The Road to Godric's Hollow

27 July 1980

Giants, Dementors Attack Wizarding Britain;

83 Casualties, 162 Injuries Reported

On midday yesterday, several groups of giants and dementors simultaneously attacked various locations in wizarding Britain. Both creatures are known to be supporters of the wizard known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or You-Know-Who.

A dozen giants besieged the village of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Substantial damage was inflicted upon the village, mostly on residential areas. Twenty-eight people perished, while sixty-four were injured. The school, protected by numerous powerful wards, proved impenetrable for the giants.

More than fifty dementors were estimated to have attacked Diagon Alley and St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The wizarding community, ill-prepared for such an attack, proved easy prey for the dementors. The hardest hit area was Diagon Alley. The commercial area was crowded with shoppers, all of which became easy-targets for the dementors. Diagon Alley was also severely lacking in security, with the creatures freely able to come-and-go as they please. The area reported a total number of thirty-three casualties, all of whom were given the Dementor's Kiss, and a total of fifty-two injuries.

St. Mungo's wards were unable to defend against the attack of the dementors. Investigations on how they were able to obtain access to the hospital are currently being conducted. Suspicions regarding an inside accomplice are abound. The hospital reported a total of twenty-two casualties.

In response to criticisms to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement regarding the late deployment of Aurors and Hit Wizards, Bartemius Crouch Sr. stated, "My department did everything it can, given the time constraints and the lack in resources."

***

James Potter folded up today's edition of the Daily Prophet, placing it on top of the growing stack of newspapers in their living room. The sun had set in the few minutes it took him to read the headline. Dancing shadows cast by the trees surrounding their home now bathed the room. He stood up to flick the light switch near the door and the room was immediately flooded with white light, blinding him temporarily. He closed his eyes and waited for the stinging red spots to disappear.

Electricity fascinated him. It amazed him how muggles were able to get by without magic by harnessing nature. It stung his pride to admit, but sometimes muggles were significantly more knowledgeable than wizards. They had to be, if they wanted to survive in this harsh world. True, wizards had it easier for the past few millennia. For them, almost every predicament could be resolved with just a flick of his wand and a simple incantation. Wizards were also physically superior to muggles, being immune to more diseases and having increased stamina. But now it seems that the muggles have unknowingly caught up to their magical brethren. The variety of muggle inventions simply astounded him. It seems as if muggles have a gadget for everything: for cooking, for travelling, for entertainment, for anything.

He was very sceptical when Lily first broached the idea of living like muggles. True, there was some wisdom in it. That way, their neighbours would have less ground for suspicion. It took him a while to get used to all the buttons, switches, plugs, knobs, and whatnot. Now, he saw the novelty in every single appliance. Everyday he had to resist the urge of just taking the television apart, in the hope of gaining some insight into its inner workings.

Though he still wouldn't trade magic for anything. What good is a car when there are a dozen Hungarian Horntails charging after you?

James glanced at his wristwatch. It was now six minutes after five.

"Lily! We're going to be late," he called out to his wife.

"Just a sec, I'm almost done," came the muffled reply.

He moved to stand at the bottom of the stairs, prepared to help his wife get down. A few seconds later, Lily appeared at the top of the steps. He felt a flush of pride at the sight of her swollen belly. He began to ascend the stairs, poised to assist her.

"No, I'm okay," Lily told him. She motioned for him to remain where he was.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm pregnant, not lame," she retorted.

James watched as she gingerly made her descent, her face scrunched up in concentration. He loved the way she looked every time she made that face. He adored the way her eyebrows bunched together and the way she softly bit her lower lip.

Lily looked up and caught James' gaze. "Do I have something on my face?" she teased, a gentle smile grazing her lips.

"Nope. All perfect," he softly replied.

He led her through the darkened hallways into their kitchen, making sure that she doesn't stumble or run into any sharp corners. He flicked on the lights in the kitchen, bathing them in a sea of light.

"Are we going to floo there?" Lily inquired while inspecting the sooty fireplace.

"Not tonight. Albus didn't want to risk it, in case the network was being watched. He sent this portkey, which activates at half past five," he gestured towards a battered telephone directory, resting on top of the table.

Lily glanced at the clock on top of the mantelpiece. "We have five minutes, then."

