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Chapter 784: The Valley of Godric
Chapter 784: The Valley of Godric
The next morning, the weather was perfect—a pleasant temperature with a gentle breeze carrying the coolness of dew.
The wedding of Lupin and Tonks was not held at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, as some guests were not members of the Order of the Phoenix, and it would not be safe to bring them to the Order's headquarters.
This decision was made out of caution, not a lack of trust.
After discussing it the night before, they had chosen a house that had been vacant for many years in the Valley of Godric.
At five in the morning, they arrived at the location using a Portkey.
Looking at the ordinary-looking house before them, Sirius Black's expression became complicated as he asked, "Moony, are you sure about this?"
"Of course, Padfoot," Lupin said with a smile. "This is the most suitable place, isn't it? And I think Harry will be happy to be back here too. In fact, I'm more worried about you..."
"I'm fine, really," Sirius turned away and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
He understood Lupin's concern as they were standing in the home of the Potters, where James and Lily had lived, and where Voldemort had murdered them.
And it was all because Sirius had foolishly suggested switching secret-keepers.
Ever since he was declared innocent, Sirius had bought this place, though he couldn't quite explain why. Perhaps he simply wanted to keep a memento.
Once, Sirius thought he would never return here, but last night, when they were discussing the wedding venue, he inexplicably blurted out this address, and even after saying it, he didn't realize what he had just suggested.
Thus, St. Kachibor Village was ruled out.
Without hesitation, Lupin decided to hold his wedding at the place where James and Lily had once lived. It was then that Sirius came back to his senses.
But by then, it was too late to take back what he had said.
"You've made all the necessary arrangements, right?" Lupin patted Sirius' shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Yes, it's all taken care of," Sirius said subconsciously. "The Fidelius Charm, and I'm the secret-keeper this time."
"You won't switch again, will you?" Lupin asked with a smile.
"Absolutely not!" Sirius said firmly, as if reassuring himself as much as speaking to Lupin.
Meanwhile, Harry was also staring at the beautiful house before him, lost in thought. Ron had called out to him several times, but he hadn't responded.
"I didn't agree with choosing this place for the wedding," Mrs. Weasley sighed. "They didn't consider Harry's feelings at all."
"I think they did consider Harry," Mr. Weasley said. "Harry is an adult now. There are some things he has to face, things he must face. He can't keep running away from them."
"Why not? He has friends, he has us, he's happy now. Why does he have to be reminded of these terrible memories?"
"Maybe... well..." Mr. Weasley struggled to find the right words to convince his wife.
Fortunately, Harry spoke up and eased the tension.
"It's alright, Mrs. Weasley," he said, his voice thick with emotion, and his eyes glistening. "This is good, really good. I've dreamed of coming here... and I've had that dream for sixteen years."
"Oh, dear," Mrs. Weasley hugged him tightly.
"Now, Molly," said Kingsley as he walked over, "we're pressed for time. The guests will be arriving soon, and we need to get everything ready."
"You're right, we only have two hours left," Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry. "This isn't enough time at all. We really should've come a few hours earlier."
"We had to let the kids rest, and we just got off work ourselves," Mr. Weasley said.
"Alright, let's get started," he called out.
Sirius immediately took out the key and unlocked the door.
One by one, they entered the house, with Harry lingering at the back, feeling apprehensive as he stepped onto the stairs leading to the door.
"Come on, you'll like it here," Sirius said, offering his hand.
Harry took a deep breath, his gaze steeling with determination, and he strode into the room.
The house had a strong musty smell, but Harry didn't mind.
Upon entering, he saw a living room that was slightly larger than their sitting room at the Dursleys', but smaller than number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Nonetheless, it had the same cozy feel.
In front of a light blue sofa was an old-fashioned television, which would have been considered modern over a decade ago.
Next to the sofa was a cabinet with a broomstick inside.
"The Cleansweep Eleven," Lupin said as he walked over and stroked the glass of the cabinet. "An old model now, but back then, it was one of the best. James rode this broom to win the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor."
Harry had always wanted to add one of his own, but he hadn't succeeded yet.
