2. Back To The Beginning

The streets began to fill with people the closer they were to the centre of town, and Hagrid was attracting a variety of looks from the passers-by, not the least being a sort of stunned gaze that followed him as they were unable to stop themselves from turning their heads as they gaped after his enormous bulk. But Hagrid lumbered along the footpath, bending very low every now and then to avoid hitting his head on a shop awning, Harry alongside him under his cloak.

Some pedestrians automatically gave Hagrid a wide berth, even taking the trouble to cross the street before continuing on their way, however there were one or two very old people who merely looked slightly surprised when they noticed him, and went back to chatting to who ever they were with, or scanning the shop windows with great interest.

Godric's Hollow was the greenest and prettiest place Harry had ever seen. He had noticed on the walk in, the grassy fields had seemed particularly lush, and the trees almost too tall, as if every living thing was thriving. Closer to town every nook and cranny was filled with the richest lush foliage or peppered with an array of dazzling colourful flowers. Even the people looked unusually healthy and bright.

You couldn't have asked for a cleaner looking hub, and although many of the buildings were obviously very old, they were lovingly looked after, none of the flaking paintwork or cracked bricks that you might ordinarily expect. It was almost as if the buildings were in some sort of time warp while everything else carried on around them. But it wasn't just the beauty of this town that caught Harry's eye.

The "Welcome To Godric's Hollow" sign was the first hint of what lay in wait. It was in the form of a shield, painted richly in red and gold, with the formidable Gryffindor Lion rearing up on hind legs, mouth open and teeth bared in mid roar with its claws out stretched. 'Population – 2297' it said in Gold Lettering across the bottom. Over some of the oldest buildings, moulded into the keystone brick that was common in the archways was the distinctive mark of the lion once more, some had abandoned the red and gold colour scheme, but many were very much still icons of Gryffindor. Small bronze lions were mounted atop railing ends and the shield was repeated several times throughout the streets signs.

In the very centre of town was a marble statue, it would have been close to 15 feet in height and was surrounded by a garden bed of vibrant red and golden-yellow flowers. The bearded man stood proud and tall, wearing what could have been a travelling cloak, and a hat with a wide brim, which tapered up to a point that sagged gently to one side. His left arm was held aloft, his hand cupped loosely as if holding something of great importance, his right hand rested on a the hilt of a sword, the tip of the blade on the ground. Harry did not need to look at the plaque at the base of the statue to know that this was Godric Gryffindor,

As they neared it Hagrid spoke 'Guess yeh know who tha is.' Nodding at the impressive stone figure.
'Yeah,' said Harry as he looked around him to make sure no one was close. 'This was a wizard town once, wasn't it.'

'Yep! Long time ago though, bin muggles here for centuries now, but there are still wizards here n'all.' Hagrid said looking about him 'It's them that looks after the town mostly, they keeps it true.'
'True?'

'Don't know if yeh noticed but things don't exactly age here like they do elsewhere.' Hagrid looked at the statue of Godric and added 'He was a very powerful wizard by all accounts, set up all sorts of enchantments on the area teh keep it from gettin spoiled. He wanted to make sure it would remain true to Gryffindor here long after he'd gone. His family lived here fer generations, buildin it up, kept the enchantments goin. Mostly older wizards here now though, they stay in memory of 'im.' Hagrid put a hand up to his eyes and looked into the sun hovering in the sky. 'It's goin teh be dark in a couple of hours so we'd better get a move on.'

Harry turned away from the marble man and followed Hagrid down the road, winding further and further through the quaint older style houses. As the sun dipped lower the buildings glowed and shadows crept across the road. The landscape took on an almost surreal appearance but the beauty of it was all but wasted on Harry. He was aware of only one thing. He was almost at the place where Voldemort had destroyed his family.

When they rounded Achilles Lane the change in their surroundings was instant. Instead of the delicate garden beds and cosy cottages they had just passed, the houses lay abandoned, distinctly grey in appearance and lacking any trace of warmth or homeliness. The occasional For Sale sign was stuck in an overgrown garden and there was neither light nor sound coming from any of the windows.

Then suddenly, there it was.

Harry looked out on the devastation before him and he knew he had arrived. Hagrid stopped in front of the ruin and cleared his throat. He looked to where he thought Harry ought to be, but said nothing.

