A/N: I don't own any of the Potter universe.
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Harry entered the library stifling a yawn. He had overslept this morning and was a few minutes late for his training session. Saturday was the day that he trained by himself, which he liked because it was the time he felt he could truly gage his growth in dueling. He could see if he could handle himself, without one of his friends fighting alongside him. It had only been a couple of days since the battle in Tom Riddle’s graveyard, but Harry felt invigorated by his and Ron’s victory there and ready to continue his work.
He noticed Remus sitting on the edge of the desk, a sad look in his eyes as he read a piece of parchment. Mad-Eye Moody was sitting behind the desk, scowling at the door. “You’re late, Potter.”
“Sorry, sir--I mean Professor--I mean…” Harry stammered. “I don’t really know what to call you.”
“Call me Mad-Eye,” Moody announced brusquely. “That’s what most of my friends call me. Most of my enemies too, for that matter.” He laughed, and his face twisted into a rather disturbing smile.
Remus looked up from the parchment and smiled at Harry. “Harry, I have some news for you,” he started, the smile fading slightly. “I just received a letter from the Ministry. Now that you are of age, you are the sole owner of Lion’s Watch.”
“Owner of what?” Harry stared at him in confusion. “What in the world is Lion’s Watch?”
“Lion’s Watch is the name of the estate that your parents owned before they died.” The sad expression returned to Remus’s face. “It is in Godric’s Hollow--well, on the outskirts at least. They lived in a small house on the property, but they owned the entire estate, including the main house that’s built there. Now that you’re seventeen, you have come into your full inheritance, so you get the estate.”
“So, can we go there?” Harry asked, not quite sure he understood all of this. He had been planning to go to Godric’s Hollow during the summer but had not had time yet.
“Yes, Harry, I thought we could go this afternoon after training,” Remus replied.
“Can Ron and Hermione go with us?” Harry asked, not really sure if he wanted them there or not. He didn’t know what his reaction to seeing the house that his mother and father had been killed in would be, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted them to see the reaction, whatever it might be.
“We’ll see to all that later,” Remus said, giving Harry’s shoulder a squeeze. “Right now I suggest you prepare to defend yourself.” Remus drew his wand, as did Moody.
“If you say so.” Harry brightened up and the duels began.
An hour and a half later, Remus was on the floor with a bit of blood trickling out of the back of his head. He had hit the corner of the desk when Harry stunned him. Moody was also on the floor, his peg leg lying several feet away from him. Harry had summoned it, and upon catching it, tossed the wooden leg to the side. He now levitated Moody’s wand just out of his reach.
“Are we finished here, Mad-Eye?” he asked with a grin. He was lowering the wand just close enough for Moody to try to grab it and then pulling it out of reach again.
“Yeah, you win, Potter,” Moody snarled. Harry released the wand and it fell into Moody’s hand. He quickly attempted to send a Stunner at Harry, but Harry was too quick for him and fired a Binding Spell at Moody. Black ropes shot from the end of his wand and Moody was bound tightly on the floor.
Harry walked over to Remus. “Enervate,” he whispered, and Remus opened his eyes. “That was cheating, Mad-Eye,” Harry barked at Moody.
“Well of course. You don’t think that Death Eaters will fight fair, do you?”
“No, I suppose not,” Harry replied with a smile. “Remus, let’s go get a cup of tea before we go, and Mrs. Weasley can look at your head.” Harry and Remus walked out of the room. Harry turned slightly at the doorway and gave his wand a subtle flick.
“Harry, wait, are you going to leave me here?” Moody shouted after them.
“Well, Mad-Eye, you wouldn’t expect me to just release a Death Eater, would you?” Harry smirked. Remus snorted as they walked out of the room.
Twenty minutes later, Harry, Remus, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were sitting in the kitchen, each enjoying separate conversations. The door opened, and Moody stomped into the room. Harry and Remus attempted to cover their smirks.
