James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper

15. OUT OF HOGSMEADE

"I couldn't help it," Cameron said as the four traipsed along the length of the tunnel. "I just knew you were up to something exciting! I saw you heading out toward the Whomping Willow and I remembered reading that there had been a secret passage there, back in our parents' day. They say it was all sealed off after the battle, but still, I knew you three could find a way through if you wanted. So I followed along. I was about to call out to you, but then the tree stopped moving and you all ran toward it! I did the first thing that came to mind and ran after you. It was a near thing too! The Willow came back alive just as I got under it! It swiped at me and barely missed!"

"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!"

James, Ralph, Rose, and Cameron found their way to the High Street and wandered along it, happily enamoured by the various shops and bustling crowds. James and Ralph were debating whether to visit Honeydukes or Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes first when Rose exclaimed in delight, pointing.

"Scrivenshaft's?" James said as Rose hurried forward. "You want to go to the quill shop first?"

"I know I won't be able to afford much of anything," Rose replied, pushing through the door and jingling the bell, "but I can't wait to see what the new Heddelbum self-inking dodo tips are like. Oh, look! They have an actual working Recalls-It-All pen! It remembers everything you write and can duplicate it perfectly!"

"Now that would be handy," James said, his eyes widening. "A pen that can take your tests for you. How much?"

Rose glanced at James disdainfully. "It's really amazing how hard you'll work to avoid the simplest schoolwork, James."

"Yeah," James answered, "Uncle Ron would be proud."

The four of them worked their way along the street, stopping in at most of the shops along the way. Cameron bought a new wand holder at Hiram and Blattwott's Leathers and immediately sheathed his wand in it. He showed it to James and Ralph.

"Protects the finish while simultaneously enhancing magical properties!" Cameron proclaimed proudly, reading directly from the tag. "The inside is lined with suede and enriched with Wymnot's Wand Polish and Enchant-Enhancer. It cleans and empowers my wand every time I put it away!"

"That's great, Cam," Ralph nodded. "Er, looks really dashing too."

"Thanks!" Cameron grinned. "Hey, can we stop at the newsstand? I want to see if the new issue of Stupendous Stories is available."

The newsstand stood on the corner of the High Street and Guddymutter Avenue, and it was the only two-story newsstand James had ever seen. A spiral staircase on the side led to a narrow wrought-iron walkway that encircled the second level. The walkway was packed with wizards and witches browsing every type of newspaper and magazine imaginable. The very peak of the newsstand was a noisy miniature Owlery, twittering with birds of all sizes. They seemed to be coming and going at every moment, each owl attended to by a small man installed at a round desk in the center. As each owl arrived, the little man spun on his chair to retrieve its parcel. Most of these seemed to be small strips of parchment rolled like scrolls and inserted into brass tubes on the owls' legs. As the man removed the message, he'd turn to a speaking tube and read its contents. The speaking tube carried the man's voice through a complicated curlicue of expanding pipes and bellows, eventually broadcasting his every word out over the High Street.

"Breaking news from Turkey," the man read in a surprisingly deep, baritone voice, "the Grand Vizier of the Wizarding Caliphate, Rajah Hassajah, has died unexpectedly, to be replaced in interim by his assistant, Ahmed al-Mustaphus. International wizarding bank authority to freeze all transactions with the Caliphate until said crisis is satisfactorily managed. Updates as events warrant."

"Oh, look who's on the cover of this month's Quibbler," Rose cried delightedly, pulling a copy off a shelf on the lower level. James leaned over Rose's shoulder, studying the tabloid in her hands. 'Daughter of Quibbler Founder to Wed', read the cover headline alongside a photo of Luna Lovegood happily accepting a ring from her new beau, Rolf Scamander. The picture was obviously staged, but Luna's smile was genuine enough, and the look of happy affection on Rolf's rather bug-like face was unmistakable. In the photo, Luna took the ring, and then held it out to the camera. It seemed to be made of amber with an insect embedded in it.

"That's been done," Ralph sniffed.

"Well, I'm happy for her," Rose said, replacing the tabloid on the rack. "Luna's hoped to get married for a long time. She wants a family."