James helped her sit on the kitchen table. He went to sit next to her, with the portkey situated between them.

"Did Alastor mention why we're meeting today?" Lily asked softly.

He paused slightly, looking past the windows into the street. He could see their neighbour's children playing in the middle of the road, indifferent to other pedestrians and to the passing cars. Even with the windows closed, he could still hear their laughter.

"No. He hasn't been telling me much lately. In fact, Alastor and Albus have hardly been telling anyone anything these past few months," he replied.

"What about Frank? Have you heard from him?" she inquired.

"Nope, still no word. All I know is that they've left Blackpool, but nobody knows where they went."

James stood up. "Come on, it's almost time."

They both held on to the directory. Soon he felt that familiar yet unpleasant tug on his abdomen. He closed his eyes, and waited for the inevitable and sudden halt. After what felt like eternity, though it couldn't have been more than a minute, he felt the world stop spinning.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of a familiar hall. The Great Hall looked smaller tonight, perhaps because of its emptiness. In place of the four House tables was a smaller one, located at the centre of the room. Instead of raucous laughter and young voices alive in conversation, soft tones and muted footsteps reverberated through the hall. James looked up to the enchanted ceiling, and saw the faint twinkling of the stars amid the darkening sky.

"James! What took you so long? We've been here for over an hour now," said a man from behind him.

James turned to face the grinning faces of Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. He grinned in return, striding forward to speak with his friends.

"What were you doing here so early? The meeting is not 'til 6," he inquired.

Sirius shrugged. "Don't know. The portkey that Moody gave us activated at 4, so we've been here ever since."

Peter gave an impish grin. "We've been doing some exploring, anyhow. We've spent about an hour wandering the halls. I reckon we've almost found the professors' dorms."

"And we would have, if our friend Wormtail here wasn't so afraid of the dark and silent corridors," Sirius added, laughing at the embarrassed tint in Peter's face.

James laughed at his friends' antics. While Sirius continued to rib Peter about his phobias, James took the opportunity to survey the hall. Nearly every member of the Order was there. Sturgis Podmore, Rubeus Hagrid, Benjy Fenwick and the Prewett brothers were having a lively talk near the fireplace. Elphias Doge, Minerva McGonagall and Dedalus Diggle were already seated at the table and absorbed in their conversation. Emmeline Vance and Dorcas Meadows were both helping Lily into a chair.

James turned his attention back to his friends in time to hear Sirius tease Peter on his fear of cats. Peter was fortunately saved from more teasing by the entrance of Albus Dumbledore, Edgar Bones and Alastor Moody.

"If everyone would please take a seat, that we may begin," stated the wizened Headmaster.

Feeling like schoolboys again, James and his friends took their places at the table. He watched as his former Headmaster took his place at the head of the table. A tense silence befell the Hall.

James held his breath in both anticipation and excitement. He always felt a tinge, no a burst, of excitement every time Order met. He felt the same thing every time he went on missions for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He couldn't explain exactly why he felt so excited. It was the same sort of excitement he felt every time he played Quidditch. It was as if he couldn't wait to get out there. Not that he was treating this war like a game, far from it. It was hard to explain; he just knew that his work gave him the same sense of accomplishment that Quidditch did. In the Quidditch pitch, after winning a game, the spectators hailed him a hero. In this war, after subduing a Death Eater or rescuing someone, the whole community hailed him a hero. Not that he was letting this get to his head, far from it. His role in the war gave him a sense of purpose. It gave him a sense of identity. In the Quidditch pitch, his focus was on himself. In this war, his focus was on something greater than him. And this made him feel more alive than anything else.

A soft cough broke his reverie. He guiltily looked at Albus, who has already started to speak.

"...Yesterday was truly surprising, though not unexpected. Fortunately for us, Hogwarts is protected against such an assault. Though I regret that we weren't able to gather enough information to warn the community. I was only aware of a massive attack, though the logistics of it eluded me," the old wizard stated.

"Why was Hogwarts attacked? St. Mungo's and Diagon Alley I understand, but Hogwarts during the holidays?" questioned Sturgis.

"First, because of the prestige it would give Him. Hogwarts is the strongest structure in wizarding Britain and the bastion of Albus Dumbledore. Destroying it will show how powerful He supposedly is. Second, with Hogwarts gone, a whole generation of wizards will be left uneducated, or at least lacking in education. They will be left defenceless against Him, thus they will be easy pickings for Him. Third, since Hogwarts is one of the few schools that still accept Muggleborns, destroying it will prevent their entry into the magical community," Alastor Moody answered.

