The wind blows back
To the heroic and noble lion’s mane
For it shall echo into eternity
The sound of emptiness will always be heard
And that is where you shall meet me
Yours truly, Albus Dumbledore
P.S., eleven o’clock tonight
P.P.S., James, remember the letter
The letter came at noon. James and Lily were both eating lunch. Lily tried to get out of her chair, but failed and slumped down. James walked over to her and sat beside her, so she could look too.
"What do you suppose it means?" asked James.
"It's a riddle," said Lily. "Dumbledore is relying on our logic to get us to him. Good way to make sure that no one else can find him, which means that we should be able to tell what this means easily, and it should be something unique to us."
"Let’s figure it out line for line," said James inquisitively.
"Ok, lets see… the wind blows back, the heroic and noble lion’s mane."
"The wind blows back… hmm," said James.
"It may have to do with another line, lets see. The heroic and noble lion’s mane… Heroic and noble… sounds like brave…"
"Then why not say brave?"
"Because it is not a brave lion, it is THE brave lion… Godric Gryffindor," Lily said.
"How do you know?"
"Because then he would have just said lion. A brave lion represents Gryffindor!"
"Good work," said James. "Hmm… for all shall echo into eternity. By echo, he may mean come and go, like an echo bouncing off of a wall…"
"No, then he would not have said eternity. That hints that it is, or has been, there for eternity. What echoes?" Lily stroked her temple in thought.
"I don't know… lets read the next line," said James. "And the sound of emptiness shall always be heard."
"Emptiness… what is empty?" asked Lily.
"A bucket, a box…"
"Anything hollow, really."
"Godric Gryffindor’s bucket… Godric Gryffindor’s box…this is hopeless. There must be a million hollow things!"
"This must be where the first line comes in," said Lily. "The wind blows back.."
"The wind blows back, the wind blows back… remember the letter…wait a minute! The wind blows back in time to… Godric’s Hollow!"
"What's that?" asked Lily, finally managing to push herself up and out of her chair.
"A place I used to go with my parents for the summer. We owned a tiny little cottage! That's where I got my Hogwarts letter! It all fits. He wants us to meet him at eleven o’clock tonight at my old cottage at Godric’s Hollow!"
It was a cloudy night at Godric’s Hollow. The occupants of the wooden cottages were all asleep. The wind blew through the silent night. All was quiet. All was quiet, that is, until two figures popped into existence on the outskirts of town. Quietly, they scurried down the dusty path. One was a woman with a very large stomach. A man who was fairly tall, with very untidy hair led her by the hand. They bolted down the path until they reached a small cottage. They turned and walked up the stone steps to the patio. Here, they each pulled out their wands.
What Happens in Godrics Hollow, Stays in Godrics Hallow
The final part of James and Lily Potters lives. How did it all really happen?
“It is one minute past eleven,” said James, glancing at his watch. “Wait here, I will check it out.” He pushed open the door with a creak and stepped inside. Lily disregarded his order and followed him.
“Come in,” said a calm voice from inside.
“Dumbledore!” said James, igniting his wand to find himself face to face with the old wizard.
“Yes, come on in, both of you. Lily, have a seat over there,” he said, bringing them into the sitting room and gesturing to a chair. He pointed his own wand at the fireplace and it erupted in flames, lighting the old but welcoming room. Dumbledore and James both sat down in older, straight chairs, while Lily sat in the armchair.
“So, I will make this brief, and to the point,” said Dumbledore. “I think that we need to find a way to keep you two in hiding…at least until the baby is born, and how long after that we will have to see.”
“How long after the baby is born might we be talking about?” asked Lily.
“I would say until the young man is ready to attend Hogwarts, maybe sooner, maybe later. There are a few ways that we may be able to tell if the child of the prophecy is yours or the Longbottom’s from the start. For one thing, the prophecy speaks of a boy, so if either of your children are female, then they can live a normal life from the start. Then we will see.”
