A Tale of Two Brothers

Chapter 14

Sirius arrived at Godric's Hollow a few minutes later.

James and Lily were alive. So were their two children.

Jason was in the crib, unconscious with a lightning bolt mark on his forehead which was bleeding slightly. Sirius had panicked when he couldn't find Harry but thankfully, he found the little boy unconscious inside a cupboard in the corner of the room. There were no signs of injuries on both of them (aside from Jason's scar), just magical exhaustion.

The Marauders lost one of its members that night.

There was no sign of Peter Pettigrew. The man was soon forgotten in the midst of the chaos, by everyone but those who knew him too well and were betrayed.

Lord Voldemort was proclaimed to be dead.

They could not find his body though.

The aurors had caught every Death Eater, raided their houses, even those who were remotely associated with the defeated Dark Lord, but still there was no dead body found. The world was just too eager to leave the past behind and so they ended up not looking deeper into it. Every investigation was suspended after a few weeks, letting the aurors celebrate with their families too.

While the whole of magical Britain was in an joyous uproar, Sirius, Remus and Regulus stayed quietly beside their friends in the hospital.

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Harry flinched when he heard the sound of the door bang as Bill and Charlie entered his room, hands full of home-made chocolates and cards.

The high-pitched cackle resounded throughout the room.

They jumped around in the room, telling him everything about what was happening outside the hospital room. Everyone was celebrating, they said.

"There are parades, Harry! Parades! People dress up and sing and dance!"

"And Bartley's Toy Shops gave out free toys to everyone for two days! Free toys for two days!"

"Yes! We even grabbed a few for you and Jason."

Charlie deposited a huge bag on his bed, beaming at him.

"Stay inside. No matter what." The hand pushed him back into the darkness.

Harry gave everything into the smile he returned.

His two friends kept talking non-stop for a long time, which was good. He did not want to talk. Harry wanted to hide back in that cupboard. He was ashamed to even think that.

"What do you think they'll say when they'll come to know that you let me kill your brother, Potter?"

"Bill! Charlie! Give the poor boy a break!" Molly entered the room, her hands full of flowers. "Hello, Harry dear." She gave him a long hug and a kiss on his forehead, not noticing how he stilled at her touch.

She told him some of her own tales from the outside world. Arthur joined in after some time with Percy, the twins and the new little red head in his arms.

They talked and talked, the children babbled and babbled, keeping the voices out of his mind.

The intercom rang, making the Weasleys look up.

"Ah, your parents are here. Well, goodbye, Harry. And take care, dear. We'll meet you soon."

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"How is he doing?" Regulus asked when the Potters returned.

Harry was still at St. Mungos, while the rest of the family was discharged. The older boy's magic had depleted a lot more compared to the others. According to the Healers, it was a common thing to happen to children of his age in very stressful situations and Harry would be discharged by the next week.