"How do you know that?" James asked, furrowing his brow. "I've known Luna all my life and she's never said anything about that."

Rose looked aloof. "That's because you haven't been listening in on the right conversations."

Overhead, the Owlery announcer spoke through his amplifying apparatus, "In an update to previous reports, the mysterious sightings of swarms of Dementors throughout Central London have only increased, although no amount of investigation has been able to pinpoint the hive's origin or predict the locations of any future oppressions. Further, the range of the infestation appears to be increasing daily, reaching into neighboring vicinities at an alarming rate. Muggle reportage of the incidents is gaining precedent, although attributions of the effects are extremely varied. In a breaking development, the Ministry of Magic has announced the creation of an Auror sub-department to locate and subdue the hive. Meanwhile, many concerned citizens of the magical world are departing the Central London area until the unexplained oppressions are brought under control. Continuing updates as events warrant."

Ralph's face had gone pale. "I heard something about those Dementor swarms when I first went home for the holiday, but I didn't think anything of it. It seems to have gotten a lot worse now. Do you think this is connected to the descent of the Gatekeeper?"

"It must be," James said, remembering his earlier conversation with the Headmaster. "Merlin told me that the Borleys were basically baby Dementors. Maybe the Gatekeeper is something like the ultimate Dementor. Maybe the Gatekeeper has assembled all the uncaptured Dementors and is using them to begin its work on the earth!"

Rose shuddered. "That's an awful thought! If it's true, James, then our parents might be in danger, since they work at the Ministry. Especially your dad. If he's in charge of that Auror sub-department, he'll be chasing the Gatekeeper and he won't even know it! We have to warn them!"

James knew Rose was right. He nodded. "I'll send Dad an owl as soon as we get back tonight. I'll tell him everything we know so far."

"But why would the Gatekeeper be using Dementors?" Ralph asked. "I thought it could affect humans directly?"

Rose answered, "It can, but only a few at a time, for now. It feeds on fear and terror, so it's using the Dementors to get what it needs. But this proves that it hasn't found its human host yet. Once it possesses the host, it won't need the Dementors anymore. It'll become directly connected to the community of mankind. It'll be able to affect loads of people all at once, and nothing will be able to stop it."

"We need to get both halves of the Beacon Stone before that happens," James said fervently. "Whoever has the whole stone can still send the Gatekeeper back into the Void, right?"

"We don't even know where Slytherin's half of the stone is," Ralph lamented. "And the half that we do know about is on the finger of the most powerful wizard in the world. This makes stealing Jackson's briefcase last year look like a walk in the park."

James was unperturbed. "At least we know where Merlin's Beacon ring is. We just need to find out who might have inherited Slytherin's Beacon ring."

"Well, no problem there," Ralph said sarcastically. "We just need to trace some mystical black ring through three dozen generations of dark wizards. That should be a breeze!"

"What mystical black ring?" Cameron asked, returning with a newsstand sack.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Nothing, Cameron. We're just trying to save the world here. We do this every day, you know."

"Oh," Cameron said, frowning a little. "I just thought maybe you were talking about the Gaunt family ring Headmaster Dumbledore gave your dad."

As one, James, Ralph, and Rose looked at Cameron. He blinked at them a little nervously.

"What ring, Cameron?" Ralph asked.

Cameron smiled crookedly, as if he was being teased. "You know. The ring with the Resurrection Stone in it. It was one of the Deathly Hallows in the last book. Headmaster Dumbledore captured it and gave it to Harry Potter inside the Golden Snitch. You remember that, er… don't you?"

Rose, Ralph, and James exchanged looks. Rose said, "Could it really be that simple?"

James' eyes widened thoughtfully. "Cameron, you know those books pretty much frontwards and backwards, right? Tell us everything you remember about that ring."