“So, are you planning on just keeping us here under lock and key?” asked James with a sarcastic laugh.
“Not exactly, James,” said Dumbledore. “Are either one of you familiar with the Fidelius Charm?”
“No,” answered James and Lily in unison.
Then there was silence from both James and Lily as the waited expectantly for a response.
“I see,” said Dumbledore. “Well, in that case, allow me to explain. The Fidelius Charm is when a person, or in this case people, trust another with their secret. As long as their Secret-Keeper does not share their secret with another person, the secret itself is safe. Therefore, it is customary for people to make their most trusted friends their Secret-Keepers.”
When he said this, James thought one word: Sirius.
“Therefore, I have devised a plan,” continued Dumbledore. “The two of you, and your child, will go into hiding here, until the child is ready to take the responsibility that may fall onto his shoulders. I don’t think that you will be in as much danger yet, but I would get settled here as soon as possible. I can arrange to have all of your things moved here by tomorrow. I would recommend that you select your Secret-Keeper by then. I would be
more then hap…”
“How ‘bout Sirius?” asked James.
“Hmm… he has proven trustworthy. I think it would be best if I did it though…” said Dumbledore.
“I can’t do that. I’m sorry, Dumbledore, but he is my BEST friend. Think of what he would do if he found out that we did not trust him? Lily, you agree with me don’t you?”
“Umm… I trust Sirius with all my heart, James. We were planning on making him the baby’s godfather anyway, weren’t we? If you trust him, so do I,” said Lily.
“Both of you listen to me,” said Dumbledore gravely. “It is not a matter of trust. Do you honestly think that Sirius would be prepared to stand up to torture? He is a strong, brave, honourable, trustworthy man. I will give him that. But in the end, he is just a man, and every man has his weakness. Pain is just the beginning of Voldemort’s weapons. I have seen him do horrible things. He makes your whole world crumble. He has killed people’s entire families just to make them promise to follow him. He has stripped men of all their belongings just to will them into doing something for him. He has imprisoned people for days, without food or water, watching them wilt like roses on a hot summers day, just to get a piece of information out of them. He has his three Unforgivable Curses, but he likes to do things the hard way. It makes him feel good! I trust Sirius, but I do not rely on him for such an important task.” Dumbledore stared at James. Lily looked from James, to Dumbledore, back to James.
“That is where we are different,” said James, standing up. “I would trust him with my life.”
“Your life, yes, but the life of your wife, child, and the blood of millions of other people’s wives and children? Are you prepared to risk that all for the sake of a friendship?” asked Dumbledore, also standing up and crossing his arms.
“I will admit it, Sirius is just a man,” said James. Dumbledore looked at him. “But in the end, so are you.”
“James, I think Dumbledore knows what he is talking about…” said Lily.
“I don’t care. He thinks that he can tell other people what to do just because he is older, and owns a bloody school. But I will tell you what, Sir, you will never be my family’s Secret-Keeper. Don’t you think it is a bit obvious who it would be? Don’t you think Voldemort would assume it was you?”
Dumbledore stood there for a while in silence, looking James up and down. Then, he uncrossed his arms, cleared his throat, and headed for the door. “The choice is up to you, James. I will be here tomorrow with Sirius and your things. But remember this… the Dark Lord does not assume, he knows.” And with that, he stepped out of the doorway, and with a pop he was gone.
Lily and James spent that night at the small cottage. It had a petite living room with a fire and a few welcoming chairs. There was a dusty kitchen with and antique stove, and a study with an old wooden desk. Upstairs, there were three bedrooms, each with a bed, a cupboard and a mantelpiece. James’ parents had taken most of their things with them when they last left the house, but it was still fit to be lived in. James figured he could convert one of the bedrooms into a nursery with Sirius’ help.
When they woke up in the morning, James fixed breakfast for himself and Lily. It was his way of apologising for being rude the previous night. She did not seem to be happy with what he had done, but she also did not seem to disagree. It seemed that she trusted his judgment, and he knew that she adored Sirius.
