A/N: This chapter has been beta read by my wonderful beta, Super MKatR.

Chapter 13 – The Secret Keeper

Harry read that page once more, trying to absorb the words, their meaning, and their handwriting. His mother knew she could die and she feared leaving him alone. With those words, she was practically asking her son for forgiveness for not being there for him and she was trying to compensate that. Harry didn't think he had the strength to cry now, but he would cry if he could.

If his mother was saying the truth, perhaps now he had all the answers to his questions. He closed his eyes, laid his hand over the pages of the diary and he felt. The book's magic was very strong and very pretty. It filled Harry's chest with a good feeling, it was like feeling his mother's love at first hand. Wonderful!

Harry flipped through the diary. The pages were in white in the beginning, but moments later the pages began to fill spontaneously. It was like watching a book writing by itself. He saw words, draws, maps, schemes and instructions. It was impressive. One page glowed, standing out from the others. Harry flipped through the pages to see the glowing one. He anxiously started reading it to discover more surprises from his mother.

… Godric's Hollow fascinated me since the first time I came here. Hogsmeade has its charm, but Godric's is brimming with History. It is no coincidence that the best in the History of Magic lives and has lived here.

Your dad grew up here in Godric's Hollow, but not in the house that we live now. He grew up in the Potter Manor, your grandparents' house, on the edge of the village.

When we married, your paternal grandparents insisted that your dad and I should live with them in Potter Manor, but we couldn't wait to have a more simple place of our own. At first, I thought your grandparents would get upset with our decision, but, in the day before our wedding, your granddad Charlus gave us the most beautiful gift. He gave us this cottage. He chose to buy a house in Godric's Hollow, so that we would always be close to him and your grandma. They were already quite old and they didn't enjoy long travels, even with the aid of magic.

Your dad chose to call our home The Lion's Burrow. It was of no use to argue with him that lions don't live in burrows. So I told him that the Weasleys called their home The Burrow and, as every of the Weasley are famous Gryffindors, they could be called lions. When I finally convinced him to give up that name, he changed it to The Dragon's Cave. Of course, Sirius thought it was brilliant, so I just give up.

It so happens that we do have a cave. My subterranean potions' lab that is located in the cupboard under the stair. It is where we keep our best books, potion ingredients and some interesting magical items. I want you to use that place, Harry. You can learn a lot in there.

I cannot assure I'll be always here to protect you, but I believe our home is safe now that we have a secret keeper. I was reluctant in accepting Peter Pettigrew as our protector, I preferred Sirius, of course. Sirius is a rock who would never reveal our location even under the Cruciatus. However, your dad and Sirius couldn't resist the opportunity of pranking our enemies by choosing the less obvious option for the secret keeper. Both of them trust in Peter, and I trust Sirius will keep Peter safe…

'Harry!' Harry was so immersed in reading that he was startled by the call of Professor McGonagall. 'Is everything alright?'

'Yes, it is, Professor. I'm coming down.'

Harry hid the diary in his travelling cloak and went down the stairs, heart heavy from all the information.

'You took a lot of time upstairs, Harry. Did something happen?'

'No… Professor, what's a secret keeper' He impulsively asked.

Minerva glanced seriously at Harry. She was expecting questions like that one at some point. It was certain that he would go to Godric's Hollow with the intention of unravelling the mystery around his parents' death. It was for that that she had agreed in bringing him. Unlike Albus, she didn't believe that ignorance brought something good.

'A secret keeper is a wizard or a witch to whom it is trusted a secret. A powerful charm is cast, called Fidelius. From then on only the keeper has the knowledge of the secret and only that keeper has the power to transmit that information. Even if the keeper tells the secret to someone, that person cannot tell to anyone else.'

'That's very confusing, Professor.'

'Harry, if you choose to be upfront with me, maybe I can be upfront with you.' Minerva watched Harry thinking about that for a few instants.

'My mum wrote a… letter to me… she mentioned that our home was safe, because we had a secret keeper. How does a secret keeper protect a house?'

'By just guarding the secret of the localization. When the Fidelius Charm is cast on a house, no one can find that house, unless the keeper reveals its localization.'

