This is the sixth chapter, please be so kind and review.
The disclaimer can be found in chapter one.
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6 Godric's HollowTwo days after the wedding Harry and Remus started towards Godric's Hollow early in the morning. They had decided to do this without anyone else, because they both thought of it as very personal. The raven-haired Gryffindor and the last of the marauders were dreading what they would find at the place were James and Lily Potter had lived and met their fate.
They took the knight bus to the nearest village and walked the last two miles from there. As they neared the place, they both saw, why it was called a hollow. The grassland around lowered into a dip, which could not be looked into from a distance. In the hollow near the middle just one building was set between sporadical bushes and old trees.
As they neared the building they could see the caved in roof and burn marks at several places but the house seemed not to be totally razed. What astounded them was that no moss, ivy or other plants had covered parts of the ruin. 'The house had been deserted and in that state for almost sixteen years and was not covered in plants? How did that happen?' Harry pondered when Remus said: "Must be Dumbledore's doing. He must have sealed it with a preservation charm. I bet it looks just as it did that night…" Here he broke off with a bitter look on his face.
After some moments of just gazing at the remains the Boy-Who-Lived looked in to the abject amber eyes of his companion and started down into the dip again towards his parents' house. When he reached the front door, he saw that there were parts from the collapsed roof blocking it.
Remus had come out of his stupor and levitated the debris aside. Slowly Harry grabbed the door handle and took a deep breath before pushing it down to open the door. He was dump struck as the door wouldn't move. What did that mean? He turned to the last of the marauders and asked "Dumbledore again?" "I suppose so." Remus did some quick spells and there appeared two green circles in the middle of the old door. "Thought so…", he said. "What does that mean? What are we supposed to do now?", Harry asked. "Just try and press your hands on there", Remus answered. The boy acted as he was told and as he touched the marks on the door, both could here a clicking noise, that certainly was the sound of the door lock unlocking.
Slowly Harry grabbed the door handle again and took a deep breath, locking eyes with his companion, before pushing down the handle to finally open the door. And open it did. Holding his breath, the Boy-Who-Lived hesitantly pushed the door open and stepped inside.
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Inside the house there was more debris lying around but other than that and the missing parts of the roof there was no sign that it had not been inhabited for so long. That was a strange sight… Everything seemed as if the owners had just left, there was no dust, no insects, spiders or other signs one would expect within a hulk of a building which had been abandoned for so many years.
"Where do you want to start, Harry?" Remus asked, "down here are the kitchen, living room and sitting room, above were the bedrooms and bathroom. And there must be a cellar door somewhere behind the debris. I do not exactly remember where it was, but it must have been here in the hall."
"I think I want to go up there. It was my room, where he murdered her, right?" Remus only nodded. The Boy-Who-Lived started towards the stairs as Remus followed him. Harry turned round to face the werewolf. "Let me go up there alone, please, I think, I need that." Remus nodded again. "You could start to clear the hall here up, if you don't mind. Maybe you can find the cellar door." Amber eyes met emerald ones as Remus nodded for the third time.
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For a long time Harry just stood in the door frame of his room in his parents' house. He stared into the room, where he lost everything, where his mother had died and Voldemort had vanished. He took in every detail: his cot, his soft toys, the little white rabbits on the light blue wallpaper, the musical doll above his cot. Suddenly Harry entered the room and strode over to the crib. In front of it he kneeled down facing the room and slowly turned around, trying to find the point of view to match his memory of the night his parents died.
And there it was. He could remember exactly where his mother and Voldemort had been standing. He saw the whole scene once again but now it seemed more detailed. Maybe the surroundings had triggered the enhanced memory. He saw a shadow in the hall, which did not belong to his mother or Voldemort. 'So there had been someone else in here!' A cloaked figure. The shadow disappeared and then he saw a fat rat peering around the doorframe. He should have known that! The rat was there to watch the disaster he brought over his so-called friends.
Harry sat there for a while after the memory ended, then abruptly stood, grabbed one of his stuffed animals, a lion made of red and gold velvet, and hurriedly left the room. He quickly looked into the other rooms on that floor and then descended to meet Remus in the hall, who had managed to get all the debris out of the house and really found the spoken of cellar door. Together they searched through the rooms on the ground floor, took some photographs and personal belongings and then decided it was time for lunch.
They settled down under a tree in the garden as both were glad of the chance to leave the house that held these bad memories. They ate some of the sandwiches they had brought with them. It was a quiet meal for which both were thankful. Harry had to remind himself that not only he had lost his family but Remus had as well, because the marauders could be counted as family.