Harry removed his cloak and stared out at the scene, a stony look on his face. There was a corner section of a room with part of the ceiling still attached, jutting out of piles of rubble, the only trace that a house once stood there. He gazed at it for a moment, unaware of his cloak sliding from his slackening grip to the ground.

He started to move slowly towards the ruin, not thinking about the block Dumbledore had placed on it, not thinking that at any moment he would be repelled backwards. One foot in front of the other as if in a trance, he made his way to where it had all began. He could vaguely hear Hagrid's voice behind him but he could not stop himself, he stepped beyond the tiny white gate and amongst the broken bricks.

He made his way to the partially standing room, scanning the wreckage as he went, unsure of what he was looking for, every now and then something caught his eye, but when he bent to investigate it was pieces of broken glass glittering in the light, or fragments of plaster and wallpaper. He stopped before the wall and looked up at the sagging ceiling, then beyond to the sky. He didn't have much time before sunset, so he closed himself to everything but the task at hand.

'Harry!' he looked over to where Hagrid was yelling to him from outside the gate. 'Harry, I think yeh should come back, I can't get past the block!' Hagrid looked as if he were pressed against a pain of glass. His cheek and lips were distorted as he pushed himself into the invisible barrier, straining to get through.

As Harry watched, it struck him that Dumbledore had protected this site from everyone entering, except him. Either Dumbledore knew Harry would want to come back or he was intending to bring him here himself.

'It's Okay, Hagrid.' He said loudly 'don't worry … I think Dumbledore wanted me to come back here.' He looked around him 'It'll be dark soon anyway… just wait for me … I wont be long.'

Hagrid stopped struggling and sat on the low rock wall on the street, 'Jus hurry up.' He said 'Don't wanna be here longer than we have teh be.' Then added 'What yeh looking fer anyway?'

'I don't know,' answered Harry feeling his way along the wall 'I don't know.' He added quietly under his breath as he bent down to sift through the rubble.

The sun had disappeared behind the trees at the end of the street long ago; the moon shed only the dullest of light. Harry hands were scratched and bleeding in places and his clothes were covered in powder from the bricks and plaster, but the only things he found were useless broken pieces of metal and other building materials.

After a long while he sat himself down on a chunk of wood, looking over at Hagrid who was still sitting on the wall, though he was slumped and looked as if he might be asleep. Harry put his elbows on his knees, and lowering his head, he brushed his hands through his hair, breathing heavily.

Nothing. Not a single thing left! Harry felt frustrated and disappointed. He was sure there would have been something of them here, a small trinket, a picture, clothes, anything! He rubbed his face trying to quash the emptiness that was growing inside him, shuddering as the cold night air penetrated him. How could he have been so stupid, dragging Hagrid all this way for nothing? He was feeling worse by the second and emptiness seemed to consume him as he pulled his cloak around him. It was as if a cold, dead claw had wrapped itself around Harry's heart - squeezing the hope and light from it. A soft mist was gently emerging from his mouth.

The whole thing had been pointless.

All hope left him.

His darkness felt complete.

With a sudden realization, Harry jerked his head up. He leapt from his squatting position and pulled out his wand. With lightening speed, he scrambled towards Hagrid, desperately searching the dark skies above him as his heart caved in fear.

'Hagrid!' he yelled 'HAGRID!' he heard Hagrid snort as he stirred'HAGRID!'
But before Harry could reach him a mass of floating black cloaks were closing in on Hagrid from all sides.

Knowing what to do, Harry reached inside and pulled a day spent with Ginny down by the lake to his thoughts. 'Expecto Patronum!' Harry yelled as the memory flooded him, his arm outstretched and his wand gripped tightly. A perfect, giant silver stag leapt from the end of his wand and rushed at the Dementors. It raced towards them with it's head down, antlers forward, but as it hit the magical block that Hagrid had been unable to get through it dissolved into nothing.

Harry was struggling over the debris trying desperately to reach Hagrid who was flailing his umbrella around hopelessly.

'Expecto Patronum!' Once again the stag erupted from Harry's wand and rushed at the Dementors, and again it dissipated when it hit the block. Hagrid let out an awful moan as he dropped to the ground.

