Potter cottage

Potter cottage
Location information
Location	Godric's Hollow, West Country, England
Owner(s)	James Potter Lily Potter née Evans
Permanent residents	James Potter Lily Potter née Evans Harry Potter A pet cat
Affiliation	Potter Family Order of the Phoenix

This cottage was the home of James, Lily, and Harry Potter from the late 1970's to October 31st, 1981 when Lord Voldemort murdered Harry's parents and destroyed a large portion of the house.

After the Prophecy is made

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 Severus Snape. A Fidelius Charm was placed on the house, with Sirius Black chosen as Secret-Keeper. However, a last-minute decision was made to make Peter Pettigrew Secret-Keeper instead, as it was believed he would be less obvious to the Death Eaters. Unfortunately, neither the Potters nor Sirius knew that Pettigrew had in fact betrayed the Order of the Phoenix and turned spy for Voldemort.

Lord Voldemort

Voldemort attempting to kill infant Harry Potter

On 31 October, 1981, Voldemort travelled to Godric's Hollow and entered the Potter home, catching its inhabitants off-guard. James was murdered quickly, while Lily fled upstairs with Harry. Cornered in the nursery, Lily refused to step aside for Voldemort, and was killed as well. When the Dark Lord then attempted to murder the one prophesised to defeat him, the protection laid down by his mother's sacrifice caused the Killing Curse to rebound, resulting in an explosion that destroyed Voldemort's body along with a significant portion of the house.

Rubeus Hagrid and 4 Privet Drive

Dumbledore had placed a charm on the house that alerted him immediately to James and Lily'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 Pettigrew.

1997-1998

Harry and Hermione outside the ruined Potter Cottage in 1997.

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. After the Second Wizarding War, it is unknown what happened to it.

Behind the scenes

• The Potter cottage that appears in the film version of Philosopher's Stone during Hagrid's conversation with Harry in the Leaky Cauldron, and the Potter cottage that appears in Deathly Hallows: Part 1 during Harry and Hermione's visit to Godric's Hollow appear to have different styles and designs. One possible reason for this is that a lot of the first film was shot on location, whereas a lot of the subsequent instalments were created on sound stages. It is interesting to note however that the cottages bear similarities to Church Cottage, where Rowling grew up and Killichassie house.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Appears in flashback(s))
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Appears in flashback(s))