Hermione knocked one Ron's door. He answered immediately and already dressed. They went down to the cafe they found the previous day.
"Don't you serve any butterbeer here?" Ron asked the witch who's name they found out was Daisy.
"Well, no. You can't make butterbeer with muggle ingredients and they come here all the time. You shouldn't drink butterbeer in the morning anyway," Daisy winked, "So what are you kids planning to do today?"
"We're going to go see that place you told us about yesterday," Hermione said. The witch looked at them with concern.
"You don't want to go there. You can still here screams from that place from that night. Even the muggles here them. They reckon the place is haunted."
"We just want to go see it," Ron said putting some money on the counter. They left the cafe and started heading downhill.
"Where is it?" Hermione questioned, looking around after they walked for ten minutes.
"Maybe we should ask somebody?" Ron said even though there was no one there. They kept walking until the land leveled out and they saw a small house. You couldn't see the village from there for it was actually on top of a large hill. Hermione and Ron approached it, but they did not here any screams. Hermione stepped up to the porch and read the nameplate on the door.
"Potter," Hermione said looking at Ron with her eyes wide.
"Let's go in," Ron said. The door was open and they entered the house. All the curtains and drapes were drawn and the house smelled of dust. There was an open door to the right with a dining room. The went down a long hallway, with a kitchen at the left, a staircase on the right, and a small living area at the end of the house. The halls were lined with wedding pictures and pictures of many witches and wizards.
Hermione and Ron went upstairs which only contained two bedrooms. One was closed and had a neatly made when they peeked in. It was obviously the master bedroom. There were a few framed pictures on the bedside table. Hermione went and picked up one of them. Ron stared at them over her shoulder.
"It's Harry," Hermione said looking down at it. It definetely was Harry. Who could mistake those eyes? The only thing missing was his scar. Hermione put the picture back on the table. It wasn't their Harry. Their Harry never had that look on his face as the baby did. That look that there wasn't any care in the world and that the only thing on his mind was the person taking the picture.
They went to the other room now. This room didn't have a door and the walls around it was burnt. It was Harry's room. There was a crib in the corner. And a few toys lying around. The sailboat wallpaper was yellow and faded. It was strange to think that once a baby was safely sleeping here and that the baby had been just like any baby. But that had only lasted a year.
Hermione and Ron went back downstairs. There was a backdoor in the living room and Hermione insisted that they look outside.
"Oh Ron," Hermione said when they looked out. It was a sadly beautiful place. There was only fencing on the right and flowered vines covered it. The rest of the yard was open to a long field ending at the bottom of a mountain. In the middle there was a patch of overgrown roses with a few rocks surrounding it. A huge willow sat at the end of the fence drooping with sorrow.
"There's something under the tree," Hermione said. They went over and sat down under the tree. There were two headstones lying closely together. On the heastone on the right was written,
"Here lies Lily Evans Potter, who's laughter we shall miss most of all. For her laughter brought happiness at our Order meetings even in the midst of war. She was a serious student when we knew her at school and always kind to everyone. She was the perfect mother for a boy who only had her for too little time. Lily has been spared from the war and may she rest in peace."
On the headstone on the left it said,
"Here lays James Potter, who's last act as a brave and virtuous man was to try to save his wife and son. He was not just a great husband and father but a loyal friend. He grew up with his friends at school and stayed with them afterward. When he died he had a great many friends to miss him and hope he is free from his troubles. May James rest in peace."
Hermione looked up at Ron, her eyes glistening with tears. Ron put an arm on her shoulders.
"Now Harry can have back what he lost," Ron said, "He died just like his parents did." Hermione nodded and smiled at him. Just then, they heard the sound of an engine.
"What was that?" Ron said starting to crawl out from under the willow.
"Shh, it might be the Ministry. They might be looking for us." Hermione said pulling him back. They peaked out from under the branches. They did not notice that James and Lily's graves disappeard.