At eleven, the door rang and in came Dumbledore and Sirius. With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore conjured everything from their old apartment, and everything from their suburban flat. He did not smile at James the whole time, but he did not seem to give him a cold shoulder either. He accepted that the fate of the Wizarding world was more important than him being rude to James. After everything was in place, he pulled out a roll of parchment and handed it to James. “Here are the instructions for the Fidelius Charm. I will be incapable of finding you after it has been cast, and my only contact with you will be through Sirius. Good luck, and I hope to see you shortly,” and with that, he shook James’ hand, kissed Lily on the cheek, then patted her stomach before exiting through the front door. James ran after him.
“Dumbledore, wait,” he called. The old man turned and looked at James. “I am sorry. I trust you, but my instincts tell me to make Sirius my Secret-Keeper. I don’t know when I will see you again, and I don’t want our friendship to end on bad turns. Friends?” he extended his hand.
“Friends,” said Dumbledore, and he pulled him into a friendly hug.
The months after the Fidelius Charm was cast, were all one big blur for James. Sirius popped in every week or so to bring them more news of the outside world. Voldemort was building up the hunt for Lily and James, but so far there had not been any attempt on Sirius’ life, meaning that the enemy did not suspect the Fidelius Charm. Lily had also persuaded Sirius to ask about the Longbottoms. All Dumbledore had revealed to Sirius was that they were safe.
And then the big day came. Sirius brought in Madam Pomfrey to deliver the baby (Dumbledore had advised this in his instructions). The birth was the biggest blur of all for James. He remembered blood, lots of blood, and then the cries of a newborn baby: a boy, named Harry by Lily. He looked like James from the moment of his birth, except for his eyes. They were Lily’s eyes. James held the baby before passing him to her. He had already settled down. Sirius performed a memory wipe on Madam Pomfrey on the way out (also on Dumbledore’s instructions).
The next week, James and Sirius built a nursery. Sirius was able to bring Harry a variety of toys. And so life went on for the next seven months. The news from Sirius grew grimmer and grimmer. Voldemort’s mad hunt for the Potters was becoming a big problem for the Order. It was also strange how he seemed to have no interest in the Longbottoms. It had been rumoured that Voldemort had killed some of James’ family because he suspected that they were hiding the Potters, leaving James, Lily and Harry the only Potters left.
And then one day Sirius came with the gravest news of all. “I was attacked,” he said.
“What? Why?” asked Lily, setting the baby down on the kitchen floor and going over to where Sirius and James were talking.
“I don’t know… just nearly got away! I think they were after me because they wanted to find you, and they knew I know where you are! I tried to go into hiding myself, but it did not work! I don’t know what to do!”
“Well, you can stay here with us. That way you will be safe,” said James.
“I don’t think so,” responded Sirius. “The Fidelius Charm is keeping your secret safe, but I think that if someone looked through the window right now, they would just see me here. I am not protected. But I do have another idea. What if we change the Secret-Keeper to a less likely person?”
“That might work…” said James. He was thinking about what Dumbledore had said all those months ago.
“What about Remus?” suggested Lily.
“I wouldn’t trust Remus right now,” replied Sirius. “There have been rumours. I know that they cannot always be trusted, but I would rather not take the chance.”
“I agree,” said James. They stood there for a few moments, then Harry started to cry and Lily went to pick him up.
“For god sakes, both of you, there are FOUR Marauders!” she cried. “You honestly are going to let the fact that Peter is a little… forgetful… stop you from trusting him? He is loyal, we have to give him that!”
“I guess that’s true,” said Sirius.
“Wormtail it is then?” said Sirius, walking over to Harry and handing him a new rattle.
“Wormtail it is,” said Lily and James in unison. Harry grabbed Sirius’ thumb and said, “Doggy.”