Cameron looked at James, a little puzzled, and then shrugged. "Well, according to legend, the ring once belonged to Death, so it allowed the holder to see and speak to dead people. It was passed on through generations of Salazar Slytherin's relatives until it came to the Gaunt family. Voldemort took the ring and used it as a, er, Horcrux," Cameron whispered the last word as if it was a sort of swear word. He went on in his normal voice. "Later, Dumbledore captured the ring and cracked the stone with Gryffindor's sword, making it useless to Voldemort. After Dumbledore died, he willed the stone to Harry Potter, hiding it inside his Snitch. In the book, Harry uses the Resurrection Stone to speak to his dead parents when he's going to confront Voldemort in the Forest. After that, no one knows what became of the stone. Anyway, when you said something about a mysterious black ring, I just thought that might be what you were talking about. My mistake."

"Cameron," Rose said seriously, "I could kiss you, you silly geek. That's brilliant!"

Cameron blushed fiercely and hugged his newsstand sack, grinning.

Ralph asked, "Do you really think the Resurrection Stone and the Beacon Stone are the same thing?"

"It sure seems to fit," James replied. "It was black and set into a ring and it was passed on by Salazar Slytherin through loads of generations."

Rose added, "And it allowed the bearer to see and communicate with dead people because it came from the Void that all departed souls pass through."

Ralph shuddered. "So whatever became of it? What happened to it after that night in the Forest?"

"It's just like Cameron said," Rose sighed, "no one knows. If I remember right, it was purposely left out of the books so that nobody would be tempted to search for the stone again. It was presumed lost forever. Nobody knows where it is, or even if it still exists."

James narrowed his eyes, thinking. He decided not to say anything, but he knew of at least one person who did know what had become of the Resurrection Stone. And James was one of the only people on earth who could ask that person and possibly get an answer.

Eventually, the foursome made their way to the Three Broomsticks, affectionately known among some of the older students as the 'Triple Sticks'. They ordered Butterbeers and had a light dinner. Hogwarts students packed the tables, talking boisterously and calling to each other. Sabrina, Damien, and Gennifer Tellus jostled through the door just as James was finishing his sausage. Damien grinned as they pushed their way through the throng.

"Made it through the tunnel, I see," Damien called. "I'm a little jealous, you know. We discovered that passageway first. I was hoping to be the first to see the inside of the Shrieking Shack. How was it?"

"Barely standing," James answered. "You'll be lucky if it's still upright when you go through yourself."

"Where's Noah and Petra?" Rose asked.

Gennifer rolled her eyes. "Oh, they're having a lover's spat over at Madam Puddifoot's. I told them it'd be nothing but trouble if they started dating."

"They aren't really dating," Sabrina said, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "They're just snogging. It isn't exactly the same thing."

James glanced up sharply, surprised that he had somehow missed this development. "How long have they been, er, snogging?"

"It started about a week before Christmas," Sabrina replied. "It's probably all that rehearsing as lovers for the play that did it. You can only pretend to fancy one another for so long before it leaks over into real life."

"James knows all about that," Ralph said, popping the last of his sausage into his mouth. James sighed.

"So what are they fighting about?" Rose asked.

Damien gestured dramatically. "Noah saw Petra having some big, heavy conversation with Ted behind Weasleys'. She was crying, and Ted didn't look too happy either. Noah's quite the jealous type, you know."

"He should've known what he was getting into, dating his best friend's former girl," Gennifer proclaimed loftily. "It spells trouble any way you look at it."

Sabrina said, "I just don't understand what Ted sees in Victoire anyway. He was lucky to have Petra. Victoire's a bit of a stuck-up powder puff no matter how you look at her. No offense."

Rose waved a hand. "Oh, you don't have to apologize to us. We think the same thing most of the time."

James felt suddenly hot and angry. He stared out of the window, confused at his own thoughts and emotions. Something about the fact that Noah and Petra were suddenly dating needled him mercilessly. He'd always liked Noah quite a lot, but now, all of a sudden, he wanted to go find the older boy and push him down. The irony of it was that he knew where to find Noah: he was sitting across from Petra at this very moment, just down the street in the ridiculously pink and fluffy Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Worse, James now knew for certain that Noah wasn't the main problem. Just as Rose had said, Petra was obviously still in love with Ted Lupin, despite the fact that he had moved on to Victoire. The whole affair was hopelessly complicated, and James was frustrated to realize that there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

Eventually, the conversation moved on to other topics. James, Rose, Ralph, and Cameron said goodbye to the Gremlins and made their way out to the street. The evening was cooling as the sun lowered, bringing a restless wind through the village. Bits of newspaper and candy wrappers skirled across the street as students began making the journey back to the distant castle. The foursome began to make their way to the Shrieking Shack, stopping only once along the way to pop into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes where they hoped to say hello to George and Ted.

