There's A Place
By Dragon's Daughter 1890
Chapter Five: Pace
October 31st, 1981
Godric's Hallow, United Kingdom
James Williams stood outside of the Potter residence in Godric's Hallow. Or at least, what remained of it. While the house was still standing, any structural engineer with common sense would have declared it unsafe and had it razed. Windows were broken and the residence tilted to one side. Peering carefully through the shattered glass into the living room, James took in the blackened walls and overturned furniture. Towards one wall, a man lay in the shadows, sprawled on the floor, wand in hand and clearly dead. A small drop of lavender light by the man's body indicated that someone from Avalon already came for his soul. James swallowed, pushing down the bile that rose in his mouth. He stepped back from the window quickly and turned to face the street.
He swiftly drew the signs for silence and isolation and threw them into the night. It would buy him an hour of time before the neighbors would realize something was amiss and call the police. He stood in the looming shadow of the oak tree in a neighboring yard. James had been instructed to keep himself hidden from view and not to interfere with events until he delivered his message to the right person. So he watched as a scraggly-haired, bearded half-giant arrived and plunged into the rubble, clearly searching for survivors. There would be only one. He watched as a black-haired man arrived in front of the house on a flying motorcycle, angry and grief-stricken. The half-giant and the man conversed briefly before the man pressed a key into the half-giant's hand and disappeared, leaving his flying vehicle behind.
James tried hard not to think about the dead man with his own first name or of the man's wife, the devoted mother who had given everything she had for her child. He felt the lingering traces of April's magic, the spots of lavender light that would be invisible to all except to others who shared the Walk's duties. She must have been there just after the Potters' deaths to guide them on their Walk past Avalon and into the land of eternal rest.
Fate had a twisted sense of humor and there was nothing James or anyone, even the High Lady, could do except to let it run its course. The High Lord had faint tearstains on his clothes when he had conveyed her orders to James. Tonight, innocents had suffered needlessly on Fate's behalf…or had they?
James didn't have the honor of meeting the Potters, or knowing them well. But from what he had heard of them from others, the Potters were good people: generous, caring, helpful, kind, dedicated, and loyal to Professor Dumbledore. They were in the prime of life. Why did they have to die? It didn't make sense. 'Nothing has made sense for the past ten years, James. How can you possibly expect things to make sense in this nightmare of a world?' James thought to himself as he moved out from the shadows to sit down on the bus bench. He whispered a concealment spell, not wanting to be seen until he needed to be. So James sat, waiting for the right person to come. Minutes trickled by.
Without a sound, Professor Dumbledore appeared on the street and immediately went to the half-giant who was carrying a bundle of blankets in his arms. The professor gently took the bundle into his arms. James dropped the concealment spell.
"Headmaster, might I have a word?" called James gently from his seat, looking like a beaten man. Albus Dumbledore turned around with his wand raised, but lowered it when he saw who had called his attention. He nodded and walked over to the bench, a few tears falling into his beard as he sat down, cradling a baby boy.
"Professor Dumbledore, the High Lady of Avalon bids me to tell you that the Dark One is not defeated. Not tonight, nor for a long while yet. There will be peace, but not for long. The High Lord also warns that the child of the prophecy must be protected at all costs. But then, you know that Harry Potter and the child of the prophecy are now one and the same."
Dumbledore looked at James with thinly concealed surprise.
"Where did you think the prophecy came from in the first place, Headmaster?" asked James. The Headmaster gave a slight smile in reply as if saying 'I should have known.' The young boy fussed in his wrappings. James smiled sadly at the child. Fate had dealt him a heavy hand, one that was both unfair and needed. The Balance between good and evil had been disrupted and it had to be set back in place, at the cost of lives and innocence. 'The Source help Harry Potter in the years ahead,' James thought.
"You know what you must do," James told Dumbledore. "You have to keep him safe. Tell me, who is his next-of-kin?"
"Lily has a sister, Petunia. She lives on Privet Drive. Tell me," Dumbledore's voice took on an edge of steel, "did Nimuë know about this before —?"
"No," James replied, looking back to the Headmaster, "if she had been told, if we were allowed, we would have —" James cleared his throat in a vain attempt to regain his composure before he finished in a whisper, "we would have told you."