“What took you so long, Mad-Eye?” Harry chortled. “I didn’t leave the ropes too tight, did I?”
Remus was apparently finding it harder to suppress his laughter as he snorted into his cup. Moody simply glared at them.
“What happened?” Ron asked, and the look on his face clearly said he wanted in on the joke.
Harry related the story up to the point when he and Remus had left the room. “But I can’t for the life of me figure out why it took the great Mad-Eye Moody twenty minutes to get out of those ropes.” Harry again was smiling and trying not to burst out in laughter.
“You bloody well know why it took me so long to get out of that room, and it had nothing to do with the bloody ropes,” Moody exploded.
Harry and Remus both lost their battles with themselves and burst into laughter.
“Harry James Potter, if you ever do something like to me again, I’ll…I’ll turn you into something unnatural,” Moody declared, with a small smirk on his face. Harry and Remus laughed harder.
“What did he do to you, Professor Moody?” Hermione asked.
“That prat stuck my peg leg to the floor with a Sticking Charm. A damn strong one too.” Harry and Remus started to laugh again, along with Ron and Ginny. “I was out of the ropes in five minutes but the Sticking Charm was another thing all together. Finally just had to blast the thing out of the floor and then repair it and the floor.” Moody was shaking his head, but the mirth on his face was easy to see.
Finally the group settled down and the conversation could resume. “Harry, when did you do the Sticking Charm? I never heard you say the spell,” Remus questioned, pouring himself another cup of tea.
“When we were walking out,” Harry answered nonchalantly.
“You didn’t say the incantation though. You can do wordless spells now?” Remus inquired.
“Not many of them, but some of the simple things I can do. Abe said that I would be able to do more as my focus grows,” Harry replied, feeling very good about the state of things at the moment.
“Very nice, Harry, remind me not to make you mad, though,” Ginny exclaimed with a grin. Harry blushed slightly, and noticed that she began to blush as well.
“Ahem.” Remus cleared his throat. “Harry, we really should be going if we are going to get back before nightfall.”
“Where are you two off to this morning?” Ron inquired.
Harry felt uneasy. He was still unsure if he wanted his friends to come with him, but since Remus had mentioned it in front of them, he did not know how to tell them they couldn’t come without hurting their feelings. He looked at Remus, who had a small smirk on his face. He did that on purpose, Harry thought. “Remus and I are going to Godric’s Hollow today. He got an owl for me saying that since I’m of age, well, I’ve inherited my family’s house.” Harry trailed off, not knowing how to describe the estate he apparently now owned.
Ron and Hermione watched him expectantly. They seemed to be waiting for the invitation that they hoped would come. “I would like for you all to go with me, if that is all right,” Harry muttered.
“Of course we will, Harry,” Hermione declared, and she got up from the table. “Ron, let’s go get our cloaks.” Ron followed her out the door.
Remus and Moody started to leave the room. “Harry, we will leave in about five minutes. We’ll use a Portkey to get there, because none of you can Apparate to the village, since you have never been there or even seen a picture of it.” Remus declared as he walked out of the kitchen.
Harry stood up, still not really knowing if he wanted to share this return home with anyone else. He started for the door. “Aren’t you coming, Ginny?” He noticed that she had not moved from the table.
“Do you want me to, Harry?” Ginny questioned. “I mean, this is probably going to be pretty emotional for you, and I know that you don’t like showing your emotions in front of people. Remus sort of put you on the spot there when he mentioned it in front of us. My feelings won’t be hurt, though, if you don’t want us to come. Ron and Hermione’s won’t be either.”
How does she know what is in my head all the time? Harry wondered. “No, Ginny, I think I’d like you guys to come. I think this may be something I want to share with you all.” As he said the words, Harry was surprised to realize that he actually meant them. He did want Ginny, Ron and Hermione with him for this.
Ginny broke into a wide smile and walked past Harry, out of the kitchen. Harry caught the smell of fresh-cut flowers and grinned.