"The old tunnel is open, eh?" George said, grinning over the front counter. "That's excellent. Fred and I only tried that route once, since everyone was afraid of the ghosts in the Shack. We didn't make it all the way through, but we got far enough to leave some graffiti on the walls, as I recall."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I think I saw that. The drawing of Professor Snape was particularly amusing."

"Oh, those were Fred's," George said, sighing. "He was a good one for a quick caricature. He said it was all in the hook nose."

James asked, "So how's business been?"

"Oh, really excellent. Ever since we bought out Zonko's, we've been rolling. They had a pretty loyal clientele, you know. I've even considered making this Weasleys' flagship location instead of the shop at Diagon Alley, but Ron says I shouldn't. He says the original location is still the best."

Rose looked around appreciatively. "I bet Ted loves working here. This place is right up his alley."

"Yeah," George agreed. "It's good having him around. He's a hard worker and he has some great ideas for some new products. Some of those new Every Flavor Beans were his ideas, although even I drew the line at a flavor called 'guanomole'. The blighter's been no use to me today, though. These Hogsmeade weekends are like a family reunion for him. He's been in and out all day doing who-knows-what."

There was a loud snap. James and Rose turned to see Cameron shaking his finger violently, trying to dislodge something that had apparently clamped onto the end of it.

"You snapped it, you bought it, my friend," George said jovially as he came out from behind the counter. "Just kidding, really. Those are the finger snapping Galleons. Always a laugh, those. Just lay one on the ground and wait for any unsuspecting person to come across it."

"They sure look real," Cameron admitted as George pried the fake coin off his finger. "Up until the point that it chomps on you, I mean. That's, er, great. Thanks."

"If you like those, you'll love our Disapparating knickers bomb," George said, leading Cameron to another shelf. "Now with an expanded effectiveness range of three meters! Great for parties."

As James browsed around, he peeked through the backroom curtain and saw Ted sitting on a pile of crates. Lately, he had taken to using his Metamorphmagus skills to change the appearance of his hair again, just as he had when he'd been a baby. He had made it quite long today. It hung in dark curtains, partially obscuring his face. James thought he looked a bit like the long-departed Sirius Black.

"Hey, Ted," James said. "How's everything?"

Ted looked up, although James still couldn't see his face. "Oh. Hi, James. It's all right."

"How's practicing for the National Quidditch Team coming?"

"Hmm?" Ted said. "Oh yeah. It's all right, I guess. I've been really busy here at the shop, but other than that, yeah, it's fine."

"Ted," James said, slipping past the curtain, "er, what's going on?"

Ted's voice was strangely flat. "What do you mean?"

"I mean with Petra. I know it's none of my business, but…"

"What do you know about it?" Ted asked, a little sharply. "I know Metzker's all in a tizzy about it, and the rest of the Gremlins are probably talking it up, but I didn't think you'd be in on it too."

"In on what?" James asked, stopping just inside the backroom curtain. "Look, I—"

"Whatever everyone is saying, it's all rubbish, James. You lot just need to leave Petra alone, especially Metzker. And you can tell him I said so."

"Ted," James began, but he didn't quite know what else to say. Ted stirred, climbing to his feet.

"I see you've got Dolohov with you. You're still chumming around with him, eh?"

James looked hard at Ted. "You mean Ralph? Er, yeah. I guess. Why?"

"Oh, no reason, really. After all, it wasn't his people that killed your parents."

James shook his head. "Ted, you… you can't blame Ralph for that. He wasn't even born then. His father was just a kid when the battle happened."

