Chapter Fifteen
The Potter Catacombs
Harry woke up early the next morning and he went down to breakfast to find that Hermione was already there. Harry sat down beside her as Crookshanks went around his leg before he ran off into the next room.
"What did Professor Dumbledore want you to see?" Hermione asked as Harry took a piece of toast.
"I don't know, Hermione, but it must be something important if he wants me to see it," Harry replied taking a bite of his toast.
After breakfast, Harry and Hermione exited the house and went across the vast grounds. It seemed to mirror the grounds at Hogwarts. There seemed to be a frozen lake, a small greenhouse, and in the distance was a stone structure that seemed out of place. Harry walked towards the structure as if he was drawn to it as a light snowfall fell upon the pair. Hermione didn't seem to tell Harry what he was doing but she just followed him towards the stone structure.
They reached the stone structure and upon closer inspection; looked like a large stone door. Hermione pulled out her wand and yelled, "Alohomora," but nothing happened as the stone just stood there.
"Harry, why don't you try?" Hermione said as she put her wand away.
Harry pulled out his wand and yelled, "Alohomora," and the stone door started to move and it revealed a stone staircase that led deeper into the earth.
"Clever," Hermione said and Harry gave her a perplexing look, "that only a member of the Potter family can access this part of the grounds."
They both entered the new doorway with Harry in the lead with his wand out incase something would jump out at them while Hermione held onto his hand. The atmosphere changed and it was warmer than it should be for a tunnel that was made out of stone. As they touched the landing of the staircase; torches began to light along a long passageway before the torches began to branch out in several directions. Harry and Hermione followed the torches until the torches began to part in a hexagonal pattern.
"Now which way do we go?" Harry asked as they looked at the five other passageways to go.
"I don't know Harry, but what is that above that passageway," Hermione asked as she pointed above on of the passageways.
It looked like a battered sign that looked like its seen better days. Hermione left Harry's side and pulled out her wand as she pointed it at the battered sign, "Scourgiry."
The vast amounts of earth that plagued the sign began to fall off revealing what was hidden underneath the foreign debris. The writing: '1300-1500' was written on the sign and Hermione let out a loud gasp catching Harry's attention.
"Harry, I think we're in your families catacombs!"
"Catacombs?" Harry repeated.
"Catacombs are--" Hermione began but Harry interrupted her.
"I know what catacombs are, Hermione, but why would Professor Dumbledore want me to go here," Harry was in deep thought then both he and Hermione exclaimed at the same time as they made eye contact with each other.
"My parents!"
"Your parents!"
They both started to clean the signs until they found the one they were looking for, but they were stopped by the sudden change in temperature. The once warm atmosphere was replaced by a sudden cold snap. Out of the shadows of each of the passageways came ghostly figures. They each were a different animal as they came out and they each made a threatening sounds as they growled and snared at Harry and Hermione. Harry held Hermione close as he had his wand protecting her as he tried to escape. However, they were stopped by a large bear as it reared on its hind legs and reached its full height towering over the two young adults.
The bear was about to attack with one of its claws until a snort was heard and all eyes turned to one of the passageways. A tigress and a stag was seen as they slowly approached the area. A series of animal sounds came from all sides as they approached. To Harry's surprise as much as Hermione's; the rest of the ghostly figures vanished into the corridors leaving only them and the two ghostly figures. The stag and tigress turned tail and started to walk away from them, but they looked back as if they were beckoning for the two to follow.
"I think they want us to follow," Harry said.
"Have you gone mental, Harry? It might be a branch of the Dark Arts and you'll never know if it is one of Lord Voldemort's followers trying to get to you," Hermione yelled at Harry.
"Hermione, if this is a branch of the Dark Arts, why would they be down in a catacomb where there is most likely protection charms around the place," Harry pointed out and he saw that Hermione had silently agreed with the notion.
They both followed the ghostly figures and they had to run in order to keep up. They heard the sounds of hooves being heard as they ran as the sound echoed throughout the tunnel. They went around a corner and the sounds of the hooves stopped and Harry pounded his fist on the wall out of irritation. Hermione meanwhile was removing some loose dirt on the nearby sign and she gave a sharp gasp of surprise.
