I have to use the toilet!'

        Ralph rolled his eyes, and then grinned at James. 'Come on, I'll race you!'