Chapter 4: The Hollow of Godric
All Harry could do was stare. It seemed as if everything were frozen in time.
His aunt and uncle furious, McGonagall wide-eyed but quite relieved; and there, smiling at him, was Lupin.
Just as if somebody had pushed 'play' on a muggle movie remote, Lupin started toward him and embraced him.
Harry couldn't move he was so shocked.
"But…" he began, not sure of what to say, "how…? When did you…"
"Ah, Harry," Lupin said, interrupting him, "You didn't check my eyes," he said, looking at him.
"Eyes?" Harry weakly asked.
"You see, I was merely in a body bind. I believe you are quite familiar with the spell, 'Petrificus Totallus,' and even though the rest of me, including my veins, was binded, my eyes could still move."
Harry clearly remembered when Dumbledore had binded him. He hadn't given the fact that he could look from Malfoy to Dumbledore a second thought.
"I…I didn't realize…but you looked…" he stuttered.
Lupin merely grinned, "The position I was in was simply a coincidence, Harry," he said.
"Bloody hell," Ron said, awestruck.
"Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said, catching Harry, Ron, and Lupin's attention, "Your time here is spent. Go and pack; we are leaving immediately," she finished.
Harry and Ron bolted up the stairs, talking feverishly, while Harry, in the back of his mind, wondered why they were leaving so soon
Harry quickly opened his trunk and carefully laid the memories and pensieve inside of it.
Ron, on the other hand, already had his possessions strewn everywhere.
"Harry, I can't believe we didn't see his eyes!" Ron exclaimed, giddy with happiness.
Harry was shaking and felt light-headed because he was so happy.
"I know," Harry said, grinning broadly and snapping his trunk shut, "And it was simple enough to figure out. I'm sure Hermione would've…" he started as Lupin came into his room.
Harry's smile broadened even more.
"Are you two all set, then?" he merrily asked.
"Yeah," Harry answered as Ron said, "No," a scowl washing over his face as his eyes searched the room, "Harry, have you seen my wand?" he asked.
Harry looked at Lupin who was smiling at Ron, "No, did you leave it at the other house?" he asked, looking back at Ron.
Lupin brought out Ron's wand from behind his back, "I found it after Minerva had found me," he said, handing it over, "And Harry I do believe this is yours," he said, handing Harry Mrs. Figg's fixed memory.
"Thanks," Harry said, smiling.
Lupin smiled back, "There's the Harry I know. Now come on, both of you," he said, then muttered, "Locomotor trunks," and both trunks floated down the stairs causing Dudley, who had unsuccessfully been trying to spy on them, go squealing into his room again.
Lupin looked at Harry, "I didn't know your aunt and uncle kept pigs," he innocently said.
Harry and Ron burst out laughing for the first time in over a year.
"That was Harry's cousin, that was," Ron said in between fits of laughter.
Lupin turned several dark shades of red, "Oh," he said, starting down the stairs.
Ron and Harry were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down their faces.
When they had gotten down the stairs, Ron and Harry's laughter subsiding, McGonagall was waiting for them by the door.
"We are leaving for the Head Quarters. There the Weasleys and the Grangers will meet you…"
Harry interrupted her, earning a stern look, "Wait, not just Hermione's going to be there?" he asked.
McGonagall shook her head, "No, we believe she and her family are in great danger therefore they will be staying at the Order's head quarters. From there," she continued, looking at Harry, "You, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, Remus, Tonks and Mad-eye will go to Godric's Hollow and await any further instruction from the Order. Under stood?" she asked, looking from one to the other.
They both nodded.
"Good. Now we'll apparate, I need you both…both of you…" she repeated, seeing Ron's expression, "to grab an arm. I will not allow either one of you to apparate alone."
The tips of Ron's ears were red.
Harry grabbed Lupin's arm and Ron McGonagall's.
In the blink of an eye the four of them were standing outside of Number twelve Grimauld Place, except there was no number twelve; just a number eleven and right next to that a number thirteen.