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After arriving in Godric’s Hollow just before noon, they walked about a mile out of the village, along a road moving north. It was warm but overcast, and Harry could see the outline of mountains in the distance as they walked. Finally they reached a path that wound its way off to the right, off the main road. They followed the path for several more minutes, then came to a large, black, iron gate. The fence attached to the gate stretched on in both directions, finally being lost in the trees that surrounded the estate.
“Welcome to Lion’s Watch,” Remus said. He tapped the gate with his wand. “Chudley Cannons,” he said and the gate unlocked and swung open.
“Is that the password?” Ron asked in astonishment.
“Yep, has been since 1978,” Remus replied. “James believed that no one would guess that a person as good at Quidditch as he was would have a team as pitiful as the Canons as a password.”
“Oh,” Ron sighed. Everyone else gave short snort of laughter.
They walked into the grounds, down a tree-lined path. The path inside the gate was at least as long as the one outside it. Every few minutes they would pass a small path that led off the main one.
“What are these little paths for?” Ginny inquired.
“They lead to different buildings or houses on the grounds. This one that we are coming to, if I remember correctly, leads to a Quidditch pitch that James’s father had built for him. Your grandfather loved Quidditch probably more than you or James, Harry. He was a Beater for England in the fifties. That’s one of the reasons he and your grandmother didn’t have children until pretty late in life. They were in their late thirties when James was born.” Remus smiled, and Harry could see that he was reliving some very happy memories.
They walked along for a few more minutes, each person lost in their thoughts. Finally they came to a split in the path. “Okay, this way goes to the main house,” Remus indicated, pointing down the left path. “Moody, would you take Ron, Ginny, and Hermione up to the main house with you? I’ll take Harry to James and Lily’s house and then we will meet you there.”
“Wait, why can’t we go with you and Harry?” Ron inquired.
“Ron, we couldn’t see the house even if we went with them. Harry lived there, but the rest of us would have to be told its location by the Secret-Keeper, and we don’t exactly have access to him, now do we?” Hermione explained. There was a slight bitterness in her voice at the mention of the Secret-Keeper.
“Hermione, when did you figure that all out?” Remus asked.
“While we were walking, Professor,” Hermione declared.
“She really is the brightest witch I have ever met,” Moody said, clearly impressed. “You should be thinking of being an Auror; you’d be great to have on an investigation.”
Hermione turned pink and started examining a leaf that she had picked from a tree, before continuing, “But Professor, how is it that you can see the house?”
Remus’ faced darkened considerably as he replied, “I was the test, Hermione. Peter told me the secret to see if the charm had worked. I didn’t realize it at the time, but a few days before James and Lily were killed, Peter told me where the house was. He only mentioned it in passing, but he did tell me. I thought Sirius was the Secret-Keeper, so I didn’t think anything of it. When we realized it was Peter, I came to see if I could find the house. Sure enough, I could see it clear as day. Hagrid and I are the only people that can see the house now, except for Harry.
“We’ll see you in a bit then,” Harry spoke nervously. He and Remus turned to go.
They walked down the path for a few hundred feet and came to the ruins of a red brick house. It was two stories, larger than the house on Privet Drive, and while the first floor seemed mostly intact, the upper floor was almost completely destroyed. Bits of brick and wood were scattered throughout the yard, testament to the explosion that took place on that night sixteen years before. There was a small wood-frame shed just off the left side of the house.
“All right, Harry?” Remus asked. Harry nodded and they walked in.
Harry crossed the threshold and shuddered. He could see the scorch marks and gouges in the walls that indicated spells that had been fired and blocked. Pictures hung on some of the walls; they all looked faded from sixteen years of exposure to the weather. Broken furniture was scattered over most of the living room. Harry noticed a framed picture of his father, mother, Sirius, Remus and Peter all waving to him. It was their graduation photo.