Ever since he started at Hogwarts, Hufflepuff had won the Quidditch Cup every year. The year before he started, Ravenclaw had won, but not counting the year the Triwizard Tournament was held and the Cup was canceled, Hufflepuff had been champions six years in a row.
Harry shook his head, not wanting to dwell on that, and continued to look around.
The carpet, the tables, the chairs, the lamps, the fireplace... everything was unfamiliar, yet he felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if these objects had been hidden in his memory all along, only to be rediscovered today.
Harry wasn't the only one who felt this way; the others also seemed dazed as they entered, but thankfully, someone soon snapped them all back to the task at hand.
"Come on, let's get a move on!" Mr. Weasley clapped his hands. "Don't forget, the guests will be arriving at seven."
His words served as a reminder to everyone.
The house had been unoccupied for over a decade, and without the overlay of memories, there was a lot to be done.
First, the musty smell was overwhelming, and the dust seemed to coat every surface, as if someone had emptied a bag of flour into the room.
The situation here was arguably worse than the first time they had visited number twelve, Grimmauld Place.
"Sirius!" Mrs. Weasley frowned. "You didn't clean this place up at all after buying it?"
Sirius remained silent.
It was obvious that he hadn't. He couldn't even bring himself to come near Godric's Hollow, so how could he possibly have come to clean the place?
"It's fine," Mr. Weasley said. "As long as we hurry, two hours should be enough."
He waved his wand at the table in front of him.
"Windsorcery."
The dust on the table was immediately picked up by a small whirlwind, which carried it out of the house, along with some of the musty smell.
The others followed suit, using the Wind-Making Charm to clean the room.
However, they all tacitly avoided the three-person portrait on the wall, leaving it for Harry.
It depicted a couple, James and Lily, holding a newborn baby who did not yet have the ugly scar on his forehead.
"Cover your faces," Mrs. Weasley said as she walked past Harry, handing a bottle of dark liquid to Ron and Hermione.
They knew what it was—Love Potion, something they wouldn't have expected her to bring.
"This house has been empty for over a decade," Mrs. Weasley said. "Weasels have probably multiplied like crazy. Get a move on, Fred, George. If you keep lazing around, you're going home!"
"Yes, Mum, we'll help..."
"As long as you don't send us away."
"But we can wait a little longer... just three more minutes..."
"We have to show Harry something cool."
Fred and George grinned as they poked their heads down from the upper floor. "Come on up, Harry, there's something you'll definitely like."
Harry tore his gaze away from the portrait and cautiously walked upstairs.
Fred and George stood shoulder to shoulder, and as Harry approached, they simultaneously stepped to the sides, revealing a crib behind them.
"We think this belonged to you..." Fred started.
"...unless you have a younger sister," George continued.
"Or a brother..."
"Or an older sister..."
"But hopefully not a younger brother. Look at Ron, he's been nothing but trouble."
Fred and George chuckled, but Harry, who would usually have smiled, didn't react at all. He simply walked up to the crib, his gaze drawn to it.
The crib had already been cleaned, and it held a soft blue velvet cushion, similar to the sofa's upholstery. Above it hung a shell wind chime.
Harry stared, reaching out to touch it from time to time.
As for Fred and George, they had quietly slipped away and rejoined the others downstairs, where they found Kyle rummaging through something by the curtains.
"What are you looking for?" they asked.
"Love Potion," Kyle replied. "Sniffles loves this stuff, and I thought I'd collect some as a snack for him."
"So, are you saying that if we had a dozen or so Sniffles, we wouldn't need to clean at all?" George asked with a smile.
"They couldn't eat all of this anyway," Kyle said without turning around as he placed the two Sniffles into a specially made box.
Fortunately, the house was smaller than the old Black mansion, and with everyone pitching in, it took them just over an hour to clean the entire place.
However, as they stood in the refreshed and renewed room, Sirius and Lupin found themselves lost in their memories once more.
"Sirius!"
At that moment, Harry rushed downstairs.
"Can I live here after graduation?" he asked eagerly, a shell wind chime in his hand.