Harry already knew to concentrate hard on the address, "Number Twelve Grimauld Place, London" and sure enough, as if a giant standing up and stretching after a long, deep sleep, the dark-looking house appeared between number eleven and number thirteen, pushing them aside.
The four of them walked up to the door and McGonagall opened it revealing a very clean, livable, and unrecognizable House of Black.
"Holy cricket!" Ron muttered.
The first thing Harry had noticed was the windows. He knew they were the same ones as were at the ministry because sunlight was streaming through them whereas when they had apparated it was dark and cloudy.
The second thing he had noticed was that these windows had taken the place of the portraits Sirius had despised.
All the elf heads had been taken down, it looked as if the walls had been painted a dull silver, although it gave a sort of brilliance to the house, and the troll leg had been chucked out.
Harry smiled; he had a strange feeling that Sirius would have loved the Noble House of Black now.
"Both of you know where you're staying," McGonagall said, "Take your things; an Order meeting is about to start."
Both Harry and Ron nodded, heading up the stairs to the room they had stayed in last time.
"Dyou supposed Hermione will send Hedwig back?" Ron asked as they started unpacking their things.
"Yeah, I reckon so. Why dyou think McGonagall wants us to go to Godric's Hollow?" Harry asked him, setting Hedwig's empty cage atop the dresser.
"I dunno. Maybe the Order thinks one of the horcruxes is there," Ron suggested.
Harry thought for a moment, "Maybe."
There was an uncomfortable silence as they finished putting their things away.
Just as Harry had finished pushing his trunk under the bed, the door to the room flew open and a brown, bushy-haired someone burst into the room and fell into Ron's arms.
Harry awkwardly stood there as Hermione cried all over Ron.
"Oh Ronald, I was so worried about you! You shouldn't have gone into that house; you know better! But thank Merlin you're okay!" she exclaimed, examining him while tears slid down her face.
Harry raised an eye-brow at Ron who looked petrified, but merely shrugged.
As Hermione also hugged Harry she cried, "Oh it's so horrible about Lupin, isn't it? When you told me, Harry, I couldn't stop crying! I'm so sorry…"
Ron began to laugh and she looked at him, shocked.
"Ron, it is not funny that Lupin…"
Harry also began to laugh, realizing Hermione didn't know Lupin was only in a body bind.
Hermione stepped away from Harry and looked from one to the other.
"Hermione," Harry said, "Lupin isn't dead," he explained to her in between Ron's fits of laughter, I only thought he was."
A relieved smile came over Hermione's expression and she giggled and said, "Oh," as her face turned red.
At that moment red-head Ginny ran through the door and threw herself into Harry.
"I've missed you," she said, her words muffled into his shoulder.
Harry smiled as he embraced her, "Ginny, it's barely even been a few hours since we left Hogwarts," he said.
His stomach plummeted as he remembered that Dumbledore's funeral was only just that morning. It seemed ages ago.
"Harry are you alright?" Hermione asked.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," he said, coming out of his daze, "I missed you too, Ginny…" he said as she smiled that beautiful smile of hers.
Mrs. Weasley came into the room, "I need the four of you to join Fred and George in the room down the hall," she said, ushering them out of the door, "We've broken the meeting up into two groups and they want to use your bedroom," she explained.
None of them complained as they filed into the next room and listened as Mrs. Weasley put several sealing charms on the door.
"No extendable ears this time!" her muffled voice yelled through the door.
Harry looked over and saw the two very disgruntled twins.
"Well," Ron said, his arm stiffly around Hermione's shoulders, "This place is really cleaned up!" he said, looking around.
"Yeah," Harry said, taking the opportunity to fill in what could've been a very uncomfortable silence, "I'm sure Sirius would have loved it," he finished as his gaze fell upon the second most despised object Sirius possessed.
"We got rid of most everything," George said, proudly looking around, "We got the sticking charm off of those blasted portraits," he continued.