Albus nodded. "Yes, the destruction of Hogwarts is one of Voldemort's goals. In line with this, the wards will be strengthened ere the start of the next term."

Dorcas was the next to speak up. "What about the issue of the giants and the dementors? What is being done to address this problem? Besides, they aren't the only creatures loyal to You-Know-Who."

"I say we launch an attack on the giant colonies in the mountains, wipe them all out before they can do any more harm," answered Benjy.

Hagrid bristled at this, his face reddening underneath his beard. "Now, yer outta line an' being too hasty. There's no need fer that kind of action."

"Won't the Ministry try to talk with them? Maybe send an envoy to the colonies, hear their side?" Lily asked.

Albus sighed softly, looking tired and weary. "The Ministry has neither the resources nor the prudence to conduct such talks. And it is doubtful whether the giants will heed us, if we do attempt to have a discussion with them. Moving on to the next order of business, I think that Minerva has something to report to us."

The Scot cleared her throat before launching into her speech. "Yes. As most of you know, I recently went to America to seek the support of our colleagues there in this war. Unfortunately, the majority of them see the war as 'nothing more than a local insurrection.' They will not act unless their homeland is directly threatened," the matron finished, disappointment evident in her tone.

James perked up. "Majority of them? How about the rest of them, then?"

The elder woman looked tired. "They are too scared of taking a stand, actively or otherwise. They don't want to force unwanted attention into themselves."

"While that news is certainly distressing, it is what I expected. We would have to increase our efforts in uniting Europe, and bringing others into our cause. Next order of business..."

Albus' statement was interrupted by the appearance of a black barn owl, which was sailing towards him. It dropped a single roll of parchment into the bearded man's lap. James watched curiously as Albus silently read the letter. A slow, almost pensieve smile broke over the old man's lips.

"Alice Longbottom has just given birth to a healthy boy."

***

Dusk was falling. Various animals were returning to their habitats, eager for rest. Night predators were starting to wake from their slumber, eager to satisfy their hunger. Hardly anything could be seen roaming the forest.

The old wooden house in the midst of the trees stood out in contrast to its surroundings. Its interior was bathed in light, and served as a beacon in the void created by the trees. Despite its allure in this bleak night, the creatures of the forest knew better than to heed its call. Every living thing in the forest knew that the old house in the middle of the trees was to be avoided, especially at night, especially on this night.

No more than ten paces across, the small dwelling appeared dilapidated and abandoned. The paint was peeling in a dozen places, and the roof looked about ready to collapse. The interior was as bleak as the exterior. The house was completely devoid of any furniture save for the various boxes scattered around. Lit candles were resting atop the boxes, casting eerie shadows on the bare walls.

A young man sat near the window, staring past the trees into the summer sky. Remus Lupin was alone tonight, with no friends to keep him company. He was sorely tempted to go out of the house, to run out into the woods, but he couldn't risk it. He wouldn't risk it.

He missed the company of his friends. He longed for their old adventures. How he wanted to run around, without a care in the world, knowing that the Marauders were there to keep him in line. But they weren't there anymore, and he would have to keep himself in line tonight.

A part of him was glad for the solitude. Tonight he could just become the wolf, he could become Moony, without any shame or fear. Tonight he wouldn't have to worry about doing something wrong. Tonight he wouldn't need to try to fit in. He could just be himself and release the fury that was bottled within.

The transformations were painful, but what he couldn't take the most was the aching need to vent out the rage and fury within him. This anger, which remained dormant during the rest of the month, was like an active volcano threatening to immerse him in burning lava during the nights of the full moon. It was destructive yet beautiful at the same time. It made him want to lash out, to tear flesh, and to howl out all his frustrations into the brilliant orb in the sky.

But even in the solitude of this house, in the darkness of the woods, he wouldn't let himself go. This is why every month, whenever the Marauders couldn't be with him, he would lock himself in this deserted forest. He would be a prisoner in this house. He would become his own jailer.

Sensing that the time was near, he stood up and quickly extinguished the lights. Resigned to his fate, he stood by the window to gaze into the sky.