James stood and then softly said, "I am sorry as are all my Brothers and Sisters. The Dark One's banishment tonight came at a high cost. If only we had been able… The Potters were and are and always will be good people. Avalon blesses you, Albus Dumbledore. Avalon protects you Harry Potter." Distant sirens began their soaring wail as Muggle authorities rushed to the scene of what would be taken as a gas main explosion. James murmured a word and vanished silently.
Far away from Godric's Hollow, in another quiet little town, there was a light on in one of the houses that dotted the valley. If anyone else had been awake in those early hours, they would have seen a maternal–looking woman in her thirties standing by her kitchen window, holding a mug of tea and looking worriedly through the kitchen doorway into the living room where two people sat in front of the fireplace.
One was Flora Williams — still in her St. Mungo's Healer robes — who had originally dropped by the Berkeley residence to check on Alice as well as another child, keeping her word to the parents of both children. The other was the woman's 'daughter,' who was currently seeking comfort and understanding from the only person who could fully give it. The young girl sat curled at Flora's feet, shaking. Her unbound brown hair was tangled from wind and wet from mist. Her head rested in Flora's lap.
"My Lady, the Potters…" the young girl burst into tears.
Flora stroked the girl's hair and said quietly, "I know it's hard, April…"
"No! You don't have any idea…" April's words were fierce and cutting, muffed in the folds of Flora's robes. Flora looked up into the worried eyes of Ruth Berkley, April's legal guardian in the Outer World and a member in Albus Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix. It hurt Ruth that she could not comfort the child she had come to think of as her own. Ruth had never fully taken on the task of the Walk of the Dead. She was only a Mistress with more wizarding than Avalonian blood. The other child in the house, Alice, had been tucked into bed hours ago. The poor dear was still not fully used to living without her mother nearby.
Ruth blinked away her tears as her husband, Harold, took her into a comforting hug. There were further losses in the Order, two more good people dead and gone. When is the killing going to end? Ruth's silent tears turned into muffled weeping that wracked her body. A sob escaped from Harold's throat and he began to cry as he held his wife tightly.
"Yes, I do," Flora said gently. "I too Walk the dead to their rest, April. I know it's hard, especially if you know the people. You have to know the right words to say to reassure them that, even though the Walk is terrifying, nothing can harm them and that those they love will be taken care of."
"It was terrible. I could feel the Dark One, Lady Williams. It was horrible. I was so cold and clammy. When he raised his — I thought he knew I was there and… I thought I'd never see Mum or Dad again. I thought he was going to kill me," April sobbed. Flora shushed the girl gently as a tear slipped down her cheek
April Coughlin had been sent from Avalon three years ago to the Outer World to guide the victims of the Dark One on their Walks to their final rest. She and several other children had been sent out as a last resort when the Dark One's victims had outnumbered the number of Avalonians who could guide them to eternal rest without endangering themselves. Many of the Children had chosen to move their families out of Britain for safety. April's parents had refused to let their youngest daughter live with them in the Outer World, citing fears for her safety. So April had been given over to Ruth and Harold Berkeley's care. Now that the Dark One had fallen, for a time, April could return to Avalon once again.
"It's going to be fine, April," murmured Flora. "I'm sure that you'll leave for Avalon soon. You will see your parents again." Flora was doing everything she could to keep her mind off of the recently dead James and Lily Potter. She didn't know them well, but she knew that they were good people who didn't deserve to die at the hands of the Dark One; so many had not deserved to die.
A knock on the door made all of them start, but Flora relaxed when she felt her husband's aura. He had a honey-colored sort of presence in her mind that lessened her melancholy only slightly.
"Let James in…" said Flora softly. Harold quickly wiped away his tears and went to open the door. James entered.
"Did you deliver the message?" asked Flora.
"Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Potter's Walk was over so quickly?" asked James in surprise, taking in April's crying form.
"Yes, April told me that they were quick, though not eager."
"Ah, yes. The spirits of two people full of life, ready to leave and yet unwilling since they leave a loved one behind."
Flora nodded in reply, continuing stroking April's hair. The girl's sobs had slowed to an occasional hiccup and her breathing began to even out.
"Do you think the High Lady knew?" James' voice sounded oddly strained.
"Yes," Flora looked down at April who had cried herself to sleep, "but there was nothing she could do to change Fate."