Harry glowered at the Black Family Tree that hung on the wall, "So why couldn't you get that down?" he asked as everyone else looked at the tree.
Fred frowned, "Dunno, that one stumped us that did," he said, "The spell that worked on the portraits won't work on that bloody piece of dung and we can't find anymore spells that might work on it."
"Oh," Harry said. He knew that if nothing else had been thrown out, Sirius would've wanted that one gone.
"Hermione dyou…?" he began.
"No, but I can look," she quietly said, seeming as if she knew what Harry was thinking.
"How's the joke shop going?" he asked, turning his attention to the twins.
"Better than planned," Fred said, "Every time something devastating happens the sales go up," he said, earning a glare from Hermione.
"No that we want more horrid things to happen," George cut in, "It's just convenient, that's all."
"And how is that so convenient?" Hermione's harsh voice asked.
"Well, when something bad happens, our sales go up, right?" Fred asked, "So it makes us happy and takes our mind off of the most recent devastation."
Harry could tell from the expression on Hermione's face that she didn't accept that answer.
He cleared his throat as the silence, in which Harry had been trying to prevent, took over the room.
Harry's attention was again drawn to the Black Family Tree. He hated it; that was for sure, but there was something interesting, yet ominous about it that he couldn't quite figure out. It was as if it had some sort of mysterious hidden history that was waiting to be found out.
"Maybe he's just tired," he heard Hermione's voice whisper.
"No, Herm, he's been acting up all day," he heard Ron's voice whisper back.
"He just needs a bit of a lie-down," George said, no as quietly as the others.
Harry continued to pretend to stare out in space just to see what would be said of him.
"Maybe You-Know-Who is trying to control him," Fred very quietly whispered.
"No," Hermione said at once, "There aren't any other signs of that."
"Harry," Ginny whispered in his ear from behind. He leaned toward her a little, "You can lie down on the couch if you're tired.
He shook his head, "I'm just trying to think, that's all."
"What about, mate?" Ron asked.
Harry looked at him, "If a horcruxe is in Godric's Hollow, what do you suppose it is?" he asked Ron and Hermione.
"What is this about horecluckers?" Fred asked.
No one answered him.
"I don't know, Harry. It could be anything," Hermione said.
"Why, do you have an idea?" Ron asked.
Harry had been thinking about it ever since Dumbledore said there were more of them out there.
He hesitated, "I've had a few ideas," he said and left it at that. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell them or not. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it became.
When neither one of them said anything, he continued, "I thought…maybe…that, well…maybe my scar might be one."
Silence.
"I mean," he pressed on, "It's just a thought, I never set it in stone."
Hermione slowly shook her head, "I don't think so, Harry," she said, "Because your scar is on a body that will eventually die and decompose and that would destroy it, getting rid of one of his souls."
"Okay, but think of it this way," he argued, "When Voldemort tried to curse me, he gave me this scar because he transferred a little of himself into me," he said, quoting Dumbledore from years previous.
Hermione was silent for a moment, "So dyou…dyou think he did it on…on accident, Harry?" she asked.
"I think it's possible," Harry said, "But I'm not sure whether it's true or not.
Ron looked astounded, "Harry if it is true, then you'll have to destroy yourself!" he exclaimed, causing the three other Weasleys to look over at them. Ginny had joined Fred and George in a heated discussion over by the window.
"That's only if it's true, Ron, but it's not, is it, Harry," Hermione said, making it a statement rather than a question.
Harry shrugged, "I don't know if it is or not, Hermione."
Hermione now looked as if she were going to cry.
The door to the room opened and Mrs. Weasley said, "Supper's ready!", then left the group to go and tell the other Order members.
"C'mon," Hermione irritably said after a few moments silence, pulling Ron through the door by his wrist.
Harry stifled a laugh as he followed Ginny out and the other two behind him.
Once down in the kitchen, which was filled with grim-looking Order members, Harry sat between Ron and Ginny and peered around at everyone else.