Harry turned around to find Hermione backing off from the sign she was cleaning with the look of sere shock on her face. Harry looked at the sign at his eyes bulged open as wide as Galleons and on the sign it read:
James and Lily Potter
Forever together even after death.
Harry stood transfixed on the sign as he became lost in thought. Hermione had to probe him in order to get his attention. They both entered the room cautiously with wands at the ready in case something was to jump out at them.
The room seemed to be decorated with prized possessions of the occupants of the room like the ancient Egyptians did when they buried their pharaohs. On two beds laid the peaceful bodies of two people. One of them was a young lass with auburn hair and she was dressed in what resembled the robes of Hogwarts. Her arms were crossed over her chest with her wand in her right hand and on the robes was a silver badge with the letters: HG. On the bed beside her was a young bespectacled gentleman with messy jet-black that draped out at all angles. His hands were also cross with his wand in his right hand. He was also wore robes that resembled Hogwarts' robes and also on the robes was a silver badge with the letters: HB.
For the first time in Harry's life, he was able to see his parents for himself, but not from someone else's memory as he had previously experienced. He slowly walked to his mother's side and tried to touch the side of her face, but an invisible barrier was preventing him from doing this. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Hermione fighting back her tears as they streamed down her face.
"There must be a spell that is preventing anyone touching them since they looked like they've been casts with a Preserving Charm and that is why they look like they do in the photos you have," Hermione spoke with her voice cracking in one that is sincere.
They looked into each others' eyes and they looked at them as if for an eternity. A sneeze was head and they broke their gaze as they pointed their wands at the entryway that led back out of the room. They only found that nobody was there. Another sneeze was heard and a gruff voice followed after the sneeze.
"Bloody hell! Those blasted house elves haven't been down here to clean!"
"James," a voice, this time a woman's, answered the first, "it's not the house elves fault for not cleaning here. They have been told to leave for ours, as well as theirs, safety from Lord Voldemort."
The voices were coming from a portrait that was covered in dust. Hermione used 'scourgiry' on the portrait to reveal what was hidden. There stood two young adults as they stood nose to nose as they continued to argue as they were oblivious that they had guests. One of them was a auburn haired woman and the other was a young man with untidy jet black hair.
"They should've stayed behind so they could clean this place up," the male's voice continued.
"Or what? Be tortured into revealing our position? You know damn well that it was Peter's fault for divulging our hiding place. If we only hadn't listened to Sirius; then he wouldn't be in Azkaban. That is, if he didn't go looking for Peter after what had happened and tried to murder him without any evidence to support his claim."
"Lily, it's in the past and there is nothing that we can do about it."
"I know," her voice was starting to crack as she went into an embrace with James, "but I would like to see Harry one last time."
"The same goes for me, Tiger Lily," James spoke as he cupped her chin and grinned at her.
"What do you think Harry is like know?"
"I believe he is as handsome as me, a brilliant Quidditch player, a strong dislike for the Slytherins, and pulling off some bloody brilliant pranks."
"You and your pranks," Lily spoke while playfully pushing James back. "I agree with being handsome and being a brilliant Quidditch player (even though I don't like to play). I would think that he would resort to using pranks in order to charm a certain somebody tried to do to me."
"Oh come know Lily, when did I ever do to you to get you to date me."
"You just had to prank Snape several times, but I highly doubt that he would ever forgive you. I also haven't forgotten what you did to Snape in our fifth year."
"He had it coming to him and he shouldn't have insulted you!"
"That wasn't a reason to wash his mouth out with soap and to hang him upside-down in an attempt to-to," Lily's voice trailed off as her face began to turn red.
"Now Tiger Lily, that is in the past and I think that old Snivellus has forgotten what I did to him," however, that statement earned him a slap in the face.
"James Jacob Potter! How can you be so dense in thinking that he would forget that?"
"Why did you ever fall in love with me, my Little Tiger Lily?" James asked as he tried to change the subject, but that also earned him a slap in the face.
"Don't you dare change the subject and don't you Tiger Lily me!"
"Don't forget that Snape called you an 'insufferable know-it-all,' and you jinxed him until he resembled that of a troll on one of his good days."