Harry flung himself over the gate.
'Expecto Patronum!' His heartbeat raced as the great silver stag burst forth and charged. This time it made contact and ploughed through Dementor after Dementor.

'TO HAGRID!' Harry yelled, pointing urgently at the enormous motionless figure sprawled on the ground. 'Get them away from him!' Harry was rushing up behind his patronus as it cleared the way and now that he was out of the magical block, he could hear the dreadful hollow sucking breaths the bony, cloaked figures emitted. Dementors seemed to just keep coming, closing ranks behind Harry and the stag as they reached Hagrid.

'Keep them back!' Harry yelled over his shoulder as he crouched down over Hagrid gripping the front of his coat, shaking him 'Hagrid! Hagrid!' Hagrid moaned and strained to open his eyes.

'Get back … behind … the block … Harry!' he breathed, barely conscious. Harry looked up and saw the stag running in a circle around them, only just managing to keep the shadowy figures at bay. Dementors were pressing in on them relentlessly and Harry knew they could not be held off forever by his patronus. There were too many of them.

Hagrid was trying to raise his head up but lacked the strength, his eyes were only half open as he looked out at the flowing black cloaks and his body trembled from the icy coldness the Dementors inflicted.
'Get … back' he was struggling to talk 'behind … the block'

'It's alright … it's okay …' Harry was saying to Hagrid 'They can't get to us.' But he looked back out at the hooded figures swarming all around them. It was only a matter of time before his patronus would fade then they would be sitting ducks, he wouldn't even have enough time to conjure another one before they swooped in on them. He looked down at Hagrid.

'Harry … get … back -'
'I'm not leaving you Hagrid!' Harry cut in abruptly, then more softly he added 'stop trying to talk.' His mind raced, he had no idea how he was going to do it, but he was not going to let Hagrid have his soul sucked out by a Dementor; he was going to get them both out of there.

CRACK!

All of a sudden, several loud popping noises sounded beyond the black swirling dome that enclosed them. Harry's stomach lurched as a feeling of dread flooded him. Death Eaters!

He heard loud voices but couldn't make out what they were saying. He closed his eyes. I should never have come. I should never have persuaded Hagrid to come. He trusted me! He opened his eyes again and stood up. A new strength took hold and any fear abandoned him as he set himself to defend his friend with his last breath.

It appeared the Dementors were being called off so the Death Eaters could take over, the ones on the outer edge were falling away rapidly and it wouldn't be long before Harry would be face to face with Voldemort's cronies, or maybe even Lord Voldemort himself.

For a moment it seemed the Dementors had been caught by surprise, they jerked suddenly, like swarming fish avoiding circling sharks, turning their backs on Harry, and then a change came over them. They scattered, some darting away up into the sky while others appeared to be dropping away, as if knocked down. A gap opened up before him and Harry realized what was happening.

A large silver animal, a goat patronus was charging down Dementors with ease, and to Harry's left and right he caught sight of more silver patronuses, one that looked like a large wild cat, the other an enormous vulture, all of them clearing the way as three very old wizards in white robes, two with long silvery beards and the other almost completely hairless, rushed up to where Harry stood over Hagrid.

'Are you … alright?' the skinny bearded one panted breathlessly, bent over clutching his knees.
'I'm fine, but they attacked Hagrid before I could get to him.' Harry watched the other two wizards recall their patronuses now that the last of the Dementors had gone, Harry's stag turned to him but faded into the darkness as it approached his outstretched hand, finally at the end of it's power. The biting cold eased to a mild calm night once more.

He turned back to Hagrid and crouching over him said 'It's alright Hagrid, they're gone now.' Hagrid was beginning to recover, his giant blood providing far more resilience to the Dementors than ordinary people. Harry looked over his shoulder 'Don't suppose you have some chocolate handy?'

'What was … all that … about?' Wheezed the dumpy bearded wizard in a grainy voice, looking at Harry. Slowly comprehension dawned on his face; he had probably recognized Harry from his photo in the paper. Harry doubted his scar was visible in the dim light.

'You!' he breathed 'Wha … what are you doin here?' his eyes wide, but even before Harry had a chance to answer the little bald wizard cut in.
'Now why would ya be needin to ask a question like that for, Fudd?' he had a look of exasperation on his face as he threw his arm in the direction of Harry's parents house.