When they had finished eating, Remus pointed at the stuffed Gryffindor lion. "That was James' present for your first birthday, you know? He thought it important for you to become accustomed to Gryffindor as early as possible", he said with a small smile. "It is enchanted, I believe, have you tried gripping its mane?" Harry shook his head and gripped into the lion's mane. The lion gave a loud roar and then shouted "Gryffindors rule!" "Your mum nearly got a heart attack the first time it did that", Remus laughed. "James, Sirius and I rolled on the floor laughing and we were very lucky she didn't hex us… Actually we had to thank you for that, because you had so much fun about it, that you let it roar again and so distracted her wrath from us."
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After that the mood was a little lighter and they decided to go back into the house and search the cellar. In the morning they had not thought they could get ready with searching the whole house in one day, but now as they scented the chance to finish the same day they wanted to seize it.
Behind the cellar door a steep spiral staircase wound down into a spacious room with a low, arched ceiling. There were shelves on two walls and boxes stapled on the other two. The shelves were mainly packed with supplies, but there were also some rolls of parchment and a small wooden ornamented chest on one shelf. This chest drew the attention of both of them momentarily. Remus shook his head: "I can't remember this chest. I think, I've never seen it before."
Not being the most patient person, Harry quickly approached the chest and took it out of the shelf. The werewolf started: "Harry, let me at least check for hexes and protective spells!" "Sorry, Remus, I forgot…" While Remus scanned the chest, Harry started looking through the parchments and decided to just pocket them for later examination, when his eyes fell onto a very ancient looking roll.
The green-eyed Gryffindor unrolled the parchment only to find it blank. He stared on it disbelievingly. Why would his parents store such an old yellowed piece of parchment, when there weren't some very important things on it? He couldn't figure that out at the moment… Remus began to mutter incantations, pointing his wand successively to the three locks on the chest and Harry just pocketed the parchments and watched. When the older Gryffindor had finished, there were clicking sounds and the lid sprang open to reveal a silver dagger, even Remus had not seen before.
The unseen silver dagger held rubies along its ornate hilt. It reminded Harry of something he had seen before, he just couldn't place it. Harry took the dagger off the dark red suede inlay and examined it closely, trying to recall, where he had seen similar ornaments. And then it hit him. This unseen silver dagger had the same adornments as the sword of Godric Gryffindor. The sword, he himself had used to kill the basilisk lingering in the chamber of secrets in his second year. The sword, which was kept in Dumbledore's, no, it was McGonagall's office now.
Did that mean…? "Remus, do these ornaments remember you of something? Have you ever seen similar adornments anywhere?" "Remus stepped forward to take a closer look. He let his amber eyes wander over the ornaments and then looked up to Harry again, smiling. "I think, you're right, it looks exactly like Gryffindor's sword in the headmistress' office. Maybe it isn't only coincidence that this place is called Godric's Hollow…" "But… why didn't they show you? Why don't you already know it?" "I don't know, Harry, I really don't know. I can only think of one explanation. You know, that your grandparents, the Potters, were killed by Voldemort only a few weeks before he murdered your parents? He was after all old powerful families at that time, searching for followers and supporters. Maybe James inherited this dagger along with this house and the rest."
"But didn't we already live here, when I was born?" "Yes, your parents moved in here after their marriage, but the house still belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Potter, your grandparents." "That still does not elucidate, why they didn't show it to you." "No, it doesn't. But you see, in that time, no-one trusted the other. Do you remember when we met Sirius three years ago? Until that night we both had thought, the other had been Voldemort's spy." Harry remembered…
Flashback:
'Remus!' Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Lupin instead, writhing imploringly in front of him. 'You don't believe this … Wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?'
'Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter,' said Lupin. 'I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?' he said casually over Pettigrew's head.
'Forgive me, Remus,' said Black.
'Not at all, Padfoot, old friend,' said Lupin, who was now rolling up his sleeves. 'And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?' (1)
End Flashback.
"You see, Sirius had thought it had been me and I would say that James most likely shared his opinion. So it is no wonder they would not trust me with something as valuable and important as this dagger." Harry nodded. "Did you find anything interesting in those parchments?" the werewolf asked. "Not really," the Boy-Who-Lived answered, "we can examine them later, when we're back at the grim, old place." "Agreed," Remus answered and they both began looking through the remaining stuff in the cellar.