The night was calm and cool. It was three days before Halloween. The brisk wind picked up the newly browned leaves and carried them into the distance. In the Potters’ small cottage, all was quiet. Inside Peter, James, Lily and Harry had just finished casting the Fidelius Charm. Harry slept, curled up in James’ arms. Peter was eating the meal that Lily had cooked for them. The room was still.
“Peter, thank you so much,” said Lily. “We owe you our lives.”
“Think nothing of it,” said Peter with a small giggle.
“Peter,” said James, “do you know how you are going to protect yourself?”
“I have a few ideas,” said Peter. “I will stay in crowded places, and keep my wand close by.”
James laughed. “It will take more then that, my friend. Sirius knows that you have our secret; he just does not know where we are. I am sure he will let you stay with him. Do not leave his side. If you get attacked, Apparate; do not try to fight, understood?”
“Yes, sir,” said Peter. “I have to go now. Thanks for dinner, Lily. I will be back soon…” and he Apparated before they could respond.
It was Halloween night. The other occupants of Godric’s Hollow were out and about. Their children, dressed like ghosts, devils, witches, and even a wizard, avoided that “abandoned cottage” that their parents warned them about.
Inside the cottage, Lily sat with Harry by the fire. James had his wand out and was using it to fire different coloured sparks into the air to entertain Harry. Some took the shapes of goblins, others the shapes of ghosts. Harry gazed at them, pointed to the werewolf, and said, “Doggy.”
“Good job, Harry. That is a doggy,” said Lily. Harry laughed so hard that he slipped of Lily’s lap. She caught him, and started laughing herself. Soon the whole room was filled with laughter. Then there was a knock on the door. James looked out the window to see Peter standing there.
“It’s Peter,” he called to Lily. He crossed the room and opened the door. “Hello, Peter,” he said.
Peter looked up at him. There was a tear in his eye. “I am sorry,” he said.
“What? What did you do? Lily, take Harry and get upstairs!” yelled James. He grabbed Peter by the front of his cloak. “What did you do?”
Peter looked up at him. “I had no choice. He is so strong, I had to tell him.” James threw him against the wall. He ran inside and aimed a Stunner at him, but Peter was already a rat, and then he was gone. All of a sudden, there was a cold laugh from the doorway. “Hello, James. Fancy meeting you here,” said the same cool voice. James slowly turned to find himself face to face with Lord Voldemort. He wore a black cloak. He had a scarred, cat like face with slits for eyes. “Is Lily upstairs, or is she wearing your blasted cloak in this room?” asked Voldemort.
“Get out,” said James, reaching for his wand.
“I don’t think so,” said Voldemort, raising his. He fired a jet of green at James, but James was quick. He turned into a stag and darted out of the way. He then turned back and fired a Stunner at the Dark Lord, who created a silvery shield that blocked it.
“You want to play snake and mouse with me, boy? Go ahead! I will win. Then I will go upstairs, and murder your Mudblood wife, and your son.”
“You will never touch them!” cried James, and he ran at Voldemort, firing a Stunner at him. Voldemort dodged it and fired off a jet of green light at James. It hit him square in the stomach and he fell down. Voldemort gave a cruel laugh and stepped over the body. “Pathetic,” he said, and he moved onto his next prey.
Lily was upstairs, cradling Harry in her arms. She heard the stamping of hooves, the firing of spells, and the thump of a body from upstairs. She let out a cry of anguish, for she knew that James would not be able to defeat the Dark Lord. Then there was the sound of someone creeping up the steps, and he was in the doorway. Lily saw his horrible face, his repulsive eyes, and his shattered soul. “Move out of the way, woman,” said Voldemort.
“No, not Harry, please take me, but not Harry,” cried Lily, taking her son and putting him in the crib behind her, like a child hiding candy from her parent.
“Move out of the way, and I will spare you!”
“No, not Harry, please,”
“One.”
“Please!”
“Two.”
“Not Harry!”
“Three.”
“NO!” Voldemort fired a jet of green. It hit Lily in the face and she fell down, dead. Harry cried. Voldemort laughed and approached the child with his wand poised. He would never make the kill.