'Eh?' Fudd said screwing his face up and cupping his hand behind one ear 'Whadya say?'
'Look where we bleedin well are, for goodness sake!' the other wizard answered loudly 'Whadya think he's doin here? On 'oliday doin a bit a sightseein?' he said gruffly and rolled his eyes 'Doddery old bludger.' He added not too quietly.

'I 'eard that.' Said Fudd.
'Oh, so ya heard that alright!' said the second man giving Fudd a sideways glance.
'Eh … what?' the plump man was making it obvious he was having trouble hearing again. 'What was that?'
'Never mind!' the bald man said loudly in frustration.

'I do not think it is wise to stand here bickering amongst ourselves.' Interrupted the thin bearded wizard, his voice was old and cracked but firm 'We had best leave here as soon as possible.' He gave the other two wizards a silencing look. 'They may very well return and in even greater numbers. Mr. Potter, you and your friend will come with us for now,' he said motioning the others to help get Hagrid to his feet. 'You can go no further tonight, I think'

Harry helped rouse Hagrid who stumbled to his feet, listing to the side. He was grey behind his bushy beard and looked very weak so Harry did his best to help support him. It was backbreaking work as they walked back down the street, but Hagrid was slowly regaining his composure and easing Harry's burden as they went.

'Who are you?' Harry asked.

'We must make haste,' the old wizard glanced at Harry 'there will be time for introductions later.'

Harry could see the wizards face in the street lamp as they passed, he looked incredibly old; his face was full of lines and his hair was ghostly white, he was glancing about him as he moved down the street and like the others was still brandishing a wand.

They hurried along a tree lined avenue where the dwellings were made from large grey stone bricks and were spaced well apart, all had sweeping lawns that surrounded regal looking buildings and as they neared a large gold iron gate they drew to a halt.

There was no house here that Harry could see, it looked more like a park of some sorts, though it was definitely private going by the enormous walls on either side of the entrance that blocked it from view. The ghostly wizard motioned to Harry and Hagrid so they leant in.

'Gryffindor's Seventh on Hollow.' he whispered.

From out of nowhere an enormous stone mansion began to expand before their eyes, nudging aside giant old knarley trees and small flowering shrubs. Harry had experienced this once before when he had been taken to Gimmauld Place, Sirius's family home. It, like this place, was a protected site, unplottable and unknown by any who were not given the address by the secret keeper.

Hagrid started at the sight before him and the old man smiled faintly 'Dandelion.' he said. The gates parted and as they approached the large stone manor, Harry noticed an ornate Gryffindor emblem upon the enormous oaken doors. The building itself was rather plain and unassuming, something the other houses along this road were not.

'You get the door, Waldo' said Fudd loudly as he and Harry struggled to keep Hagrid from swaying on his unsteady feet. The little bald wizard muttered something under his breath and ran the tip of his wand lightly along the crack where the double doors joined in the middle of the two massive cast iron handles shaped like lions. There were several loud clunks and the doors swung slowly inwards, creaking loudly as Harry guided Hagrid through the entrance.

'This way,' said the thin bearded man, motioning his hand as he entered a small room just off the entry. Hagrid dropped onto a bench seat that lay beneath the main window and Harry sat himself down on the arm of a leather chair nearby, surveying the scene.

The room had a distinctly cosy feel to it. Harry gave an involuntary shudder, his brush with the Dementors sat in stark contrast to the welcoming surroundings he now found himself in. A crackling fire blazed in an old blackened stone fireplace on the far wall, casting warm flecks of orange light around the room and the circular iron chandelier that hung from the high ceiling was laden with burning candles illuminating the furnishings which appeared as old as the wizards who now sat in them.

'Oi … Sooty!' Waldo said suddenly, his eyes searching the air around him. A second later a small figure appeared in middle of the room, it was immediately recognizable as a house elf, but it appeared to be much younger than the house elves Harry had seen, its skin was uncharacteristically wrinkle free.

It had large grey eyes and a small nose that looked like an unripe strawberry, it was wearing a red and gold kilt that hung from its chest and was fidgeting where it stood.

