Chapter Three

Welcome Home, Harry

Hermione looked around the dusty street and voiced the question, "Where are we?"

"No idea," Harry said unhelpfully. "Away from the Burrow."

"I see a shop," Ron pointed out, interrupted by a screech. "Shut up, Pig!"

Hermione knelt down and let Crookshanks out. The cat stretched and Hermione scratched his head. "Stay with us."

Crookshanks gave her a look of deepest disdain, reprimanding her for even suggesting he'd be stupid enough to wander away.

The boys let their owls out and followed Hermione to the shop. It had no sign whatsoever, but Hermione peered in and saw it was open, and old man standing at the counter.

"We should ask where we are," she decided and opened the door, which jingled annoyingly. The old man looked surprised to see people actually enter his shop.

"'Ello."

"Hi. I was just wondering…where are we?" she voiced stupidly.

The man didn't look surprised at the questions. "Salty Springs."

"I've never heard of that place."

"Most haven't. We be in Bristol. Are you in needing orf directions?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "You know where Godric's Hollow is?"

"Heard of it. Couldn't give yeh directions."

Hermione looked around and spotted something. "You have a computer!"

"Yep."

"Can we use it to look for directions?"

"Sure."

Hermione thanked the man and tapped on to the Internet. She stared at the home page, unsure of where to go. She screwed up her eyes to think. She used to log on quite a lot before Hogwarts…to look up stuff for school. Search engine. Right, that's what she would need. She typed in the address, and then keyed "Directions Godric's Hollow" in. Soon she'd discovered a map.

"Can I use your printer?" she asked the man as Harry and Ron stood uselessly by, Ron staring at the computer as though he was a little scared of it.

The man nodded and Hermione hit print. The noise of the printer caused Ron to jump back and the man looked at him curiously.

"Technophobe," Hermione explained, grabbing up the map.

The man chuckled understandingly. "Aren't we all, now, lass?"

Hermione gave a fake laugh and moved to shove the piece of paper in her jeans pocket, but then remembered she wasn't wearing jeans. She looked down at her floor length dress and said, "Er, do you have a bathroom."

"Yep."

"We need to change," she told Harry and Ron, who looked down at their garments in surprise.

"Oh. Right."

"Go righ' ahead," the old man said generously.

Hermione smiled at him and entered the girl's loo, pulling from her suitcase jeans and a purple T-shirt. She put them on quickly, shoving her dress unceremoniously in the suitcase and went out to meet Harry and Ron.

"Thank you." Hermione told the old man and feeling it would be rude to leave without buying anything, grabbed a Mars Bar and handed him a bill. Once they got outside Ron gasped, "What in Merlin's name was that white thing?"

Hermione shoved the candy at him to pacify him and opened examined the page, Harry looking over her shoulder.

"It's a neighborhood in Dealyford," Hermione noted. "We should be able to Apparate there.

"Right," Harry said, sounding slightly nervous. "Lets do it."

They arrived right next to a shiny yellow sign that said I Dealyford /I. For a while, they just stood there, staring at it.

"Well…come on," Harry said finally.

They walked down the street, their footsteps echoing eerily. The place was dead silent and all the houses looked the same. Hermione could vaguely remember a book she'd read, A Wrinkle in Time; it had been her favorite when she was seven and they had all gone to a place where everything was the same…it reminded her of this. She couldn't imagine the Potters living here.

"This place is creepy," Ron announced.

"It reminds me of Privet Drive," Harry said.

"Maybe we should ask for directions," Hermione told them.

"I dunno if that's a good idea," Ron said carefully.

"What, do you think IT is going to drain our brains?" Hermione said carelessly.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Never mind. What do you think, Harry?"

"Let's do it," Harry said. He strode up to a house and knocked firmly on the door. A frazzled looking woman opened it, looking suspiciously at them.

"Do you know where Godric's Hollow is?" Harry asked.

"Godric's-oh that weird neighborhood. Why would you want to go there?"

"Er-"

"It's mostly abandoned, it's a horrible desolate place. The few people who do live there are insane, let me tell you. There's a giant burnt hole in the middle of the place and sometimes-odd people come and take pictures of it! They probably think it's a spaceship landing pad or something. No, this neighborhood is much nicer."

Harry looked slightly shocked at the mention of the burnt hole, but held his ground.

"But, do you know where it is?"

"Well, yes, it's six blocks over, starting on Sword Street, but why would you-"

"Thanks, bye!" Harry said and he trounced off, dragging Ron and Hermione with him.

They hiked six blocks, Harry looking flustered and breathing loudly, until they reached a sign saying "SWORD STREET" in broad red letters.

"I wonder where-" Hermione began but Harry cut her off.

"We'll just have to look for ruins."

They made their way down the street, which was, if possible, even creepier than the town. All the streetlamps had burnt out, so the place was dark. All the houses were dilapidated. Hermione heard strange rustlings all around her and shivered. They past one old, but well kept looking house whose lights were on. A sign in front of it said "THIS WAS THE HOME OF BOWMAN WRIGHT: INVENTOR."

"Blimey!" Ron cried. "That's the man who invented the Golden Snitch!"

Harry looked in interest for half a second, but kept walking. Suddenly he stopped and his face drained of all color.

"What is it Harry?" Hermione whispered.

Harry pointed. Hermione looked ahead and saw a giant pile of ashy rubble with even scorch marks on the ground. As the trio moved closer they could make out a small sign. It read:

This was the home of Lily, James and Harry Potter.

-Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like- A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Slippery Slope, By Lemony Snicket