Harry had assumed Sirius would agree, but to his surprise, Sirius shook his head firmly.
"No, Harry."
"Why not!" Harry paused, then shouted, "This was my parents' house! Why can't I live here?"
"I'm sorry." Sirius said stiffly, "I can give you anything, whether it's my vault or number twelve, Grimmauld Place, but not this."
"I..."
"Listen to me, Harry."
Harry wanted to say something else, but Sirius put his hand on his shoulder, interrupting him.
"You have your own life, a new life... This place holds our memories." Sirius took a deep breath, "I'm asking you, can you leave it to me?"
Harry fell silent.
This was the first time Sirius had used the word 'ask' with him.
For the past two years, Sirius had been helping him and giving him many things he had never had before. Harry also wanted to do something for Sirius, but he never found the opportunity.
Now the opportunity had finally come, but he couldn't bear to let it go because he, too, was willing to give up everything he had to have this house.
For a moment, the two looked at each other, neither speaking nor yielding.
The others did not speak up either, but quietly left the room.
"Tsk!" Fred stretched his arms and turned to look at the closed room, "Do you guys think Sirius will give this place back to Harry?"
"I think he should." George said, "Like Harry said, this was his parents' home, and he has the right to live here."
"I don't think so." Kyle shook his head, "And I don't agree with Sirius doing this."
"Why not?" George asked curiously.
"Because Sirius made a mistake once," Kyle explained, "If Harry lives here, he will always remember what happened that night, and every moment will become a torment."
"That makes sense." Fred nodded, "I hope he can convince Harry. But I think if Harry insists, he will compromise too."
"Okay, you three." Mrs. Weasley walked over, interrupting their chat.
"Let's leave this decision to them, can you help me with the venue decoration? It's already 6:30, and there's still a lot to do.
"Flowers, balloons, dresses... Oh my, where did Sirius put the dress? I hope he didn't forget to bring it."
"It's with me, Molly." Lupin said, "Don't worry, it's just a witness ceremony."
"That won't do." Mrs. Weasley interrupted him and hurried off to do something else.
Led by Mrs. Weasley, they soon got busy again.
Kyle waved his wand around the house, and every time he tapped the ground with his wand, a cluster of flowers would bloom. In no time, he had created a massive artificial garden.
"This is truly amazing." Mr. Weasley looked at the orchid he had conjured and then at Kyle's garden.
"Looks like I'm being redundant here. You don't need my help after all."
"I told you so." Kyle smiled.
At 6:40, more guests arrived.
Hagrid landed in the garden on his motorcycle.
"Sorry about that." He looked at the flowers he had crushed under his weight, "I thought this was an empty lot."
"It used to be." Mrs. Weasley said, "Now move your motorcycle to the side."
"Okay." Hagrid lifted his motorcycle and jumped to the side, while Kyle followed behind, repairing the spots that had been crushed.
Fred and George conjured many sparkling little fairies that flew around in the air.
Hermione sprayed red and yellow banners from the tip of her wand, which were then held up by the fairies.
"What do these colors mean?" Ginny asked curiously, "I think gold looks nicer."
"Yellow is Hufflepuff's color." Hermione explained, "Tonks graduated from Hufflepuff, if we change it to gold, then it would all be Gryffindor."
"You've thought this through." Ginny said sincerely.
"I don't think they'll fuss over this." Fred whispered, "I guess Tonks would prefer that bubblegum-like pink, just like her hair now."
"We can add that later." Kyle said, "Anyway, we have plenty of space, so we can put up as much as we want."
"Make way, make way..." Mrs. Weasley shouted as she walked over, holding a huge three-layer cake.
It was adorned with various fruits, chocolates, cotton candies, and drenched in a thick layer of syrup.
"Professor Dumbledore should really be here for this wedding." Kyle muttered.
"What did you say?" George asked, as he had been admiring the cake and didn't quite catch Kyle's words.
"Nothing." Kyle shook his head, "I just feel like Professor Dumbledore would have loved this cake."
(End of Chapter)
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