Chapter Three

Godric's Hollow


July 20-Not much has happened after our exciting fiasco last week. We left London though. I have started to wonder if it ever occurred to us to ask were Godric's Hollow was? I have no clue where it is…Hermione, though confident she can find it on a map hasn't yet. Ron keeps adamantly protesting that one of us should just go back to the wizarding community and ask. Ginny, every time this argument comes up, smartly points out that that would only be too obvious, considering that everyone is looking for us. Unless of course, we use polyjuice potion. But that would take a month to brew.

So in conclusion we are in a rut. Despite how prepared we all thought we were we never knew anything about the main purpose of our little adventure.

On an afterthought, Snape keeps coming to mind. I knew he was a traitor…

'Then why did you trust him Harry?'

'Hermione, stop reading over my shoulder…this is a private diary…'

'Then stop writing what I say…'

She looked to smug as she walked away…

Snape still annoys me…Every time I think of him I want to wring his neck. But Dumbledore was dieing anyways. I don't want to admit it. But I really think he was slowly rotting the whole year…and I think he knew it.

That doesn't excuse Snape…I mean, that bloody traitor! What right did he have to just kill Dumbledore!

I want to kill Snape

July 21-I WILL kill Snape

July 22-I am writing this in a rush, I think Hermione has found something on Godric's Hollow! I hope so. Either way I hope Godric's Hollow will answer some questions…

July 24-I never knew Godric's Hollow was so close…I guess I always assumed it was far away. In reality is was only a day away.

Hermione had been perusing some old Daily Prophet's at a Library every few days and she found one, soon after Voldemort attacked my parents, that gave the location of the town and the address! They also hinted at some plans for a memorial…How come no one ever mentioned this to me?

July27-The town is small, no more then 200 people. It's very pretty though. Little cottages mixed in with huge houses that look like they should have collapsed. It was a sight to behold. And the gardens! Flowers that snap at you when you pass. Hedges in the most amazing designs; dragons, goblins, elves, even other plants. And the colours! Even the hedges were a rainbow of colours.

I found myself wondering what life would have been like if I had grew up there but I quickly squashed it. You can't change what has happened…no matter how much you can wish it…At least I hope I can stick to that mantra…we'll have to see in the days?…months?…years?…to come.

Finally we reached my parents…no MY old house. Well. If you can call it a house. It was 2 walls…But the inside still looked intact...You would think they would have torn it down by now, or at least that it would have decomposed. Hermione says it's under a preservative charm…I don't know where she read that in, some book, I forget that name. This century's Greatest Witches and Wizards or A List of Some of Our Time's Greatest Wizards, and their accomplishments…or something like that.

The remains of the house was behind a big green expanse that held a statue. It was a big block, coming about chest height, made of bronze. Carved on the top were the words

In loving memory of James and Lily Potter and the Boy-Who-Lived

That was it…all around the yard were various gardens and a pond full of ducks.

"Harry…come here for a minute…"

I bent out of the flowers I had been rummaging in, trying to figure out what the little red ones did, and went to stand beside Hermione. I gave a grunt in greeting as she pointed to the monument.

Finding nothing amiss I raised a questioning brow.

"Look, someone scratched out part of the message on the monument!"

Taking a closer look I realized that someone must have taken a kinfe of some sort and scratched out part of the words. They were unreadable. There was only scratches in the metal where the engraved words should be.

"I wonder what is said" mused Ginny from my left

"Dunno…must have been something important though…"came a reply from the other side of the monument, "hey! Look at this!" Ron, who had been looking at the words from upside down had just pointed at something on his side of the block. "It looks like the old Quibbler article!"

We rushed around to find a framed version of the article stuck to the side of the monument.

"Now who in there right mind would frame this?" Ron wondered

"Obviously someone who respects Harry...It is his memorial...well, his parents...almost the same thing..."Ginny responded

I shruged and walked away. What did it matter if the Quibbler article was framed and hung on my parents memorial? I turned and headed towards the 'house'...well what was left of it. I walked up the front steps, my friends right behind me. The floor of the room was covered in debris. Stepping around the rocks i headed towards the nearest door. The door was hanging off it's hinges, and looked like it had been torn off them. stepping over the door I crossed into a 'living room' of sorts. The table was upturned and there were pages strewn across the room from a bookcase that had toppled over.

Just behing the coffee table was a plaque on the wall that stated

Here, James Potter, was challenged to a duel by He-Who-Must-not-Be-Named, which he willing accepted. Unfortunatly, it was this same duel which brought about his own demise. Despite his death we shall forever be grateful for his life-long quest against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

I traced the indents of the words and let out a snort. Hermione and Ron gave me a questioning look but the look Ginny gave me was full of understanding.

"Er...Harry..."Ron started

"Hmm?"

"Why did you just snort?"

I scoffed at Ron's ignorance. I don't blame him though. It was the way he was raised. His mother and father sheltered him until evil hit him in the face. Besides, old habits die hard.

"I don't know my dad Ron," I started, "But what I know of him, Ron, I don't think he would find that necessary...Besides. What does this plaque show? Nothing. It won't bring him back. It's just useless dribble."

"Sorry mate. Didn't mean to upset you...C'mon. Let's go look around..."

We entered the living room and Ginny tested the stairs despite Hermione's adament arguments that the preservation charm would deem it as safe as the day the charm was cast.

They didn't even creak when we climbed them.

There was a hallway with four doors leading off it. Walking down I opened the first door on the right. It was a bathroom. I shut the door and opened the one opposite it. It was a bedroom. With a crib.

I shut it quickly before anyone else can peer inside. But Ron stops it with his foot.

"Looks like your old room..." Ginny mutters

I grunt and turn back down the hallway. I don't know, nor care if they follow me or not. Reaching the next door on the left I peer inside. It's my parent's bedroom.

In the center, against the opposite wall was a huge bed. The walls were a dark, rich bergundy, with gold accents around the shelves and windows. Beside the bed, on either side were small bedside tables.

The one on the right was littered in books. The table on the left was bare, except for a letter. The floor surrounding the bare table were papers, a few spare quill and a snitch.

A gasp came from behind. I neither knew nor cared who it came from. I walked towards the letter on the bare table. My hands shook as I picked it up.

Sometimes, as You always said,
You must go back to the scene of the crime.
But, what's usually the case.
The place You need to be is usually the place you've already left behind

R.A.B.

I dropped the letter...Letting is slowly float to the ground.


Soon afterwards I visited my old bedroom. It was nothing special. Just a crib and a few toys. Just between you and me, I pocketed a small suffed snitch. It squeaks when you squeeze it.

July 29-Hermione's in a fit. She spent the last 48 hours trying to figure out that note. We all think it was ment for Voldemort. But what's the place he left behind?