He saw what must have been a bridal portrait of his mother. She was wearing a long white wedding gown and sitting on a chair that almost looked like a throne. He noticed that the portrait didn’t move.
“That portrait was done by a Muggle artist. Lily didn’t like the idea of her portrait having conversations with people. She said it ‘creeped her out,’ so James didn’t have it enchanted to move,” Remus explained, seemingly reading Harry’s thoughts.
They walked on through the house. They found James’s diploma from Hogwarts hanging in the den beside his desk. His broom was sitting in the corner, a pair of gloves and goggles on the table next to it. On the desk was a Golden Snitch. It sat in a box, so that only half of the little gold ball was visible. Harry assumed that would keep it from flying away, and he wondered if perhaps it was the Snitch he’d seen in Snape’s memory.
They moved upstairs, where there was not much to see. The rooms were all but destroyed, so it was impossible to find much of anything. “Remus, what’s in the shed?” Harry asked, seeing it again from the ruined second floor.
“That’s where James used to tinker with his broom. He loved to make little adjustments here and there with it. He always said that when he retired he wanted to build his own broom.”
“What did he do?” Harry questioned.
“Mostly he worked for the Order after we graduated. He kept a small business as a private flying instructor but that was just a cover. I don’t think he ever even had a client. He and Lily became very involved in the war, and being independently wealthy allowed them to do things that some of us weren’t able to do. They traveled a lot, both for pleasure and for the Order.”
They started back down the stairs. Harry caught his reflection in a mirror on the wall over the fireplace. He could see streaks from tears that he hadn’t realized had come and quickly swiped at his eyes to clear them away.
They walked out of the house and started down the path again. “Remus, are they buried here?” Harry inquired.
“Yes, Harry, there is a private cemetery along one of the other paths. Would you like to go visit them?”
“Let’s go the main house first. I think I would like them to meet my friends.”
They walked on in silence until they reached the main house. It was beyond anything Harry could have expected. Harry had seen Buckingham Palace once on a school trip to London, when he was nine; this place was almost as large. There was a fountain in front. “That’s the Gryffindor Lion in the fountain,” Harry commented.
“Yep, the Potters have been in Gryffindor for a very long time, Harry. This house is called Lion’s Keep. It has carried that name for close to 700 years. Of course it has changed a bit in that time. The building has been rebuilt four times over the years. This last version of Lion’s Keep was built in 1689. Your dad told me all about the history of the place when I stayed with him one summer. Bored me to death with the stories, but I acted like I listened. Most of it stuck anyway,” Remus grinned.
“Why didn’t they live here?” Harry asked as they walked up to the mansion.
“Oh, Lily hated this place. Actually, hated is too strong of a word. She loved the history behind it, but she didn’t want to live in it. She thought it was too big and old for her tastes. She had James, Sirius and I build their little brick house the summer they got married.”
Harry didn’t say anything while they walked inside. They entered a huge hall with large rooms off to each side. Harry noticed a piano in one of the rooms and a long, dark, cherry wood dining table in another.
“You know, I don’t think anyone has eaten at that table in thirty years,” Remus commented when Harry looked into the dining room. “We never ate at it, since it was so big and formal. James and Lily liked to eat in the little private dining room off the kitchen.” Remus pointed towards a door in the back of the room. “We spent a lot of nights shooting pool and talking about girls during the summers we spent here. Of course, Sirius spent most of the night talking about the girls. James was too hung up on Lily to have eyes for anyone else.”
As Harry and Remus wandered around the house, Harry could see why his mother had not wanted to live there. It was certainly too big for one couple and far too stuffy. “How did they finally get together?” Harry asked.