It realized after an exasperated look from Waldo that it had materialized on top of the coffee table and it let out an apologetic oops! Before jumping down onto the rug.
'Yes … er … sir?' It squeaked anxiously.

'Right,' said Waldo shifting in his chair 'bring some tea for our guests ... and chocolate … and don't forget the sugar pot this time…' and then added 'or the milk … or the tea for that matter.'
'No sir … I mean yes sir.' It said sheepishly then it turned and trotted out of the room.

'It'd be a miracle if she brings cups.' Fudd grumbled from the corner near the fire, rolling his eyes exaggeratingly as he put his feet up on the stool before him.

'So Emerick, what do we do now?' asked Waldo sitting back in his chair and tapping a pipe on a small round dish he had picked up from the side table.

The thin bearded wizard who had remained standing walked over to the fireplace, bent down and began prodding the fire with a metal poker, sending sparks soaring up the chimney. He turned and looked at Hagrid and Harry.

'Sooty will make you a room each for the night. You will be safe here until morning at least, however,' he looked directly at Harry from under his brow 'You-Know-Who will be aware of your presence here by now and there will almost certainly be some of his minions in the Hollow seeking you. I advise you not to attempt to return to Achilles Lane under any circumstances.'

Harry dropped his eyes to the worn rug at his feet. Disappointment washed over him again at the thoughts that his search had turned up nothing, and he was beginning to feel extremely guilty for bringing Hagrid with him. He was beginning to see it as a rather selfish endeavour after all.

Emerick turned and stared into the flames, the glowing flickers danced across his face. 'We were fortunate tonight. You must have caught them off guard, they were not monitoring the site as closely as I would have expected. Next time…' he said as he turned back to Harry 'you will not be so lucky.'

'Lucky?' said Hagrid credulously. Harry's stomach churned as he thought of the swarm of Dementors that had enclosed Hagrid and himself; he couldn't imagine how much worse it could get, yet he felt inclined to listen to Emerick, he reminded Harry a little of the wise and gentle Dumbledore whom he had always trusted.

A tinkle of silver announced Sooty's return. She was clutching a tray that for some reason Harry found himself checking the contents of. It held a large silver pot with steam rising from it, five cups, a tub of sugar, a milk jug, and a slab of chocolate. He felt some relief that she appeared to have remembered everything and was turning back to Emerick when her rather large foot caught the leg of the cloak stand, and with an almighty crash Sooty went flying face down onto the floor, the stand tumbling over behind her and burying her in clothing. The contents of the tray spewed out over the rug.

Harry automatically jumped to his feet to help her. He yanked the clothing off her, pulling her up by the arm. She was tittering nervously and Harry could hear Fudd mumbling '… useless … couldn't dry a dish in a desert …' Emerick had pulled out his wand and with a double wave the tray right sided itself and the tea set jumped back into place, the mess of tea, sugar, milk and chocolate disappeared from the carpet and the tray finally settled on the small table.

'Not to worry Sooty, why don't you see if you can get two rooms ready for Mr. Potter and his friend, Mm?' She nodded brushing herself off and started to leave but then she stopped suddenly in her tracks.
Sooty looked around at Harry who was watching her with a bemused grimace on his face; it was a bit like waiting for an accident to happen. Sooty's eyes suddenly became wide with wonder.

'M-M-Mr. Potter?' she stammered 'H-Harry Potter?' she went on 'The H-Harry P-Potter?' she seemed unable to grasp the enormity of it and although Harry had gotten used to peoples reactions to him, he was feeling slightly uncomfortable at Sooty's awe; it felt akin to having a female Dobby staring at him.

'Yes,' smiled Emerick looking rather amused at the both of them.
'Harry Potter!' she breathed. Harry was looking at the fire to hide his embarrassment though at least she could say his name without stammering now. 'James and Lily's son!'

Harry's head spun round. 'What?'

'Y-Your James and Lily's son!' she turned, her mouth gaping as she breathed heavily looking at Emerick but pointing to Harry. 'Harry Potter ... James and Lily's son!'

Emerick chuckled faintly 'Yes Sooty,' he said as if he were speaking to a child 'This is Harry Potter, James and Lily's son.' She gave another gasp as though hearing the idea from Emerick for the first time.

