It was a chilly, grey afternoon in Godric's Hollow, the sky heavy with soft and rolling clouds over the village. The streets were quiet, the old stones of the cottages holding memories of generations, of laughter, of grief, and of the night when two young parents gave their lives for their son.
Harry stood next to Remus, clutching the sleeve of his jacket lightly, his green eyes wide as he looked around. He had never been here before.
This is the place where his parents and him used to lived from what he's told.
Sirius stood a few steps ahead, his dark hair tied back, looking around the village with unreadable eyes, hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket, the collar turned up against the wind. His posture was stiff, the lines of grief and guilt etched into every shadow of his face.
If only he had common sense, He wouldn't had chase after that fucking rat. But, he was angry, mad, and wanted to murder Peter. His rage put him in Azkaban.
He was so fucking stupid.
The quiet was broken by a sudden pop startling them, Johnny stepped forward, steadying himself as Tony appeared beside him, staggering slightly, clutching the soot-smudged candle.
"I'm never getting used to traveling by candle," Tony grumbled, handing candle over Remus. "Hold this for me" Then he pull Harry into a hug. "What's up, shorty?"
Harry giggles and hugs him back. "Hey Tony"
Tony ruffles his hair. "That old fossil isn't giving you any problems is he?"
"No, he isn't. No one is"
"Good, good, Let me know and I blast him"
"Tony!"
Sirius spoke up. "I join you"
Remus looks amused. "Me too"
Johnny grin. "Me three, just don't shoot at me if I take the lead" Then he spoke to Harry. "Ready, kid? Nervous?"
Harry nodded, though he swallowed hard and pull back from the hug but hold Tony's hand.
Sirius finally turned, walking back to them, his expression caught between relief and sadness as he clapped a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Glad you made it."
"Wouldn't miss it." Tony said, his eyes flickering briefly to Sirius, then to the old village around them, taking in the quaint houses, the war memorial that turned into the wizard memorial as they approached, and finally the old graveyard behind the small, ivy-covered church. "The place looks spooky... It didn't got clean up at all"
"They wasn't allowed to... And well only the owner of property could do something..." Sirius glance at Harry before looking at the Iron gates. "And they couldn't seize this place.
..." He had a feeling they might have tried to.
Johnny stop. "I stay here. Go ahead"
"Eh? You sure?"
"Positive, someone has to take the guard duty, no matter what place is this"
"Fair enough, protect us, Oh, fairy Godmother"
"Sure, peasant"
The iron gate creaked as Remus pushed it open, leading them inside. The air smelled of damp earth and grass, the faint tang of old magic clinging to the stones. Birds chirped softly in the distance, a comforting backdrop to the heaviness of the moment.
They passed rows of headstones, names and dates worn with time, until Remus stopped before a simple two white headstone.
James Potter.
Lily Potter.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. It was written on Jame's grave.
Harry stared, frozen, his breath caught in his throat. He reached out with trembling fingers to trace the letters of their names, tears gathering in his eyes.
Tony placed a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder, grounding him, letting him know he wasn't alone.
Sirius stepped forward, his eyes glinting with unshed tears, his voice rough as he said softly, "Hey Prongs, Lily… We're here. We brought Harry. He's… he's grown so much." His voice broke, and he turned away for a moment, covering his mouth with a shaking hand.
Fuck, it's all his fault. If only Sirius didn't made this idea of switching places and don't go after Peter, stay behind and held Harry instead of handing him over to the giant.
Remus pulled a small bouquet of white lilies and left them on the grave, his expression soft but grieving and stand close to Sirius, wrap his arm around his shoulder pull him close to comfort him.
Harry knelt down, blinking tears away. "Hi Mum… Dad… It's me, Harry." His voice was barely a whisper, but everyone heard it. "I'm sorry I never came before. I didn't know where you were. But I'm here now... I... I don't know what to say... I uh... I am in Griffydore... I am a seeker in Quidditch... I like it a lot... Well it's more about flying but game too... I have two friends... Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, they are good friends of mine..."
Harry became quiet, he truly have no idea what to say, He wish he could knew them. Meet them. Hug them. He heard stories about Dad from Sirius and Remus, There is mom too however it's not enough.
Tony crouched beside Harry, his own eyes wet, though he smiled softly. "They'd be so proud of you, Harry. They are proud of you."
Harry wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, looking at Tony, then at Sirius and Remus, seeing the raw grief on their faces, but also the love and pride.
Sirius finally spoke again, his voice stronger now, "We're going to keep you safe, Harry. That's what they'd want. You're not alone anymore." Then he paused and said "And I swear, I know you can take care of yourself however please lay on us too... We are adults and we want you to be a kid. Be yourself. Leave the mess to us adults, okay?"
