章 156: 0155 Potter's Old House
Bryan had known very early on where the old house of the Potter family was located, which was not surprising, considering that this was almost a well-known fact in the wizarding world.
He remembered that when he got admission letter for Hogwarts, eager to learn more about this mysterious world hidden from the Muggles, he had bought a book that had just updated its content, "Important Magical Events of the 20th Century". The book narrated the 'detailed' process of how the 'Boy Who Lived' had defeated the invincible Dark Lord with a single touch of his forehead.
As Bryan gradually learned more about the magical world, he realized that most of the exaggerated records in the book were compiled to highlight the mystery and heroism of the parties involved, but the location of the Potter's old house mentioned in it was still true.
Godric's Hollow - the birthplace of one of the four great founders of Hogwarts, Godric Gryffindor. It was located in the southwest of England, in a vast basin surrounded by rolling hills. Many large and small human villages were scattered inside, most of which were inhabited by both Muggles and wizards, and only a few small and pitiful villages were pure wizarding settlements.
Bryan got off the Muggle bus - he did not choose to take the Knight Bus, which he had tried once before and almost vomited out his bile. Since then, he had developed a psychological trauma towards the thing that Dugald McPhail invented 'ingeniously', which was nothing but a purple nightmare on wheels.
He couldn't apparate either, because Bryan had never been to Godric's Hollow before. The Floo Network was a long-distance travel method that Bryan could accept, but unfortunately, he didn't have any acquaintances here, and there was no public fireplace in Godric's Hollow.
After considering various travel methods, Bryan still took the Hogwarts Express back to London and used Muggle methods to get to the peaceful village on the southwest border.
As soon as he set foot on this legendary historical village, his eyes swept over the clean and tidy streets and the neat houses on both sides of the street. He saw Muggles walking their dogs, chatting with their neighbors, or shopping at the local market. He also saw wizards wearing cloaks or hats, exchanging nods or whispers with each other, or disappearing into hidden alleys or shops. At that moment, Bryan ruled out Godric's Hollow as a possible place to settle down in the future. The reason was simple. The proportion of Muggle villagers living here was much higher than he had imagined. If he settled here, he might as well buy a house in the suburbs of London, where he could at least enjoy some modern conveniences.
Bryan walked forward in Muggle clothes. He wore a pair of jeans, a leather jacket, and a pair of sunglasses. He blended in with the crowd easily, attracting no attention from either side. After a few minutes, he saw the war memorial standing in the center of the village square.
It was a tall and solemn stone monument that commemorated the lives lost in both Muggle and wizarding wars. When Bryan stood under the obelisk, he felt that it changed silently when it sensed a wizard approaching. It turned into a statue of three people - James and Lily Potter holding their baby son Harry in their arms. They looked happy and loving, unaware of the tragedy that would soon befall them.
Bryan looked at the statue silently for a while, shook his head slightly, and sighed softly,
"War–"
It was a word that carried too much pain and sorrow for both worlds.
There were still some places worth visiting in this village, such as the graveyard where many famous wizards were buried, or the house where Bathilda Bagshot lived, but Bryan didn't waste time because of it. He came here with a purpose.
After asking a local wizard about the exact location of the Potter's old house, Bryan quickened his pace towards his destination. He followed the directions given by the friendly old man who ran a small bookstore near the square. He turned left at the corner, crossed a bridge over a stream, passed by a church and a graveyard, and finally reached a narrow street that led to a dead end. Five minutes later, he stood at the end of this journey.
It was a two-story building painted with pure white paint. It looked like an ordinary Muggle house from outside, except for one thing. The right wall of the top floor room was completely blown open by a powerful curse. Through the hole, Bryan could see that there were piles of rubble and dust in that bedroom, where Harry Potter had miraculously survived and Voldemort had met his downfall.
There was a small yard in front of the building that was not very large and full of weeds. Because no one took care of it for years, the fence around the yard was already messy and broken. Even vines climbed all over the entrance gate, forming a natural barrier.
"Will you come back here to pay homage to your old master and see what happened to your former friend?"
Bryan muttered as he stared at the dilapidated building. He pushed aside the green vines blocking his way and stepped into the yard. The moment he did so, he felt traces of magic in the air. He carefully sensed the fluctuations of magic and realized that the Ministry of Magic had cast some kind of repelling curse around the house, preventing curious visitors from entering or disturbing it. It also should be to prevent Muggles and those homeless wild animals.
There were many traces of trampling on the knee-high weeds and nettles in the yard, indicating that many people had visited this place before. On the soft ground, various footprints overlapped each other, forming a chaotic pattern.
