Complete and Utter Poppycock

Chapter 13: Bathilda's Secret

Chapter 13: Bathilda's Secret

"Guys, stop."  said Hermione.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

We had just reached the grave of the unknown Abbott. 

"There's someone there. Someone's watching us. I can tell. There, by the bushes."

We stood quite still, holding on to each other, gazing at the deep black boundary of the graveyard. I couldn't see anything. But, I could feel it in my stomach. I wasn't so sure of this.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"I saw something move, I could have sworn I did. . ."

She broke from us to free her wand arm.

"We look like muggles," Harry pointed out.

"Muggles who've just been laying flowers on your parents' grave! I'm sure there's someone over there!"

I heard a rustle and saw a little eddy of dislodged snow in the bush.

"It's a cat," said Harry, "or a bird. If it was a Death Eater we'd be dead by now. But let's get out of here, and we can put the Cloak back on."

We glanced back repeatedly as we made our way to the gate. My stomach was tied in knots. We pulled the Invisibility Cloak on once we exited through the gates. Hermione pulled us down a dark street out of the village. We walked quickly as we dared when we past through the houses.

"How are we going to find Bathilda's house?" asked Hermione who was shivering a little. "Harry? What do you think? Harry?" She tugged at his arm, but he wasn't paying attention. He was looking toward the dark mass that stood at the very end of this row of houses. Next moment he sped up, dragging us with him.

"Harry —"

"Look. . . Look at it."

It was the cottage. Most of it was still standing, but the right side of it was blown apart.

"I wonder why nobody's ever rebuilt it?" whispered Hermione.

"Maybe you can't rebuilt it?" Harry replied. "Maybe it's like the injuries from Dark Magic and you can't repair the damage?" He slipped a hand from under the cloak and grasped onto the gate.

"Are you not going inside? Wait — what's that — look!" I said, pointing at a sign that had risen up from the ground. It said:

On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever to have survived the Killing Curse. This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family.

All around the neatly written words were scribbles wizards and witches wrote upon. Some merely signed their names in the graffiti while others wrote messages.

"They shouldn't have written on the sign!" Hermione said, indignant. But Harry beamed.

"It's brilliant. I'm glad they did. I. . ."

But he broke off. I turned to look where he was staring, which was an old woman hobbling towards us. She came to a halt a few yards in front of us and stood in the middle of the frozen road. She raised a gloved hand and beckoned.

"How does she know?" Hermione asked, shocked that this woman knew we were right here. Harry shook his head. The woman beckoned again more vigorously.

"Are you Bathilda?" Harry spoke, causing Hermione to gasp and jump. She nodded and beckoned again. We all looked at each other. Harry raises his eyebrows, Hermione gave a tiny nod. I was shaking my head no.