Ted sighed wearily. "Don't tell me who I can and can't blame, James. Look, I'm sorry I brought it up. I'm not in a very good mood tonight. Maybe you and Rose and your friends should get back to the tunnel. It's getting dark."

James nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He turned to go, and then looked back. "See you later, Ted."

Ted waved. "See you around, James. Be careful."

By the time the quartet came out of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving a fierce orange and purple sky behind it. Quickly, they made their way back toward the Shrieking Shack. The protective fence around the property had long since fallen into disrepair. James led the way through the same break in the fence they had used earlier in the day. At the top of the hill, the ramshackle Shack stood in black shadow, looming ominously.

"I was really hoping to get through this part before it got dark," Ralph said fervently. "I can't even see the front door."

"It's right there," Rose said, lighting her wand and pointing it. "Just like we left… it…"

Rose's voice trailed away as her wandlight played over the front of the Shack. In spite of her words, the door didn't, in fact, look exactly as they'd left it.

"I thought we pulled the door closed again," Cameron said curiously. "Didn't we pull the—"

"Yes, Cam," James interrupted. "We sure didn't leave it like that."

The front door had been shoved open so far that the top hinge had broken. It leaned awkwardly inside its frame. Beyond the entry was impenetrable darkness.

"Does that look like someone was going in, or coming out?" Ralph asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"What does that matter?" James asked.

"Well, for one thing, it tells us if we were followed or if we're walking into a trap," Ralph answered reasonably.

Cameron asked, "Who'd try to trap us?"

"Nobody," Rose replied firmly. "Come on. It's probably just an animal or something. Let's just get this over with."

She climbed onto the sagging porch and shone her wandlight into the dark doorway. James clambered up next to her, his heart pounding. Together they walked through the doorway with Ralph and Cameron following close behind. The interior of the Shack had obviously been disturbed. Some of the old furniture had been shoved aside, leaving scrapes on the dusty floor. Worse, the stairway leading to the cellar looked all wrong. The doorway was splintered and bowed, and the stairs beyond seemed unusually steep.

"Wait," James said, grabbing Rose's arm. "This isn't right. Look down there."

All four students hunkered and peered down the rickety staircase. By the glow of Rose's wand they could clearly see that the room below was virtually gone. Broken hunks of wall and sections of collapsed ceiling choked the stairs, completely blocking them.

"How could that have happened just today?" Ralph asked breathlessly. "I mean, it held up for twenty years and then decided to come crashing down right after we came through?"

"Maybe we dislodged it somehow," Cameron reasoned.

James shook his head. "No, someone did this on purpose. Someone knows we're here and is forcing us to go home by another route."

Cameron looked at James, smiling quizzically. "Why would anyone do that?"

"Because they want to keep us out of the tunnel," Ralph answered in a small voice. "Because the tunnel is part of Hogwarts."

"Come on," Rose said quickly. "If we hurry, we can catch up with some of the other returning students."

Cameron looked alarmed. "But we'll get caught when we go back," he exclaimed. "Professor McGonagall will see us coming back with the older students! We'll get in trouble!"

"Let's seriously hope that's the worst that happens, Cameron," Ralph said, following Rose back out of the decimated front door.

As quickly as they could, the four retraced their steps back along the High Street. As they walked, James could occasionally see the spires and turrets of Hogwarts castle, looking teasingly close against the darkening sky. A cross street at the end of town seemed to angle in the right direction. James led the troop down it, toward a stand of intervening forest.

"This doesn't look right, James," Ralph worried. "Isn't there a path that leads straight through to the castle?"

James answered, "Yeah, we have to be getting near it. Watch between the cottages."

"I wonder where everyone else is at," Cameron commented, looking around at the narrow, deserted street. A dog barked nearby, and something squeaked in the cooling wind. "Shouldn't there be other students heading back along this route?"

"Hogsmeade weekend officially ends at dusk," Rose said quietly. "They were already heading back by the time we stopped in to see George."

"What was that?" Ralph suddenly asked, spinning on his heels to look behind him.

"What?" James whispered, his hair prickling.

Ralph's eyes darted over the street. "I… I thought I heard something behind us."