Bryan squatted down and studied them for a while. He noticed that some of them were larger and heavier than others, suggesting that they belonged to Muggles who wore boots or shoes. He also saw some smaller and lighter ones, which he guessed were from wizards who wore robes and slippers. He thought for a moment and had an accurate judgment - most of the visitors were Muggles who came to see the 'war memorial', while only a few were wizards who came to pay tribute to the Potters.
He walked towards the house, the one that used to be warm and cozy, but today was already decayed and withered. He stepped on the stairs that creaked under his weight and stood in front of the rusty iron door.
Out of respect, those who came to honor the Potters should not have broken into the house. What made Bryan guess this way was the door handle on the iron door that had completely rusted. It looked like it had not been touched for a long time.
Bryan didn't break into the house right away, but turned his head and looked at a small piece of wasteland a few steps away from the right side of the stairs, under a broken window sill. There, Bryan 'saw' a twisted mass of condensed magic. It was like a knot of invisible threads that tangled together. This phenomenon meant that that piece of wasteland had magic in it - magic that was triggered by something.
Following the magic thread drawn from the twisted magic, Bryan's eyes fell back on the rusted door handle. He thought for a while, and his palm slid over the pocket of his jeans. A ebony wand appeared in his palm. It was smooth and cold.
Dong Dong-
Bryan knocked on the door handle with his wand, making a dull sound. The wasteland under the window sill immediately changed Like some kind of strange and fast-growing flower, a large wooden sign grew out of the soil, followed by a white marble flower stand. This large flower stand was filled with flowers brought by the wizards who came to pay tribute - roses, lilies, orchids, sunflowers, and many more. They were colorful and fragrant, almost drowning the sign engraved with gold letters.
This house, invisible to Muggles, stands as a memorial to Lily and James Potter, who died here on October 31, 1981.
Their son Harry was the only one who survived the killing curse that killed them. He became the Boy Who Lived and the hope of the wizarding world.
This ruin reminds us of the sacrifice they made and the horror they faced.
Bryan glanced over the neat handwriting, reading the messages of various styles and messy handwriting on the sign. Some were simple condolences, some were heartfelt thanks, some were expressions of admiration or curiosity. Unconsciously, a smile appeared on his lips,
"Potter has always lived in his aunt's house and probably never returned to where he was born. I wonder what he would think if he saw these blessings."
A warm breeze brushed his cheek, lifting the strands of gray hair that covered his forehead. Bryan lowered his eyelids, restrained his smile, and his eyes became deep,
"The fate of being destined to be a hero is very heavy, Potter. I don't know if you can bear it–"
In the first half of the year, Bryan stayed at Hogwarts for more than three months. This not long and not short period of time still allowed Bryan to see through some things.
On the surface, Dumbledore seemed to have no special care for Potter, but Bryan could perceive that this old wizard with a bellyful of thoughts cared more about Harry than any other young wizard in the school. He treated him as more than just a student or a weapon against Voldemort.
On the night when the Chamber of Secrets incident ended, he and Dumbledore were about to explore the passage behind the Slytherin statue together, they had a small argument about Harry's participation in it.
Dumbledore almost instinctively refused to let Harry participate in the exploration. He thought it was too dangerous for him, while Bryan believed that young people needed more opportunities to learn from experience. But actually, did Dumbledore, who had lived so long could not see this simple truth?
Of course he could, but his affection for Harry clouded his judgment.
If he always had this attitude towards cultivating Harry, hoping that he could shoulder the responsibility of defeating Voldemort in the future - then Bryan didn't think highly of this kind of education method.
It was because of this disapproval that some time ago, during the summer vacation, he agreed to Harry's request to take him to the underworld for a stroll. The underworld was a hidden and dangerous place in the magical world, where many dark and illegal activities took place. The purpose was to let Harry, who was well protected by Dumbledore, see the dark side of the magical world with his own eyes and temper his mind.
Bryan wanted Harry to be aware of the threats and enemies that lurked in the shadows, to be prepared for the worst scenarios, to be brave and cunning.
It's not that Bryan wanted to interfere with Harry's growth, but he wanted to increase their chances of winning. If it was true that defeating Voldemort was the mission that this world imposed on Harry Potter - then Bryan would have to help him achieve it.
After all, a relatively stable and orderly magical world was also what he pursued.
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Author's Note: Iam Sorry, The draft chapters were exchanged when i was sick and i didnot pay attention while uploading that at the time. The chapter named Black's attack was a future chapter about 5-6 chapter ahead.
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