“Well, Harry, like I have told you before, James and Sirius both did a lot of growing up between the time you saw in that memory of Snape’s,” Remus spat the name out, “and our seventh year.” Remus closed his eyes as he thought back to those years so long ago. “I think what finally did it though was the Halloween Ball our seventh year. Dumbledore had not allowed a Hogsmead trip that year because Voldemort was gaining in power; instead, the Halloween feast was changed to a ball. James wanted to ask Lily more than I think he ever wanted anything in his life. They were both Head Boy and Girl, so they had gotten to know each other really well.
“Finally James worked up the nerve to ask her, and went to look for her. Sirius and I, being the supportive friends we were, sneaked down to watch him strike out, yet again. He found her in the common room, but she wasn’t alone. There was a small, and, I must admit, not very attractive fourth-year girl sitting on the couch with her. James walked up to them, ready to interrupt, when he noticed that the girl was crying and Lily was scowling.
“‘They said no one would ever want to go the Halloween Ball with me,’ the fourth year sobbed. ‘They said I was too ugly and that no one in their right mind would want to be seen with me.’
“Well, needless to say, Lily was fit to be tied. She was ready to have the entire group of fourth-year girls--that was who had been picking on this little girl--in detention for the rest of the year.
“So James, out of nowhere, stepped up to the couch with this terribly serious look on his face.
“‘All right, Evans?’ he asked.
“‘Not now, James, don’t you see I am trying to help this young lady?’ Lily responded in exasperation.
“‘I can see that. I was wondering if I might have a word?’ James queried. Lily rolled her eyes and grunted. ‘Not with you, Evans; I can talk with you most anytime. I was wondering if I could ask Lucy something.’
“Lily glanced up at James with a bewildered look in her eye, which quickly changed to suspicion. ‘Yes, you may, but I won’t go too far.’ She got up and leaned closer to James. ‘And if you upset her anymore, I will curse you into next year, Potter,’ she whispered.
“James just scowled at her. ‘Of course I won’t do anything to hurt her.’ He took a seat on the couch next to Lucy. ‘Lucy, I was wondering if you would go to the Halloween Ball with me.’
“The jaws of both Lucy the fourth year and Lily dropped.
“So your dad went to the Halloween Ball with Lucy, and Lily went with me. Sirius had two dates, who didn’t know about each other until halfway through the ball. Let’s just say that didn’t end very well. Lily finally saw the compassion in James that she had wanted to see. She’d liked him for a long time, she later admitted to me, but that night was when she fell in love with him. The funny thing was that at the end of the night, Lucy told James that he was just too old for her so they couldn’t see each other anymore. She started dating a fourth-year Ravenclaw boy, I think.”
Harry was stunned. He had always thought it was some grand heroic act that had changed his mum’s mind about his dad. It turned out to be a simple act of kindness. They walked on and finally ran into Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Moody on the third floor, standing in a ballroom.
“Harry, this place is amazing!” Hermione exclaimed. “It is just so big and beautiful. I wouldn’t want to live here, but wow, what a gorgeous house.”
“Yeah, you should rent this place out for parties or something,” Ron said.
The group continued to walk through the many rooms of the house. Remus would tell stories about him, James and Sirius in the various parts of the house they liked to hang out in. On the fourth floor they entered a parlor in which there was a large, tan tapestry hanging on the far wall. It looked very similar to the family tree tapestry in Grimmauld Place. In fact, it was the Potter family tree. Harry looked at it with disgust on his face. Moody must have caught the look.
“Not everyone who has a family tree in their house is into that pureblood nonsense, Harry. Just because a family is proud of its heritage doesn’t mean they think they are better than everyone else, and I’ll thank you to wipe that look off your face. I knew James and Lily, along with James’s mum and dad. No finer family could you find,” Moody stated with a glare.
Harry was stung by the rebuke and quickly blushed scarlet. He walked up to the tapestry and joined Hermione, who had already moved towards it. The family tree was massive, with far too many names to read all at once. He decided that at some point he would come and explore his family heritage, but now was not the time for it.
They spent another couple of hours wandering around the mansion. Harry was impressed that it was so well-kept and suspected that when he inherited the estate he also inherited a house elf or two. He decided to keep this information away from Hermione for as long as possible.