Harry's heartbeat raced at the mention of his mother and father; the very reason he had come to Godric's Hollow in the first place. He looked from Sooty to Emerick, to Waldo and Fudd trying to read their faces. Sooty looked flummoxed, Emerick was smiling faintly and Waldo and Fudd were regarding him with interest but neither had moved; Waldo was puffing out a billowy cloud of smoke and Fudd had his finger in his ear jiggling it to and fro apparently trying to clear out some obstruction so he could hear better.

All of a sudden a loud snort came from behind him and Harry realized before he had even turned, that Hagrid had fallen asleep, the drain of the Dementors finally catching up with him. Harry turned back to Emerick.

'You knew my parents?' there was a tinge of desperation in his voice; he could hardly bring himself to hope that coming to Godric's Hollow had not been in vain.
'Yes, Harry' said Emerick 'myself in particular new your mother and father rather well.'

Harry undressed carelessly in the silvery moonlight and slipped under the cool white cotton bed covers. He lay with his hands behind his head gazing up at the flickering shadows on the ceiling as an ancient willow outside the open window swayed gently in the breeze. The yellowed heavy lace curtains flapped gently as a wisp of air gently wafted through and played over Harry's untidy hair. Somewhere in the distance a chorus of frogs were trying to outdo their cricket counterparts, croaking and gurgling fervently.

He breathed deeply as his thoughts churned, he had expected to be overcome with emotion at what Emerick and the others had told him, he had expected to feel elated or sorrowful at what they had to say, but instead the time spent listening about his parents had left him numb.

Harry turned his head to the small black chest that crouched on the bedside cabinet. When Emerick had handed it to him at the foot of the stairs, Harry had assumed it contained nightclothes and wash things for the morning, instead Emerick revealed it contained all that was salvaged of his mother and father's things after Voldemort had murdered them.

He stared at it for a moment, studying its outline in the gloomy din, wondering why he couldn't bring himself to open it. Turning back to the ceiling he closed his eyes. Nothing had gone at all like imagined; Hagrid had put up far less resistance than he had expected, Harry alone had been able to walk straight through the magical block to gain entrance to the ruin, they had both been swamped by countless Dementors in the middle of the street and then rescued by three ancient wizards who, as it turned out, knew his mother and father personally, and then just when he'd given up hope of ever finding anything of his parents possessions, out of the blue he had been handed the very thing he had struggled so desperately through all this for.

What confused Harry the most was how he could lie there feeling so detached from everything.

Emerick had spent some time recalling his visits with Lily and James. Waldo and Fudd chimed in with little details every now and then as apparently the three of them were his parents only regular visitors during their time in hiding at Godric's Hollow. They had in turn spent many an afternoon keeping Lily and her baby company when James was absent.

Emerick had remarked several times on what an extraordinarily talented witch his mother was, and Fudd had said she was 'the sweetest lass' he had ever had the fortune to meet, he said Lily had an excellent sense of humour which made visiting with her one of the things he most looked forward to. Waldo had told how she doted on her baby boy who was always smiling incessantly up at her, and Emerick said she was often to be found in the sunroom, sitting in a large armchair with her sleeping baby curled into her chest, staring out the window waiting for James to return.

It seemed they also highly regarded James. Waldo described him as a very intelligent and extremely likable young wizard who had a nose for trouble but a heart the size of a Hogwarts when it came to his beautiful wife and son. Fudd described how James always went to great lengths to make sure Lily and their son were well taken care of when he could not be with them.

He said although James never complained, he could tell he hated leaving them and would not go until he had checked over everything at least three or four times. Emerick had added sombrely that James had a great courage and strength in him that few could lay claim to, but the tension of hiding from Voldemort had started to show in him near the end; he said James had looked tired and strained the last time he had seen him.

Emerick suspected James carried the great burden of knowing far more than he was letting on; he thought it quite possible that some disturbing information had surfaced in the days before Voldemort attacked. Emerick had held Harry's look when he added quietly that James had done everything he could to protect Lily and his child that night, and that his skill and sheer nerve had managed to hold Voldemort off for some time. Harry had wanted to ask how he knew that, but Sooty had interrupted them by materializing inside the wood store cabinet by accident, Emerick hurried to let her out when she started screeching in panic and pounding on the doors with her bony fists; apparently claustrophobic.