"I sometimes wonder how she feels about this…"
"Helpless, I suppose, being a tool of something greater," said Flora sadly. "Just how we feel having to leave things as they are and letting them run their course."
"So many will suffer… and for what?" James sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
"I do not know…and I doubt that we ever will," said Flora. "We can only trust the High Rulers and hope they know what they're doing…."
James nodded and turned to Ruth and Harold, "Do you know Sirius Black's girlfriend?" The Berkleys shook their heads. "Her name is Samantha Tang. She'll soon come here, seeking rooms for rent. For now, all she needs is a place to heal emotionally. Don't pressure her, just protect her and help her along when she learns of Avalon. Are you willing to provide that?"
"Yes, we are," said Harold. Ruth nodded in agreement. A knock on the door made Harold mutter under his breath as he went to open it yet again, "My, aren't we popular tonight?"
"Sorry to intrude, Mr. and Mrs. Berkley, but the High Lady wants me to take April Coughlin back to Avalon in the morning," said Robert Chou as he entered. "Good evening, James, Flora."
"I'll go pack her things right now. If you'll excuse me," said Ruth, a little too quickly, practically fleeing from the room. Robert caught the tears in her eyes as she left. He looked after her in confusion. Harold frowned at her retreat and followed his wife's hurried footsteps, but not before inviting his newest guest to take a seat. Robert looked to Flora and James for an explanation when the Berkleys had gone.
"Voldemort's gone, but James and Lily Potter were killed tonight. Only their son survived," answered James quietly.
"I see," Robert sighed heavily. He crossed himself, closed his eyes and murmured a brief prayer. When he was done, he looked at his companions and asked, "How did he survive?"
"No one knows," replied Flora while adding silently in her mind, 'At least, no one who does know is going to be telling anyone else without the Source's permission…'
Robert looked shrewdly at the married couple, taking in their expressions of sorrow and resignation. The pair was among those called Avalon's 'elite,' people trusted by the High Rulers and privy to many secrets. These people usually held the high ranking (and stressful) positions of being regional or outpost leaders or were in charge of workings of a sensitive nature.
"James," Robert said slowly, "Do you remember when I told you about the fact that my firm is relocating me?" James nodded. "Did you have anything to do with the fact that a house on Privet Drive came up for sale last week, conveniently near to where I'll work?"
The Williams exchanged looks: James's shocked, Flora's puzzled.
"No," answered James for the couple. "Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, I just thought it was a bit odd, that's all."
"Why?" asked Flora.
"Because, I've been doing some research into people's backgrounds and you know Lily Potter is — was from a non-magical family. I dug around and found out she has a sister — who lives on Privet Drive. Both of you know that legal custody of Harry will go to her as his next-of-kin."
"If it is the High Rulers' doing, Vivien did not say so to me," Flora told him, carefully glossing over another explanation that could not be revealed: Harry Potter needed the strongest protection possible, a shield forged by shared blood. It could be a coincidence that Robert was going to be living near the child for the next few years; a coincidence that would no doubt be taken full advantage of by Avalon. But sometimes Flora doubted there was such a thing as coincidences, especially when there was a young child named Harry Potter involved.
"But I would not be surprised if the High Rulers tell you to keep an eye on Harry Potter," murmured James, which earned him a sharp, reprimanding look from his wife. She gave Robert a tired smile.
"It's probably just a coincidence," said Flora. She draped a blanket over April and took her into her arms. The two men sat down, pondering her words. With only the crackle of the flames to pierce the silence, the three adults sat in the room till the sun's first rays trickled into the valley, thinking about the days ahead of them.
Author's Notes: The title translates from Latin into "Be at peace." My sincere apologies for this three month delay. And thank you all for your patience. Over the summer, I ran into a bit of writer's block with the next four chapters. This chapter tackles a pretty thorny problem in the Harry Potter timeline: the missing twenty-four hours following the deaths of James and Lily Potter. I decided to take a few liberties with how events occurred and people appeared. (This is now an AU, after all.) Also, Berkleys were not in the photograph that Moody shows to Harry in OotP because they were 'conveniently' absent that day.
Disclaimer: Thanks to Ruth, Amy and Beth for all of their help and advice. Anything that seems familiar does not belong to me.