"It's not my fault that I love to learn and he had it coming to him."
James just chuckled as he removed his glasses and began to clean them; however, he stopped in the middle of cleaning them and turned to when he spotted Harry and Hermione looking at them.
"Who are you and how did you get past the charms placed on this place?" James roared.
Harry didn't answer James' question since he was lost in thought at what he had just witnessed between them. Snape called Lily an 'insufferable know-it-all' like he did to Hermione in their third year. Harry knew that his mother was kind but he didn't know that she would jinx somebody after being insulted. Harry knew that his father would jinx Snape into next week, but he didn't know that he could be so dense if Snape would forget what happened near the lake in their fifth year. He didn't realize it but Lily was now tapping on James' shoulder to get his attention and she spoke in a rasping voice.
"James, it's Harry!"
"Have you gone mental!" James roared back.
"It's him. He looks like you when you were around his age and he has my eyes. My beautiful, emerald eyes," her voice began to crack even more and she had tears in her eyes.
James quickly looked back at Harry before he replaced his glasses and his eyes became the size of Galleons.
"Harry? Is it you?"
Harry slowly nodded but he stood rooted to the spot where he stood. It was only when Hermione gave him a gentle nudge that he moved forward on his increasingly shaking legs.
"Harry what happened after our deaths?" Lily asked. "Did Peter betray us?" Harry nodded and James scoffed at what had been said. "Did Sirius go after him?" Harry again nodded now with tears in his eyes. "What happened to them?"
Harry took a deep breath before he answered her question, "He faked his own death and Sirius was sent to Azkaban for being a Death Eater."
"WHAT?" James roared causing both Harry and Hermione to jump. "Sirius would never betray us!"
"Calm yourself, James," Lily replied calmly. "Harry if Sirius was in Azkaban at that time. You didn't go to… to," Lily couldn't finish her statement and Harry nodded knowing what she was about to say. "My poor baby!" Lily now was shedding tears. "Have you heard what happened to Peter?"
"He surfaced in my third year and it was the same year Sirius escaped from Azkaban. Peter stayed as a pet rat for twelve years, but before we could turn Peter to the dementors. He escaped when Moony was going through his transformation and Sirius had to make his escape. Sirius died when he was killed by his cousin and Peter died when he along with Voldemort's and his followers tried to get me at Hogwarts."
"Why would he try that since everyone knows that he is afraid of Dumbledore?" Lily asked.
"He was out at the Ministry, but that was just a ruse. Voldemort is gone, but don't ask me to tell you about it."
"It's okay Harry; we understand."
"Understand!" James roared again. "I still want to know why Sirius was sent to Azkaban and why you were sent to live with the Dursleys!"
"James, if he doesn't want to talk about it. We can't force him," Lily replied but James just huffed at the idea. "Who's your friend Harry?" Lily asked as she spotted Hermione standing a few feet behind him.
Hermione slowly walked up next to Harry and he knew that she didn't want to disturb this scene. "My name is Hermione."
"Ah, a name out of William Shakespeare's 'A Winter's Tale'," Lily answered.
"And also the name of--"
"Helen of Troy's daughter," Lily finished.
"Yes and I'm sure glad that I'm not the only one to be called an 'insufferable know-it-all' by Snape."
"Snape's not at Hogwarts?" James asked before Lily could reply.
"Snape's our Potions Master and he still hates me just because of all of those pranks you and Sirius pulled on him," Harry replied hanging his head low.
"I warned you that he won't forget your childish pranks and he is putting his anger on Harry," Lily scowled James.
They continued to talk for hours on what Harry did, but Harry kept some thing to himself since his parents might not approve of it. Harry and Hermione left the room with his parents telling him that they can talk again in the family portrait room. They exited the catacombs and the stone door slid shut and it locked again. A light snowfall began to fall as they walked across the grounds.
"Hermione," Harry spoke when they passed the lake. "Thank you for being there me."
"My pleasure Harry and I knew that you needed my support more than ever," Hermione replied.
They etched closer for one quick kiss before they continued towards the house and to a welcoming fire that awaited inside.