"Hagrid!" Ron whispered loudly. It was unmistakebly Hagrid on a motorbike. Hermione and Ron immediately came out from under the tree.
"Oh Hagrid! What are you doing here?" Hermione yelled joyfully, running over to him. But Hagrid took no notice of either of them. He used a spell with his pink umbrella to open the back door which Hermione remembered keeping open.
"Hagrid?" Ron tapped Hagrid's back as he followed him inside. Still, Hagrid took no notice.
"What is going on here?" Hermione questioned looking around Hagrid to the front entrance. Twenty or so wizards crowded the hall. Hagrid went up to one of them holding a bundle and tapped him on the shoulder. The man turned.
"Ah yes, I was waiting for you Hagrid." the man said. The man did not see Hermione or Ron. "Here is the baby." He turned the bundle over to Hagrid. Hermione and Ron stood on their toes to see the baby, sound asleep. Hermione gasped at the sight of Harry.
"So is it true then? Are Lily an' James really... dead?" Hagrid said, looking sulky.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," the wizard shook his head sadly. "But the other rumors are true, too. We reckon this really was You-Know-Who's downfall."
"Thank ye, I'll give Harry ter Dumbledore now." Hagrid started walking towards the backdoor, but he slowly vanished before he even reached it. Hermione and Ron looked back at the wizards. They were gone to. The house was silent.
Ron and Hermione walked back to the inn.
"Do you think the house if full of ghosts?" Ron said.
"Not ghosts, Ron. If they were ghosts they would see us. And Hagrid isn't dead. Besides, we could see them clearly. I think it was more like a memory." Hermione said. When they reached the Inn, an owl was waiting at each of their windows. The notes said, "Please turn in your recruition forms soon, we need them in as soon as possible."
"They aren't tracking us already, are they?" Ron said.
"No, it's just a reminder. They will soon though," Hermione said.
"We'll have to give in, eventually." Ron said.
"But not yet," Hermione said. But now they knew when they would go back. They would go back as soon as they knew the story of what happened to Harry's parents.
"Don't you serve any butterbeer here?" Ron asked the witch who's name they found out was Daisy.
"Well, no. You can't make butterbeer with muggle ingredients and they come here all the time. You shouldn't drink butterbeer in the morning anyway," Daisy winked, "So what are you kids planning to do today?"
"We're going to go see that place you told us about yesterday," Hermione said. The witch looked at them with concern.
"You don't want to go there. You can still here screams from that place from that night. Even the muggles here them. They reckon the place is haunted."
"We just want to go see it," Ron said putting some money on the counter. They left the cafe and started heading downhill.
"Where is it?" Hermione questioned, looking around after they walked for ten minutes.
"Maybe we should ask somebody?" Ron said even though there was no one there. They kept walking until the land leveled out and they saw a small house. You couldn't see the village from there for it was actually on top of a large hill. Hermione and Ron approached it, but they did not here any screams. Hermione stepped up to the porch and read the nameplate on the door.
"Potter," Hermione said looking at Ron with her eyes wide.
"Let's go in," Ron said. The door was open and they entered the house. All the curtains and drapes were drawn and the house smelled of dust. There was an open door to the right with a dining room. The went down a long hallway, with a kitchen at the left, a staircase on the right, and a small living area at the end of the house. The halls were lined with wedding pictures and pictures of many witches and wizards.
Hermione and Ron went upstairs which only contained two bedrooms. One was closed and had a neatly made when they peeked in. It was obviously the master bedroom. There were a few framed pictures on the bedside table. Hermione went and picked up one of them. Ron stared at them over her shoulder.
"It's Harry," Hermione said looking down at it. It definetely was Harry. Who could mistake those eyes? The only thing missing was his scar. Hermione put the picture back on the table. It wasn't their Harry. Their Harry never had that look on his face as the baby did. That look that there wasn't any care in the world and that the only thing on his mind was the person taking the picture.