Harry nodded, although he cannot promise that. Danger comes to him, He can't avoid it.
They stood there for a long time, letting Harry have his moment, letting Sirius and Remus say their quiet words to their fallen friends.
Eventually, Tony took noted of time and squeeze Harry's shoulder. "Ready?" Tony asked gently.
"Yeah… I'm ready."
Sirius ruffled Harry's hair. "Let's go"
They left the graveyard together, stepping back into the village, Harry glanced back once, at the headstones of his parents, and whispered softly, "Love you." Then he turn away and follows them out.
Not looking back.
————
Tony's fingers ghosted over the charred wood of the nursery door. The faint smell of old soot and stale air hung heavy in the broken remains of the Potters' home. "This is where she was found...? And harry?"
Beside him, Sirius stood at the threshold too, hands shoved into his coat pockets, eyes shadowed with memories and grief that clung like dust to the walls. The two men looked into the small, ruined room. Pale moon light from the broken ceiling window fell across scorched floorboards and the faint outline of a faded mural — clouds, broomsticks, a stag and doe painted in softer, gentler days.
Tony broke the silence first, voice softer than usual, "Who wrote that line? On the headstone. 'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.'"
Sirius' eyes flicked to him. "It's from the Bible, actually. Corinthians. James chose it. He always had this big idea about… hope, I suppose. Or maybe defiance." His lips twitched, not quite a smile. "Typical Potter stubbornness."
Tony huffed a breath of dry amusement, staring at the little crib that was now only half there — the other half eaten by the explosion all those years ago. "He passed it on well enough."
Downstairs, they could hear Remus' calm, warm voice explaining something to Harry, who occasionally asked a question so quiet it was almost apologetic. Johnny said something that made Harry laugh — a sound so light in this heavy ruin that it almost hurt.
Tony leaned against the wall, arms folded, brow furrowed in thought. "You ever wonder," he said, voice low, "how he survived it? The killing curse? Physics says —"
"Magic doesn't care about your physics, Tony" Sirius interrupted, but there was no bite in it. He stepped fully into the nursery, toeing aside a broken toy. His voice dropped. "We all wondered. Lily's sacrifice — old magic, ancient stuff. Love that binds. She put herself between him and death and that's not something even the Dark Lord could break."
Tony scoffed lightly, shaking his head. "Love as a shield. We could use more of that."
Sirius snorted. "Try explaining that to the Wizengamot." He wandered to a dusty corner, squatting down to pick up a scorched frame — glass long gone, the photo of Lily, James and Harry altogether. A family photo. Sirius brushed it with his thumb, eyes distant.
Tony watched him, then asked, almost as if to steer them from the edge of old grief, "You mentioned vaults — you think everything they owned ended up there?"
Sirius stood, sighing as he set the broken frame gently back down. "Probably. Most of the Potters' heirlooms were kept safe by tradition. They were old families, you know? The cloak, for one — the Invisibility Cloak. Been in the family for centuries, passed down father to son."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Wait — the cloak? Invisible?"
"Oh, it's real." Sirius smiled faintly, something conspiratorial sparking in his tired eyes. "James used it to sneak around half of Hogwarts — and half of Hogsmeade. Probably the only reason I didn't get expelled half a dozen times more. Oh and the map... Merlin, I missed that map. It saved us a lot from detentions"
Tony chuckled at that, trying to picture a teenage Sirius and James, unstoppable pranksters in an ancient magical heirloom. "So Harry might have it? The invisible cloak?"
Sirius shrugged. "If Dumbledore didn't keep it. He borrowed it once, but who knows if he gave it back before…" His voice trailed off as they both looked around the broken little room — the walls cracked and blistered, the echoes of lullabies that would never be sung here again.
Tony straightened, pushing away from the wall. "We'll check with the goblins. If it's in the vault, we'll get it for him. He should have it. It's his. And Dumbledore shouldn't have that, it's not his"
Sirius gave a short nod, his eyes flicking around the nursery one last time, lingering on the spot where a baby boy had once slept safely between two people who would've died a thousand deaths for him. And did.
They turned to leave the room — Tony pausing at the door, glancing back once. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death," he murmured again, softer this time. Then he looked at Sirius with a lopsided grin, something defiant in his own right. "Guess we'll just keep fighting, huh?"
Sirius barked a soft laugh, clapped him on the shoulder, and together they stepped out, back down to join Harry — to give him whatever pieces of the past they could still salvage, and to promise him a future that wouldn't crumble so easily.
Meanwhile, A Dark lord has escaped it's prison.