Rose shook her head. "Get hold of yourselves, you two. It was probably just a dog or something."

"I heard it too," Cameron said. "It came from over by that alley."

"Come on," Rose said firmly, pulling the bigger boys by the sleeves. "You're spooking me out, and I was spooked enough already. Let's go!"

A few minutes later, the side street turned a sharp corner in the wrong direction. James peeked between the cramped cottages, looking for some sign of the castle.

"There's a little footpath," he said. "It winds back through some trees."

"Is it the path to the school?" Ralph asked.

"I don't know. But it's going in the right direction. Let's give it a go."

James led the troop between the cottages, past a tiny fenced garden, and into the darkness of a stand of trees. The trail wound between bushes and tall grass.

"Boy, this is just getting worse and worse," Ralph said quietly. "I thought the whole point was for us to never be alone?"

"We're not alone," James said as he plodded further along the path. "We have Cameron with us."

"And whatever was following us back there," Cameron added cheerfully.

"Cameron!" Rose said warningly.

James was growing increasingly worried. The path was winding deeper into a stretch of forest that separated Hogsmeade from the grounds of Hogwarts. The trees blocked the light of the dusky sky, reducing the path to a dim patchwork of shadows. Occasionally, James thought he heard the sound of footsteps along the path behind them or further ahead of them, but he determined not to call attention to them. He pulled out his wand and illuminated it, holding it up as high as he could. The wandlight starkly lit the nearby trees but only made the deeper depths seem all the darker by comparison. No one spoke for several minutes as they walked. Finally, thankfully, the path turned toward a thinner patch of trees. Through them, James could see the indigo of the evening sky and the pale yellow face of the full moon.

"Look," Rose said, pointing, "just beyond the edge of the trees, I think that's the main gate! I can see the silhouette of the two boars!"

James squinted. He didn't have his glasses with him, so he couldn't quite make out the distant shapes in the darkness.

"Yeah," Ralph said, "I see it. Wow, that's a sight. Come on!"

As the four students trotted forward, the trees parted overhead, revealing the night sky and a scattering of stars. The moon shone its pale yellow light all round. Sure enough, the ancient wall and the open gates stood nearby; the two famous stone boars arched their backs at the sky, baring their tusks. James breathed a great sigh of relief. In a few moments, they would be safely within the grounds of Hogwarts again.

"Heh," Cameron laughed nervously. "See? I told you there would be a great adventure! Wait until my dad hears about—"

Cameron's voice cut off as a noise of running feet approached swiftly. The boy turned to look back, his face curious. Something large and dark loomed out of the darkness, flying low over the ground.

Rose screamed, lunging backwards and reaching for her wand. Ralph and James ducked as the figure hurtled over them. It landed on the path between James and the gate, skidding on the dirt and turning back to face them. A low, ferocious growl came from it and it began to advance.

"Stupefy!" Rose called, pointing her wand, but it was too dark to aim properly. The red bolt struck the ground in front of the creature, lighting it for an instant. James saw teeth bared along a narrow snout and bright, terrible eyes.

"It's a wolf!" he called, scrambling backwards. The wolf responded to his voice with a loud snarl. It lowered, coiling close to the ground, and then pounced. James covered his face, shielding himself from the teeth and claws, but instead of being mauled by the beast, he was knocked roughly aside by it. Then, directly behind him, there came the noise of a violent struggle and a scream of pain. It was Ralph. James scrambled to his feet, reaching for his wand. With a gasp, he realized he'd dropped it when the beast had attacked.

"Stun it, Rose!" James called.

"I can't!" Rose cried, pointing her wand wildly. "I can't tell them apart! If I Stun Ralph, it'll kill him!"

The wolf rolled with Ralph as he wrestled it. It seemed to have his wrist locked in its jaws. It shook its head violently, tearing at Ralph's arm. Ralph screamed again, trying to kick the enormous beast off of him.