"Hermione," he said, leaning over Ron, "Are they your parents?" he asked, nodding to two normal, muggle-looking people.
Hermione nodded.
"How are you, Bill?" Harry asked Bill as he sat in front of Harry.
Fleur rested his cane against the table next to him.
"Better," he said, wincing, "But the tail is a bloody menace.
"You have a tail?" Harry asked him.
He nodded, "And I get these urges all the time for huge, nice juicy steaks. It's actually quite appalling," he finished.
Harry wasn't sure of what to say.
"e iz not appalling," Fleur lovingly said to him.
Harry quickly looked away as they kissed, only to find Ginny giving Fleur a death-look.
He looked down to his plate, trying not to laugh.
Later that night, after Ron and Harry had gotten ready for bed, McGonagall and Hermione joined them in their room.
"All three of you listen closely, especially you, miss Granger. The three of you along with Remus, Tonks, and Mad-eye will apparate to Godric's Hollow tomorrow morning. I realize you've just gotten everything unpacked and settled, but I advise that you pack up tonight so you'll be ready in the morning."
"What about Ginny?" Harry asked.
He thought he saw a smile flicker across McGonagall's face, "She will remain here for the time being and join you later."
The three of them nodded.
"If you're straight on that, then good night. Miss Granger, after you," she said, opening the door.
After they had left and shut the door behind themselves, Ron turned to Harry, "Fred and George have been to a few of the Order meetings, maybe they know what's going on!" he said.
"I don't doubt the Order thinks that a horcruxe is in Godric's Hollow…but what could it be?" he asked.
Ron's eyes suddenly grew wide, "Harry! Get your pensieve out, I bet there's a clue in Figg's memory!"
Harry flew off of his bed and grabbed his trunk, opened it, and grabbed his pensieve and Mrs. Figg's memory.
He quickly poured the silvery substance into he pensieve and watched it for a moment as it swirled.
"C'mon, Ron," Harry said, diving head-first into it.
Suddenly Harry was standing in the middle of a dark street next to a sign that said, "Spinner's End."
"Dodgy sort of place, isn't it?" a voice behind Harry said, making him jump in surprise.
He turned around to find Ron looking around.
"Why would Mrs. Figg have a memory in a place like this?" he asked.
Ron shrugged.
There was something odd…too odd about this…
"Wait, this is Mrs. Figg's memory, right?" Harry asked Ron.
"Yeah," he said.
"So…where is Mrs. Figg?"
Ron shrugged again.
There was suddenly a loud CRACK! right beside Harry and standing not even an inch away was someone in a dark cloak with his or her hood up.
The person looked around for a moment as if trying to figure out where he had apparated to, then quickly set off, walking right through Harry and Ron.
Not two seconds later another person apparated right where the first had and also walked through Harry and Ron saying, "Wait!"
Suddenly a stream of light issued from the second person's wand and struck some kind of animal, which yelped, and then lay still and silent.
"Harry, can they see us?" Ron whispered as the second person examined what she had killed.
Harry shook his head.
"Just a fox," she said, "I thought perhaps an Auror— Cissy wait!" she exclaimed to the first person who seemed to be wanting to get away fro her.
"Can they hear us?" Ron asked as they floated along behind the two figures.
Harry shook his head again as the lady said, "Cissy—Narcissa—listen to me—," she said as she caught Narcissa's arm.
Narcissa roughly pulled away and said, "Go back, Bella!"
"You must listen to me!" the woman named Bella pleaded.
"I've listened already. I've made my decision. Leave me alone!" Narcissa snarled.
"What in the bloody hell?" Ron muttered.
Bella caught up with Narcissa and they both stood looking at the houses which lined the road.
"He lives here? Here? in this Muggle dunghill? We must be the first of our kind ever to set foot—,"
But Narcissa seemed to not be paying attention as she walked through a rusty gate and across the street, leaving Bella to talk to herself.
"Cissy, wait!"