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Back at Grimmauld Place Harry and Remus found Hermione and Tonks and they all settled into armchairs in front of the living room fire. They were drinking from hot steaming mugs of butterbeer and Hermione told them, that Luna, Fred and Mr. Delacourt had already left St. Mungo's, while Mrs. Longbottom, Charlie and Alicia had to remain there a few more days. Neville stayed at the Weasley's, while his Grandma was still at the hospital.
Everyone was hanging on his own thoughts, when Harry remembered the ancient parchment, he had pocketed in Godric's Hollow. He searched through his bag, accidentally letting the stuffed lion roar, which caused the girls a real shock and the males some giggling, until he found the parchment and showed it to the last of the marauders.
"Remus, you don't think my parents would keep such an old yellow parchment, if it wouldn't have some secrets, do you?"
"I wouldn't think so. It is yellowed to such an extent, that it can't be used for anything. There has to be something hidden on it. It reminds me of the Marauders' Map…"
He tapped the parchment with his wand to see if a reaction could be evoked.
And true, there appeared artfully written in ancient letters the words:
"Who arest thou and why wouldst thou disturb?"
The four looked at each other. None knew what to answer. So they tried different combinations like 'I am Godric Gryffindor and I want to rule the world', 'I am the pope and I have to rid the world from evil' and many more in the same line, Harry even hissed at the parchment in Parseltongue (I am Salazar Slytherin and I want to read you). After a while it showed, that Tonks' idea 'I am a true Gryffindor and I hate all Slytherins. And Harry's 'I am Albus Dumbledore and I need your help' were the only attempts which didn't end in the parchment being empty. At least the question from before didn't disappear but flashed once and remained there.
Hermione being the smartest witch of her age was the quickest and combined the two to 'I am a true Gryffindor and I need your help' (the other way round would truly be a little stupid, wouldn't it?) and suddenly ink spread all over the parchment, forming runes on the way. Harry looked a little disappointed, because he couldn't read the runes, as did Tonks. Remus and Hermione on the other hand were at it at once. They started translating the runes, while Harry and Tonks went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
When dinner was ready, Tonks had a hard time, luring Remus and Hermione away from the parchment. At last they swiftly had a snack and then returned to their runes. Tonks and Harry joined them with a fresh steaming butterbeer after cleaning the kitchen, just in time to see the very proud and satisfied faces of their friends. After everyone had settled, Remus read the completed translation to them:
"The house, Godric was born in, stands beside a hollow within a hollow.
You find the hollow only one day in the North of Stonehenge.
Within the hollow there is only this one house and in the very centre there is the hollow, where we set his memorial stone.
It is for him to rest near the place where he grew up, as we had no body to bury.
Nevertheless we did him all honours and protected the area against intruders, so that he shall not be disturbed."
"Does that mean that it is called 'Godric's Hollow' for a reason?" Tonks asked.
"That is exactly, what I would gather from it, even the distance to Stonehenge seems to fit from what you told me from your journey", Hermione answered.
"But what is the hollow within the hollow?" Harry asked, "The house is in the dip, and it is not in the centre, but there was nothing else besides trees. No more hollows…"
"It could mean a kind of cave, you know," Hermione threw in.
"There was nothing to be seen, but it says here, that they protected it." Remus said. "If they used repelling and concealment charms, no-one who doesn't know what he is looking for, would accidentally find such a cave."
"It seems that we have to go there again tomorrow," Harry mused, "I can't believe we were near Gryffindor's memorial stone and didn't know it."
"But we will apparate this time. Now that we know the surroundings it is easier."
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While Tonks had to work the next day and Hermione started researching in the library again, Harry and Remus apparated to Godric's Hollow. Harry could have apparated himself but as he still was not of age and hadn't done his test, he grabbed Remus arm for the sidelong apparition.
They landed in front of the house and started looking for the "hollow within the hollow". Again they were unable to recognise anything, but Remus pulled out his wand and started to search for magical concealment.
Remus had been on it for more than half an hour, figuring out which kinds of enchantments he had to remove before he was able to lift a part of them. Suddenly the Boy-Who-Lived could see a kind of flickering in the air some yards before him. "Moony, look, it works", he exclaimed.
But it seemed that had only been a small part of the protections and the werewolf asked for help some time later. Harry argued that he didn't know, how to find and dispel the charms, but Remus told him to just concentrate on the task ahead and use his magic to feel and find them. Then, if he was able to grasp one enchantment with his mind, he could end it with "finite incantatum".
Soon both Gryffindors stood with closed eyes, concentration written on their faces, trying to find and eliminate more spells. Harry found it easier to concentrate on his magic this time than he had ever felt before, either in divination (his inner eye was always clouded…) or in his occlumency lessons with Prof. Snape.