Harry did not feel like sleeping at all. His mind ran over and over every last detail they had told him about James and Lily to make sure he would not forget any of it. As he lay there in the quiet Harry heard the latch on his door click and he turned onto his elbow as a small shadow emerged though the slight gap in the open doorway.

'Sooty?' said Harry

'Yes Mr. Potter,' came a small squeaky voice, when she stepped into the moonlight Harry frowned.
'What's wrong?'
She was looking decidedly nervous and was wringing her long bony fingers together.

'I is sorry to disturb you sir, but I is thinking you would still be awake sir …' she looked at Harry through her wide grey eyes which looked rather watery.
'Yeah,' said Harry quietly as he shuffled into an upright position securing the sheets around him as he went. 'What's up?'

'I is not knowing how to tell you this Mr. Potter … so, I is thinking I should just say it …' she looked extremely tense. Harry waited a moment and when nothing was forthcoming he said 'Say what, Sooty?'

'I is not a very good house elf Mr. Potter, I is very clumsy and always gets it's wrong.' Her eyes were on her feet 'But I is very good with the little peeps as with the old ones because they is so much alike,' Harry wasn't sure he understood.
'What are little peeps?'

Her eyes grew wider still; she leant into him and whispered conspiratorially 'I is helping Lily sometimes with her little peep.'
Harry's felt his stomach lurch, 'you stayed with my mother? But your too young aren't you?'

'I is young for a house elf sir, yes but that is still many of your years. My masters said to go to Lily and keep her company sometimes, so Sooty is doin it sir.' She said 'Lily is good mistress sir, she is good to Sooty, so Sooty is doin everythin she asks. She asks me to sneak stuff for her so I is doin it.' She lifted her hand to her mouth gave a nervous giggle.

Harry frowned 'Sneak stuff? What sort of stuff?' He felt an ache growing in the pit of his stomach.
'Stuff for doin big magic Mr. Potter.' She said in awe

Harry screwed his face up 'But why would she need to sneak stuff to do magic? She was a qualified witch, it doesn't make sense.'
'She is not wanting James to find out sir.'

'Why would she be hiding it from him?' Harry shot her a look 'They were happy together weren't they?' Harry would never have dreamed of asking this of anyone else, but for some reason he did not feel uncomfortable asking Sooty.

'Ooh yes Mr. Potter!' she nodded 'they is very happy together! I is seein them many times together,' she blushed and added with a whimper 'Lily is loving James more than anything! And he is loving her back so much he is crying once.'

Harry swallowed hard 'Crying?'
'He is crying once when he is alone sir, he is scared for Lily and little peep sir.' Her eyes filled with tears 'He is good man sir, he is not knowing Sooty is there at first then he is telling me not to say anything to Lily, so I says nothink.' She waved hands despairingly

Harry's insides felt like they were dissolving; he felt guilty that he had intruded on his father's grief. He turned his eyes to the bed sheet and searched for something to say so he did not have to think of his father crying 'What was she hiding from him?'

'She is making big magic, she tells Sooty it will protect her little peep.' Sooty wailed softly. Harry instinctly withdrew, leaning back onto the pillows; unsure he wanted to hear the rest. 'She is very clever witch Mr. Potter and she is telling James she can make magic from her own death if' she lowered her voice tears streaming down her face 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named finds her peep.' An awful dread came over Harry as he listened, stony faced.

'She is pleading with him to get her what she needs and he is forbidding her to do it, he is telling her she is not to do it, no matter what, she is not to put herself in harms way and she is not to mention it again.' Sooty looked frightened and it struck Harry how desperate his father had sounded. 'Then he goes to another room where Sooty is and locks the door' Harry's eyes stung as he swallowed hard. 'This is when Sooty sees him crying alone. He is good man sir!' fresh tears swelled in her eyes

'so you got the things she needed?' Harry said in a heavy voice. 'You got the things for my mum?'

'Yes Mr. Potter' she lifted the back of her hand to wipe her wet face 'She is doin it anyway because she loves her little peep so much.'

Harry turned to look out the window as a warm tear trickled down his cheek. He had never known such sadness as overcame him hearing of his mother and fathers desperation. Harry wished he felt numb again now.