Potter cottage

"*The hedge had grown wild in the sixteen years since Hagrid had taken Harry from the rubble that lay scattered amongst the waist-high grass. Most of the cottage was still standing, though entirely covered in the dark ivy and snow, but the right side of the top floor had been blown apart; that, Harry was sure, was where the curse had backfired.*"
— Description

The **Potter Cottage** was the home of the Potter family until the final months of the First Wizarding War. It was a deselect little cottage located in the village of Godric's Hollow. When a prophecy concerning Harry's defeat of Lord Voldemort was foretold, a Fidelius Charm was placed on the home by Albus Dumbledore when the Dark Lord marked the family for death as a result.

On the night of 31 October, 1980, Voldemort showed up to murder them, but was defeated when his Killing Curse meant for Harry rebounded on him and a large portion of the cottage was destroyed. The cottage has thenceforth been undisturbed and left in its ruined state.

## Description

It was known to be a comfortably sized, two story building with a small gate and hedges surrounding the front yard. Harry's bedroom was located on the second floor, close to the staircase in the living room. Harry's bedroom had a Magic Alphabet hanging on the wall. Following Voldemort's attack on the cottage, Harry's room was blown apart by Voldemort's backfiring killing curse. The cottage was left in its ruined state as a testament to the violence of the First Wizarding War, and to the lives lost there.

## Inhabitants

James and his wife Liliana Selwyn-Evans used the house as a hiding place from Lord Voldemort when he marked them and their infant son Harry for death. The small family also had a cat that lived with them at the time. It is unknown what happened to the cat. After James and Liliana were murdered the cottage remained empty, with no one else living in it.

## History

### First Wizarding War

"*The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies....*"
— Sybill Trelawney's first prophecy

After a prophecy was made by Sybill Trelawney concerning the birth of one who would be able to defeat Lord Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore had the Potters go into hiding after being warned of Voldemort's intentions by then-Death Eater Regulus Black.

A Fidelius Charm was placed on the house, with Sirius Black chosen as Secret-Keeper; this meant that the house and its occupants couldn't be found even if Voldemort "had his nose pressed against their sitting-room window". However, a last-minute decision was made to make Albus Dumbledore Secret-Keeper instead, as it was believed he would be less obvious to the Death Eaters. Unfortunately, neither the Potters nor Sirius knew that Dumbledore had in fact betrayed the Order of the Phoenix and turned spy for Voldemort under the Imperius Curse.

#### Murder of the Potters

"*All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Hallowe'en ten years ago. You was just a year old.* "
— Overview of Voldemort entering Godric's Hallow

After learning the whereabouts of the Potter family from Dumbledore, Voldemort travelled to Godric's Hollow on the night of 31 October, 1980. With its magical protections broken, Voldemort was able to find it easily and blasted the front door open, catching its inhabitants off-guard. James, whom had left his wand on the sofa was murdered quickly, trying to defend his family. After Voldemort murdered James he preceded up the stairs to infant Harry's nursery where mother and son were trapped inside.

Cornered in the nursery, Liliana refused to step aside for Voldemort, and was murdered as well, the green light from this act actually lighting up the entire upper floor. When the Dark Lord then attempted to murder the one prophesied to defeat him, the protection laid down by his mother's loving sacrifice caused the Killing Curse to rebound, destroying Voldemort's corporeal body but unfortunately also taking out a significant chunk of the cottage's upper floor. Harry was left with nothing but a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, while Lord Voldemort's powers were temporally destroyed. Henceforth Harry was known as the "Boy Who Lived" and was marked as Lord Voldemort's equal, thus sealing his fate.

#### Aftermath

Dumbledore had placed a charm on the house that alerted him immediately to James and Liliana's deaths. Sirius Black and Rubeus Hagrid discovered Harry still alive inside the ruined house. Hagrid used Sirius' flying motorcycle to deliver the infant to Dumbledore at 4 Privet Drive, while Black went after Dumbledore.

### Second Wizarding War

This house was visited again by Harry on Christmas Eve, 1997, along with Hermione Granger. It had been left in its ruined state and made invisible to Muggles, as a monument to the Potters and to Voldemort's first downfall. By this time, nature had largely reclaimed it with ivy covering most of the surviving portions and the lawn having grown out of control.

Wizard visitors could observe a memorial sign with a message in golden letters explaining this fact. A number of visitors had written on the sign, either signing their names in Everlasting Ink, carving their initials, or leaving messages, including a number addressed directly to Harry Potter expressing their support for him. Hermione initially expressed her discomfort with the graffiti, though Harry found the sixteen years' worth of supportive messages comforting.

It is probable that the house remained in its ruined state after the Second Wizarding War. It is known that Harry Potter and his wife Ginny Weasley did not live in Godric's Hollow after their marriage.