The Curse of the GateKeeper (James Potter #2) by G. Norman Lippert Page B
Authors: G. Norman Lippert
Tags: series
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the spying sort.
"Get away from us, Scorpius," Albus said, gritting his teeth.
"Or what?" the boy grinned. "Are you going to risk getting your brother into trouble again by rushing me? That only works once, Potter."
Albus nodded. "I'll do that and more if you don't watch yourself."
"That's why you'd never make it into Slytherin," Scorpius said airily, turning to walk away. "As you saw on the train, Slytherins fight with their brains and a wand. Your sort has to rely on brute force. But what do you expect from a son of Harry Potter?"
Albus tensed to lunge at Scorpius again, but James grabbed his shoulder. "Don't you dare go after him again, you dolt. That's just what he wants you to do."
"He's ragging on Dad!" Albus hissed.
"He's trying to provoke you. Save it for later. You've got the whole school year to hate him."
"That's right, Potter," Scorpius said as he turned back, still grinning. "Listen to your brother. He knows what happens when you go up against a Slytherin. Did he tell you what happened when he tried to steal the Slytherin Captain's Quidditch broom last year? Nasty business, that. I hear you ended up facedown in the mud."
James let go of Albus' shoulder, his face flushing with anger. "You just want to watch it, Malfoy. We're not afraid of the Slytherins."
"Then you really are as foolish as you look," Scorpius said, his grin vanishing. "A Malfoy is back in the House of Slytherin again. We don't play politics. You best watch yourselves." He glared at the two brothers, then turned, his cloak flapping, and disappeared into the throng.
"Arrogant little nutter, isn't he?" Albus said. James glanced at him and grinned.
"See you in the Great Hall, Al."
"Yeah," Albus replied, nodding toward the carriages. "Have fun with the Thestrals. Don't let them frighten you too much."
"You're the one who has nightmares about them, not me," James said, rolling his eyes. "Like I told you, they're invisible."
Albus simply looked at James, a curious expression on his face.
"What?" James asked.
"Nothing," Albus said quickly. "I was just thinking of something else Dad said on the platform, right before I got on the train."
James stopped and furrowed his brow. "What'd he say?"
Albus shrugged. "He said James might have a little surprise with the Thestrals."
With that, Albus turned, shouldered his pack, and walked toward Hagrid at the far end of the platform.
They weren't invisible; at least not completely. James hung back, sincerely apprehensive to get too close to the horrible-looking, semi-transparent creatures hitched to the carriages. The nearest one beat its great leathery wings slowly. It turned to look at him, its blank white eyes bulging grotesquely.
"You can see them, eh?" a voice asked. James glanced up, startled, and saw the stout face and red cheeks of his friend Damien Damascus. Damien was also looking at the Thestrals, his brow slightly furrowed. "I started seeing them at the beginning of my fourth year. Shocked me good, I'll tell you. I thought the carriages were just magical, that they pulled themselves up to the castle. Noah took me aside and told me all about the Thestrals. He'd been seeing them since his second year. Come on, they're harmless. They're actually kind of cool when you get used to them."
James threw his bag into the carriage and climbed into the rear seat.
"Hi, James," Sabrina said as she heaved herself into the front seat. She still wore a quill in her wavy red hair. It bounced jauntily as she turned to look over her shoulder. "So what was the drama in the train? Merlin looked like he was going to shoot death bolts from his eyes."
James ran his hand through his hair wearily. "Don't remind me. I already got ten points taken from Gryffindor."
"Not the best way to start the year off," Petra Morganstern said, joining Sabrina on the front seat. "That kind of thing can get your fellow Gryffindors a bit peeved. Fortunately, we seventh-years are above being petty about such things."
"Sabrina
"Get away from us, Scorpius," Albus said, gritting his teeth.
"Or what?" the boy grinned. "Are you going to risk getting your brother into trouble again by rushing me? That only works once, Potter."
Albus nodded. "I'll do that and more if you don't watch yourself."
"That's why you'd never make it into Slytherin," Scorpius said airily, turning to walk away. "As you saw on the train, Slytherins fight with their brains and a wand. Your sort has to rely on brute force. But what do you expect from a son of Harry Potter?"
Albus tensed to lunge at Scorpius again, but James grabbed his shoulder. "Don't you dare go after him again, you dolt. That's just what he wants you to do."
"He's ragging on Dad!" Albus hissed.
"He's trying to provoke you. Save it for later. You've got the whole school year to hate him."
"That's right, Potter," Scorpius said as he turned back, still grinning. "Listen to your brother. He knows what happens when you go up against a Slytherin. Did he tell you what happened when he tried to steal the Slytherin Captain's Quidditch broom last year? Nasty business, that. I hear you ended up facedown in the mud."
James let go of Albus' shoulder, his face flushing with anger. "You just want to watch it, Malfoy. We're not afraid of the Slytherins."
"Then you really are as foolish as you look," Scorpius said, his grin vanishing. "A Malfoy is back in the House of Slytherin again. We don't play politics. You best watch yourselves." He glared at the two brothers, then turned, his cloak flapping, and disappeared into the throng.
"Arrogant little nutter, isn't he?" Albus said. James glanced at him and grinned.
"See you in the Great Hall, Al."
"Yeah," Albus replied, nodding toward the carriages. "Have fun with the Thestrals. Don't let them frighten you too much."
"You're the one who has nightmares about them, not me," James said, rolling his eyes. "Like I told you, they're invisible."
Albus simply looked at James, a curious expression on his face.
"What?" James asked.
"Nothing," Albus said quickly. "I was just thinking of something else Dad said on the platform, right before I got on the train."
James stopped and furrowed his brow. "What'd he say?"
Albus shrugged. "He said James might have a little surprise with the Thestrals."
With that, Albus turned, shouldered his pack, and walked toward Hagrid at the far end of the platform.
They weren't invisible; at least not completely. James hung back, sincerely apprehensive to get too close to the horrible-looking, semi-transparent creatures hitched to the carriages. The nearest one beat its great leathery wings slowly. It turned to look at him, its blank white eyes bulging grotesquely.
"You can see them, eh?" a voice asked. James glanced up, startled, and saw the stout face and red cheeks of his friend Damien Damascus. Damien was also looking at the Thestrals, his brow slightly furrowed. "I started seeing them at the beginning of my fourth year. Shocked me good, I'll tell you. I thought the carriages were just magical, that they pulled themselves up to the castle. Noah took me aside and told me all about the Thestrals. He'd been seeing them since his second year. Come on, they're harmless. They're actually kind of cool when you get used to them."
James threw his bag into the carriage and climbed into the rear seat.
"Hi, James," Sabrina said as she heaved herself into the front seat. She still wore a quill in her wavy red hair. It bounced jauntily as she turned to look over her shoulder. "So what was the drama in the train? Merlin looked like he was going to shoot death bolts from his eyes."
James ran his hand through his hair wearily. "Don't remind me. I already got ten points taken from Gryffindor."
"Not the best way to start the year off," Petra Morganstern said, joining Sabrina on the front seat. "That kind of thing can get your fellow Gryffindors a bit peeved. Fortunately, we seventh-years are above being petty about such things."
"Sabrina
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