Harry and Ron followed Bella and Narcissa through an ally and onto another street which was indistinguishable from any of the others.
Just as the four of them turned onto another street, Bella again caught Narcissa's arm and made her face her.
"Cissy, you must not do this, you can't trust him—,"
"The Dark Lord trusts him, doesn't he?" Narcissa said.
Harry's stomach dropped as he felt fear and curiosity as Ron gasped.
"The Dark Lord is…I believe…mistaken," Bella said in between puffs of breath.
"Harry, what are they talking about?" Ron's high-pitched, fearful voice asked.
Harry only shook his head and stared at the scene as Bella continued, "In any case, we were told not to speak of the plan to anyone. This is a betrayal of the Dark Lord's—,"
"Let go, Bella!" Narcissa suddenly shrieked, interrupting Bella.
Narcissa suddenly had her wand in the other's face while Bella only laughed.
"Cissy, your own sister?" Bella laughed, "You wouldn't—,"
"There is nothing I wouldn't do anymore!" Narcissa threateningly whispered, interrupting her sister once again.
Narcissa quickly brought her wand down as if trying to cut through the air, then a flash of light and Bella suddenly jumped away from Narcissa as if shocked.
"Narcissa!" Bella hissed as Narcissa ran from her.
Harry and Ron followed Bella as she ran after her sister, rubbing her hand.
Harry let out a quiet laugh as he noticed Bella stayed quite a distance away from Narcissa now.
As they floated on, Harry was sure that the journey would take hours at least until they came to the end of a street, of which Harry didn't see its name, and to the very last grim-looking house.
As Harry and Ron caught up with Narcissa, leaving Bella behind them, Narcissa wrapped on the door.
Harry and Ron waited, both thinking that no one was home even though the light in the downstairs room was on. But no sooner had the thought crossed Harry's mind than the door opened only a slight sliver and showed a greasy-haired, hook-nosed man.
"Bloody hell!" Ron said as Narcissa threw her hood back.
Harry gasped.
"Ron, that's Malfoy's mum!" he quietly exclaimed as if she could hear him.
"Narcissa!" Snape exclaimed, "What a pleasant surprise!"
Harry was shocked; he'd never heard or seen Snape that friendly before.
"Severus," she whispered as if she thought someone other than the three of them could hear, "May I speak to you? It's urgent."
"But of course," he said as he stood back and let them into his house.
"Snape," Bella said as if it were bitter on her tongue as she passed him.
"Bellatrix," he said, a smirk playing on his mouth as he closed the door behind her.
Harry and Ron stood there in shock.
"What would Snape want with Malfoy's mum?"
"Snape helped Malfoy when he tried to kill Dumbledore. Snape killed Dumbledore for him…"
"That's what Malfoy was up to all school year!" Ron exclaimed.
"He was planning how to kill Dumbledore," Harry muttered, "Dyou think we can go in?" he asked.
Ron looked at him, appalled, "You want to go into Snape's house?"
"It's not like they can see us. Besides, we might hear something useful."
Harry moved toward the door but suddenly everything became fuzzy and distorted.
He moved back to Ron, "This must be the edge of the memory. Mrs. Figg must not have heard anything else or gone into his house," Harry said.
Ron also moved toward the door, a look of determination defined on his face, but he, too, quickly moved back.
"Odd," Ron said as everything around them dissolved and their room in Grimauld Place appeared around them.
Harry looked over at Ron.
"Bellatrix Lestrange is Malfoy's aunt," he said.
"Yeah, Sirius told you that last summer," Ron said.
Harry remembered having a conversation with Sirius about the Black Family Tree, but, as guilt settled over his mind and stomach, he couldn't remember Sirius telling him Lestrange was Malfoy's aunt.
"Let's go to bed," Ron said, "We have to get up early tomorrow."
Harry nodded in agreement as he put his pensieve and Figg's memory into his trunk and climbed into bed, ready to wander in the sea of dreams.