When they stepped out of the house it was nearly four in the afternoon. “Harry, do you still want to visit your parents’ graves?” Remus questioned.
“Yeah, I think so.”
They started walking back down the entry path. Halfway back to the gate, they turned right, down a long path that led into a small cemetery. There were only about a dozen gravestones. Harry shivered at the sight, remembering when he’d been back in the Riddle cemetery only a couple of days before. Remus pointed out which graves belonged to Harry’s parents, and Harry walked over while the others stayed back.
He stood before the gravestones and sank to his knees in front of them. Tears fell from his eyes as he read the markers. He just knelt there for a while, lost in the well of emotions he was feeling.
He didn’t know how long he was there before he spoke. “Hi, mum and dad, I’m home. Sorry I haven’t been here in so long, but life has been pretty crazy for me, though you probably already know that. I wanted to say thank you for taking such good care of me and loving me so much. I know about the prophecy now, and I promise I will do everything I can to beat him.”
“My friends are here. They really liked the big house, but I liked the smaller one. I think when I graduate I may try to fix it up and live there. It would be good to live at home for a while.
“I think you both would like my friends. Ron Weasley is the tall, gangly bloke with the red hair. We’ve been friends since the train ride to Hogwarts our first year. He’s great. Sort of like you and Sirius, dad. I think he reminds me of Sirius a little.
“The girl with the brown hair is my other best friend, Hermione Granger. Everyone says she’s the brightest witch of her age, but I don’t believe them. I think she is the brightest witch of most any age. Mum, I think you would like her because she tries to keep Ron and me out of trouble. She doesn’t always succeed, but she certainly does try. You know how most people have a voice in their heads--like their conscience, and that voice is usually their mothers--well, Hermione’s voice is the voice inside my head. I know it should be you, mum, but, well, I don’t really remember what you sound like. I hope that’s all right.
“The other girl, the one with the red hair, is Ginny. You can probably tell that she is Ron’s sister. I don’t really know what she is to me. I know she is my friend but…” His voice trailed off. “I don’t know. I guess, dad, you were my age when you decided that you loved mum. I wish you were here to tell me how I’m to know that. She’s great though. For some reason I think she and mum have very similar personalities. I think you both would like her a lot.” He fell silent again.
He sat there, tears falling down his cheeks for several more minutes. After a time, he felt a small hand slide onto his the back of his head and down to his right shoulder. He then felt a warm presence on his left. Ginny was kneeling beside him with her arm draped across his shoulders. He looked up quickly and saw her face. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. When their eyes met, her tears began to fall.
Harry quickly moved to wipe his own tears away. He hated showing weakness like this, especially to Ginny.
His hand came to his face and he started to look away from her. She placed her free hand on his to stop him from swiping at the tears. He turned back to her.
“It’s okay, Harry, I won’t tell,” Ginny breathed.
They remained there, kneeling before the gravestones, Harry taking comfort in Ginny’s simple act of kindness. As the sun was setting, they knew they had to leave. They got up and walked back to the group.
“Thanks, Ginny,” Harry said as they walked back down the path.
“You’re welcome, Harry. That’s what I’m here for,” Ginny replied with a small smile.
They reached the gate to Lion’s Watch. Remus relocked it, and Moody took a stick from the ground. He turned it into a Portkey, and they left Godric’s Hollow just as the sun sank behind the mountains in the distance.
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Well I hope that was fun. This is one of my favorite chapters so far. It has also been one that has taken form work then most of the others because of some of the details with the Fidelus Charm. I hope you liked it
Gigantic thanks to my pre betas, cableguysmom and Kerrbear. And even bigger gigantic thanks to my tremendous beta Jenc. If you are looking for a great beta give her a chance, after I finish this story of course.
Coming next, a trip to Diagon Alley, and more Death Eater fun.