'So if Voldemort murdered my parents inside this house, is it because Peter Pettigrew told him in person where the house was?'

Minerva's mind went blank for a moment. 'What did you say, Harry? Peter Pettigrew?'

'Yes. My mum said Peter Pettigrew was the secret keeper, but she trusted more in Sirius. Professor, do you know who Sirius is?'

At that moment, Minerva needed to sit.

'Are you feeling alright, Professor?'

Still wordless, Minerva went to the armchair, where she had passed most of the morning and sat down. Harry followed her.

'Oh, dear. Harry, I never knew about that…' She was able to say. 'Everybody thought Sirius Black was your parents' secret keeper.'

'My mum wrote that Peter was less obvious, that my dad and Sirius were trying to prank the enemy, but they did trust Peter.'

For a second, Minerva felt the urge to go back to that graveyard so that she could scold James Potter's grave for getting in trouble by trying to prank people.

'Peter betrayed my parents, didn't he?'

'Yes, Harry, if what you say is true.'

'What happened to Sirius Black?' Harry wanted to know.

'He's arrested, convicted for killing Peter Pettigrew.'

Harry widened his green eyes like Lily. 'He killed Peter?'

'Yes. Everyone thought that Black did that for being a follower of the Dark Lord. But maybe he just wished to avenge the death of his two best friends.'

'Will he be freed someday?'

'I don't think so, Harry.'

'Why not?'

'Because, when Sirius Black killed Peter Pettigrew, thirteen Muggles died as a consequence of an explosion he caused.'

Later, when Harry chose to visit his mother's potions lab, he was still stunned by the things he discovered. Those revelations left him with a bitter mood. It was hard to think that his parents were betrayed by a false friend. He understood Sirius Black and his wish of avenge, but he didn't understand why the wizard also killed innocent people. After all, what kind of people were his parents… Harry's mind stopped thinking about that when he arrived in the potions lab.

The room was impressive. It was by far the biggest room of the house. It was dark and humid like the dungeons of Hogwarts. Would the darkness and the humidity help producing better potions? The shelves were filled with books. Harry read some of the titles. Some books were part of Hogwarts curriculum and others seemed to be pretty advanced. There were books of Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy…

His mother said she would like Harry to pass his time learning in the lab. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible, so he decided to take everything that McGonagall's bag could take. He started by packing the books from the shelves and the notebooks from the drawers, including one entitled "Marauders' Manual". His mother had cauldrons of every type: big, small, of copper, tin, silver, and gold. Harry carefully packed everything along with a potion-making kit and a collection of already prepared potions.

He was preparing to leave when a trunk abandoned in a corner called his attention. It had a worn appearance, but a small golden plaque glistened on the lid and said:

James Potter

Seventh Year

Head Boy

Gryffindor Quidditch Captain

That was his father's school trunk, Harry thought while he opened it. When it opened, he thought he couldn't have a better surprise, because there in was his father's Quidditch equipment. Harry would fit standing in the trunk, which was bigger that it seemed. Inside was an old quaffle, some old uniforms from Gryffindor team and five brooms all in a good state.

Five brooms: one Cleansweep, one Comet, and three Nimbus. That was amazing!

If those brooms still flew well, Harry could give one to Ron. He knew how much his friend wished to have his own broom. Hopefully Ron wouldn't mind that they had been used.

He was still thinking of the possibilities when the trunk lid began to spread a golden light. Scared, he stopped holding the lid, which closed with a thud. The light came from the golden plaque of the lid, where his fahter's name was gone and new words were forming.

Harry James Potter

First Year

Gryffindor Seeker

Harry couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face when he understood the meaning of those words. His father's trunk was now his.

How he loved magic!

A/N: Hello! This is the last chapter in Godric's Hollow. Next chapter is called Christmas Morning.

Karol Wheezy already wrote fifty chapters! And we are not yet in Hogwarts for Harry's second year and Ginny's first.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Inês

scrappy8: Thank you! Now Harry doesn't only have something from his mother, but he also has something from his dad.

Guest: I'm happy that you like it. Here Minerva McGonagall is the best.