- "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
- —The inscription[src]
Following their deaths on 31 October, 1981, James and Lily Potter were buried under a white marble headstone in the churchyard at Godric's Hollow[1]. The substance of which the stone was created made it very easily read, even late at night, shining in the dark[1]. Their names and the dates of their lives were engraved in the stone, as was a passage from the 1 Corinthians 15:26 in the Bible[1].
On 24 December, 1997, the Potters' son Harry returned to Godric's Hollow alongside his best friend Hermione Granger, and the two of them visited both the Potter memorial and their gravesite behind the church[1]. Harry felt such strong grief upon seeing his parents' grave that it seemed to weigh on his heart and lungs[1]. He panicked upon reading their inscription, not recognising its religious significance and believing for a moment that it was a Death Eater ideal, before being corrected by Hermione, whereupon he began crying[1]. The couple left a wreath of Christmas roses at the gravesite when they left it[1].