They went to the other room now. This room didn't have a door and the walls around it was burnt. It was Harry's room. There was a crib in the corner. And a few toys lying around. The sailboat wallpaper was yellow and faded. It was strange to think that once a baby was safely sleeping here and that the baby had been just like any baby. But that had only lasted a year.
Hermione and Ron went back downstairs. There was a backdoor in the living room and Hermione insisted that they look outside.
"Oh Ron," Hermione said when they looked out. It was a sadly beautiful place. There was only fencing on the right and flowered vines covered it. The rest of the yard was open to a long field ending at the bottom of a mountain. In the middle there was a patch of overgrown roses with a few rocks surrounding it. A huge willow sat at the end of the fence drooping with sorrow.
"There's something under the tree," Hermione said. They went over and sat down under the tree. There were two headstones lying closely together. On the heastone on the right was written,
"Here lies Lily Evans Potter, who's laughter we shall miss most of all. For her laughter brought happiness at our Order meetings even in the midst of war. She was a serious student when we knew her at school and always kind to everyone. She was the perfect mother for a boy who only had her for too little time. Lily has been spared from the war and may she rest in peace."
On the headstone on the left it said,
"Here lays James Potter, who's last act as a brave and virtuous man was to try to save his wife and son. He was not just a great husband and father but a loyal friend. He grew up with his friends at school and stayed with them afterward. When he died he had a great many friends to miss him and hope he is free from his troubles. May James rest in peace."
Hermione looked up at Ron, her eyes glistening with tears. Ron put an arm on her shoulders.
"Now Harry can have back what he lost," Ron said, "He died just like his parents did." Hermione nodded and smiled at him. Just then, they heard the sound of an engine.
"What was that?" Ron said starting to crawl out from under the willow.
"Shh, it might be the Ministry. They might be looking for us." Hermione said pulling him back. They peaked out from under the branches. They did not notice that James and Lily's graves disappeard.
"Hagrid!" Ron whispered loudly. It was unmistakebly Hagrid on a motorbike. Hermione and Ron immediately came out from under the tree.
"Oh Hagrid! What are you doing here?" Hermione yelled joyfully, running over to him. But Hagrid took no notice of either of them. He used a spell with his pink umbrella to open the back door which Hermione remembered keeping open.
"Hagrid?" Ron tapped Hagrid's back as he followed him inside. Still, Hagrid took no notice.
"What is going on here?" Hermione questioned looking around Hagrid to the front entrance. Twenty or so wizards crowded the hall. Hagrid went up to one of them holding a bundle and tapped him on the shoulder. The man turned.
"Ah yes, I was waiting for you Hagrid." the man said. The man did not see Hermione or Ron. "Here is the baby." He turned the bundle over to Hagrid. Hermione and Ron stood on their toes to see the baby, sound asleep. Hermione gasped at the sight of Harry.
"So is it true then? Are Lily an' James really... dead?" Hagrid said, looking sulky.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," the wizard shook his head sadly. "But the other rumors are true, too. We reckon this really was You-Know-Who's downfall."
"Thank ye, I'll give Harry ter Dumbledore now." Hagrid started walking towards the backdoor, but he slowly vanished before he even reached it. Hermione and Ron looked back at the wizards. They were gone to. The house was silent.
Ron and Hermione walked back to the inn.
"Do you think the house if full of ghosts?" Ron said.
"Not ghosts, Ron. If they were ghosts they would see us. And Hagrid isn't dead. Besides, we could see them clearly. I think it was more like a memory." Hermione said. When they reached the Inn, an owl was waiting at each of their windows. The notes said, "Please turn in your recruition forms soon, we need them in as soon as possible."
"They aren't tracking us already, are they?" Ron said.
"No, it's just a reminder. They will soon though," Hermione said.
"We'll have to give in, eventually." Ron said.
"But not yet," Hermione said. But now they knew when they would go back. They would go back as soon as they knew the story of what happened to Harry's parents.