Without thinking, James lunged at the creature. He threw his arms around the matted fur of its neck, pulling as hard as he could. Suddenly, intensely, James' phantom scar burned. He squinted against it, willing himself not to let go of the wolf's neck. The beast scrambled and thrashed, still not releasing its grip on Ralph's arm. James could feel the muscles pulsing beneath the wolf's fur, could smell the dank smell of its pelt. Suddenly, it got a paw on James' chest. It dug in its claws and swiped, tearing ragged strips in James' sweatshirt. He felt something hot and sticky immediately soak into his shirt, but there was no pain. Instead, the pain in his forehead throbbed and pulsed, distracting him. The wolf thrashed again, knocking James loose. He scrambled after it, but it was too fast. The paw swiped, barely missing James' face.

Suddenly, there was another voice calling out. "No, Ted! Stop! This isn't the way! Let him go!"

James rolled and got to his knees. He looked around wildly, squinting past the throb in his forehead, and saw a tall figure lunging onto the wolf. James was too stunned to immediately recognize who it was. The newcomer pulled at the wolf's ears, forcing it to release its grip on Ralph. The beast flailed its head back and forth, snapping.

"Stop this, Ted!" the newcomer cried, and James finally recognized it was Petra. "You don't know what you're doing! This isn't the way to fix things! Not here, not now!"

The wolf lunged mightily, hurling Petra off, but it didn't renew its attack on Ralph. The beast snarled at him, and then leapt away, snapping and slavering its bloody jaws. It seemed confused, almost as if it were at war with itself. Finally, it threw back its head and howled, long and loud. It chilled James' blood because he could sense the humanity in that howl, almost as if Ted's voice was buried under it, crying out in anguish and despair.

Petra climbed to her feet and slowly approached the great wolf. Remarkably, she knelt next to it and stroked its fur. She spoke to it quietly, soothingly.

"Ralph!" Rose rasped, dropping next to the big boy. "Are you all right? How badly are you hurt?"

Ralph moaned and rolled over, struggling to his knees. James scrambled over to him.

"I think my arm's broken," Ralph said with remarkable blandness. "It feels all loose and hot."

James could see the mangled mess of Ralph's wrist. Blood soaked through his shredded sleeve. "Ralph," James exclaimed, "you look awful!"

"You look pretty horrible, too," Ralph said. "Are all your guts still inside?"

"I think so, er, I hope," James replied, looking down at his bloody chest.

"Let me look at your wrist, Ralph," Petra suddenly said, kneeling next to him. Ralph held it up. Petra gingerly peeled back the torn fabric of Ralph's sleeve, revealing his forearm.

"Artemisae," she said, touching her wand to the cuts and punctures. "That'll stop the bleeding until we can get you to Madam Curio."

"What are you doing here, Petra?" James asked as she turned to examine his chest.

"I was walking back by myself," she answered. "I was just coming up the path when I saw what was happening."

Rose was trembling visibly. "But… how did you know that the wolf was… was…"

"It's a full moon, Rose. And Ted and I… we talked a lot. He told me about his… condition."

Petra performed the same technique on James' scratches, which, she assured him, looked a lot worse than they were. Finally, Rose and Petra helped James and Ralph to their feet.

"Where'd the wolf go?" Ralph asked, shaking. "Is it gone?"

Petra nodded, looking back toward the forest. "He's gone."

Rose gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "What about Cameron?" she said through her fingers.

A cursory search found Cameron lying on his face in the grass, the bag from the newsstand covering his head. He had a very large, muddy paw-print on his back but was otherwise completely unhurt.

"What happened?" he asked woozily as they dragged him upright. "I think I fainted. Did I really faint? I missed the whole thing!"

James sighed, finally feeling some pain in his chest as the wounds stiffened. "We'll tell you all about it later, Cam. Let's just get back to the castle."

Limping and bloody, the group of five made their way through the gate, heading toward the welcome glow of the castle windows. After a minute, James trotted back, holding one hand over his chest. He looked around for a few moments, cursing under his breath. Finally, he found his wand in a tuft of grass. He tucked it into his jeans pocket and ran back, yelling for the rest to wait up.

In the dark distance, somewhere between the gate and the village of Hogsmeade, a wolf howled a long, sorrowful note.