The Potter family's home was a cottage located in the wizarding village of Godric's Hollow. Prior to 1981, it was the residence of James and Lily Potter and their infant son, Harry. To protect themselves from Lord Voldemort, the Potter family went into hiding at the house, which was protected by the powerful Fidelius Charm. Their Secret-Keeper, Peter Pettigrew, betrayed their location to Voldemort. On the night of 31 October 1981, Voldemort attacked the home. He murdered James in the hallway and then proceeded upstairs to Harry's nursery. There, he murdered Lily Potter as she stood between him and her son. When Voldemort turned his wand on Harry and cast the Killing Curse, Lily's loving sacrifice created a powerful magical protection that caused the curse to rebound. The rebounding curse destroyed Voldemort's physical body and blasted a large hole in the right side of the house's upper floor, but left the infant Harry alive with only a lightning-bolt scar. Following the attack, the house was left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potter family's sacrifice and Voldemort's first defeat. The cottage became overgrown with ivy and weeds, with the destroyed section clearly visible. A memorial plaque was erected in front of the gate, made invisible to Muggles. The plaque reads: “On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever to have survived the Killing Curse. This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family.” Over time, witches and wizards from all over left messages of gratitude and support on the sign in front of the house.
The house in Godric's Hollow is the location of the pivotal event that defines the entire *Harry Potter* narrative. It is where Harry Potter became “The Boy Who Lived,” where Lord Voldemort met his first downfall, and where the prophecy concerning them was set in motion. The destruction of the house symbolizes the beginning of the First Wizarding War's end and the start of Harry's extraordinary life. In *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Harry and Hermione Granger visit the ruins on Christmas Eve, 1997. For Harry, it is a profoundly emotional experience to see his first home and the place where his parents died. The visit underscores the weight of his past and the sacrifice his parents made for him. Their presence in Godric's Hollow also leads them into a trap laid by Voldemort and Nagini at the home of Bathilda Bagshot, resulting in a violent confrontation and the breaking of Harry's holly and phoenix feather wand.