They felt, that they were able to join their magic in the effort, and that recognition really helped. Shortly after, they could grasp one charm, that Harry then held in his grasp, while Remus could remove it. They continued with this form of teamwork, alternately grasping and dispelling the enchantments.
When they found no more magic in the area ahead, they opened their eyes and were amazed, that the sun had reached zenith and obviously a lot of time had passed. But it seemed they had been successful. A few yards in front of them the entrance to a small cave had appeared. And it was in fact in the exact centre of the hollow. So the two Gryffindors stepped forward and approached the entrance. Before entering they concentrated again to make sure no magical traps had been built in there. It appeared to be clear. So they took a deep breath and entered the 'hollow within the hollow', both whispering "Lumos!" to illuminate their wand tips.
They entered a room, which was larger than one would have presumed by the narrow and low entrance. The walls of the cave were at least fifteen yards each and their surface seemed to be absolutely smooth. The ceiling was more than six yards above them. At the opposite wall they saw a huge stone. Harry lost no more time and approached it. First he recognised the Hogwarts Crest on it, then, as he came nearer he saw that there also was the Gryffindor coat of arms. The inscription on the stone read:
"May our friend Godric never be forgotten.
He was the greatest wizard and best friend.
May his soul rest, even if his body is lost.
He has now gone back home.
His brave deeds and the school he founded
will always remind of him.
Rest in Peace,
Godric Gryffindor,
our beloved friend!"
Below that were the names Helga Hufflepuff and Rowenna Ravenclaw with the according crests.
"So, we really found it…" Remus said. "Yes", Harry answered, "but now we don't know, if Voldemort also did. We only know he tried to find heirlooms of the founders. And this could be counted as one and it was so well-protected…"
"We might not be able to ascertain, if he found this place, but we should be able to find out, if he did something to the stone. Let us concentrate again and try to find out, if there is magic in it. But, Harry, be careful with that one. We don't know what he could have done here."
So they concentrated again and soon found a concealment charm at the bottom of the stone, which they carefully lifted. After it was gone, there was Slytherin's coat of arms at the place where it had been. Remus pointed out, that there also seemed to be a secret compartment behind that. He could see the fine lines, where the opening was. Harry bent low and took a closer look. Remus was right. There was an opening. The Boy-Who-Lived straightened again and asked: "Shall I try?" "Try what?" Remus answered.
"Opening it." Harry said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. After seeing the disbelieving look on the werewolf's face he added: "With Parsel, you know, like the locket. Voldemort does use Parseltongue all the time to secure things. He thought it was the safest way. Oh well, he was right then. But now, that he made me a Parselmouth as well..."
"About that he obviously either doesn't know or doesn't care. He is so overconfident. So, sure, go on, try it, but please get a few steps away first." Remus stepped away as well and pointed his wand at the opening, just in case, before Harry hissed "Open up!"
The cover of the hidden compartment vanished immediately and they stepped closer again to take a look inside. There lay a kind of badge, which appeared to be made of onyx. It was round about three inches in diameter and half an inch high. The front was in the shape of the Dark Mark.
Harry was relieved, that they had found another Horcrux but also uneasy, as he didn't know how to destroy it. Would it be sufficient to use a blasting curse on it? He was not so eager to touch that thing; therefore taking it to Dumbledore to ask was out of the question. And he didn't think, letting it there until he had questioned the headmaster's portrait was a good idea either.
Remus used the Mobiliarbus-charm to levitate it out of the compartment and out of the cave as well. Harry followed him out after hissing "Close again!" at the memorial stone, which made the cover with Slytherin's crest re-appear.
Outside, the werewolf walked some yards away from the cave and the house and let the onyx sink to the ground. They thought and deliberated a while, what was to do. Both wanted to destroy the whole thing and not try to save the onyx. After some persuasion Harry agreed to step back behind the house, while Remus would try a simple blasting curse. Harry would be able to gather help, if something went wrong and the last of the marauders would be injured. There was no use in both of them getting hurt.
So Harry used the house of his parents in Godric's Hollow to hide and thought of that strange co-incidence. It wasn't for long though. Soon Remus called him and the Boy-Who-Lived approached the werewolf with his fingers crossed.
And they had been lucky. The blasting curse had made a good job. The onyx was totally destroyed and so must be the Horcrux as well. Remus said there had not been any kind of shadow leaking out of it.
After putting simple muggle-repelling and concealment charms on the cave, the two Gryffindors left Godric's Hollow, apparating back to Grimmauld Place.
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(1) JKR PoA, p. 273