"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry blurted out the moment he saw the familiar face.
"I was never a professor," the man muttered. "I'm just an ordinary barman."
He glanced down at Madam Rosmerta, who lay unconscious on the ground. After confirming she was completely out, he put away his wand.
Harry raised his wand cautiously at first. But seeing no hostility from the other man, he relaxed slightly and stepped closer. He studied the face hidden behind long, rope-like strands of white hair. The man wore glasses, their lenses grimy, but behind them were sharp, intelligent blue eyes.
This old man was not Albus Dumbledore—he only resembled him.
If Harry remembered correctly, this was the strange barman from the Hog's Head. He usually wore a hood, but tonight it was down.
"Good evening, Mr. Dumbledore," Jon said calmly, as if none of this surprised him in the slightest.
"Good evening, Hart." The man nodded to him.
"Mr. Dumbledore?" Harry felt more confused than ever.
"Harry… this is Mr. Aberforth Dumbledore. He's Professor Dumbledore's younger brother—and his only remaining family member," Jon explained, giving Harry's arm a gentle tug.
His voice had grown noticeably subdued.
"So you're Professor Dumbledore's brother!" Harry said, realization dawning. No wonder he had almost mistaken him for the professor.
It struck Harry then—despite all the time he had spent alone with Professor Dumbledore, he had never heard him speak about his personal life.
And something in Jon's tone unsettled him.
Could it be—
...
"She was under the Imperius Curse. Poor woman." Aberforth gestured toward Madam Rosmerta. "At eight o'clock tonight, I saw her sneak into the alley opposite Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. She met two hooded men there. After that, she came here—looked like she was searching for someone. Most likely the two of you."
"Two hooded men…" Harry froze. "Death Eaters? There are Death Eaters in Hogsmeade too? If they were coordinating with the ones inside Hogwarts…" He swallowed. "Where are they, Mr. Aberforth?"
"In the Hog's Head," Aberforth muttered. "Idiots, the moment Rosmerta left, I dealt with them in under a minute and tied them up in the filthiest guest room upstairs."
Harry let out a shaky breath of relief. Then he asked, "But how did you know—"
"My brother told me months ago," Aberforth said. "He said the poor woman had been put under the Imperius Curse. I've been watching her movements in secret ever since. Tonight, when I saw her slipping out of the Three Broomsticks, I followed her."
"So it was Professor Dumbledore's arrangement…" Harry nodded slowly. It seemed Dumbledore had reached the same conclusion Hermione once had. "Then where is he? Is Professor Dumbledore fighting You-Know-Who at Hogwarts?"
Aberforth shook his head.
He turned his back to Harry and looked toward Hogwarts Castle.
Though Harry couldn't see his face, he could hear the grief in his voice.
"I don't agree with many of my brother's ideas," Aberforth said quietly. "But what he did today. I respect his courage… and his sacrifice."
Harry followed his gaze toward the sky above Hogwarts.
And his heart lurched.
There it was—hanging over the school. A vivid green skull, a serpent-like tongue slithering from its mouth. Whenever Death Eaters broke into a building… whenever they murdered someone… they left that mark behind.
"Does that mean Professor Dumbledore… he really…" Harry's whole body trembled.
"Let's go, Harry." Jon sighed and rested a hand gently on his shoulder.
"Go where?" Harry asked weakly, as though the world had collapsed around him.
"Back to Hogwarts."
...
A few minutes later, they stood before the ruins of the Astronomy Tower—or what remained of it.
Witches and wizards crowded the area, along with a number of older students. Fear was written plainly across many faces.
"Those who truly know the truth?" Minerva McGonagall demanded sharply, staring at Moody. "Where are they? I refuse to believe it. Albus cannot have died like this!"
"Look." Mad-Eye jerked his head toward the path leading to Hogsmeade. "They're coming."
Three figures appeared at the end of the road.
An old man—and two boys.
"Aberforth?" Professor McGonagall froze.
Of course she recognized him. He was Albus Dumbledore's younger brother, the only remaining member of the Dumbledore family besides the Headmaster himself. Decades ago, she had seen him once at an Order of the Phoenix gathering. After that, he had vanished from sight.
The Headmaster had once hinted that his brother had been serving the Order in secret.
Flitwick, Kingsley, Arthur, and several other senior members of the Order had also known Aberforth.
"Could it be…" McGonagall felt the blood drain from her face.
Aberforth Dumbledore gave a slight nod.
"Harry!" Ron and Ginny rushed forward and caught Harry as his legs gave out beneath him.
Ron glanced at the boy supporting him and let out a startled cry.
"H-H-Hart… weren't you supposed to—"
Many others had also spotted Jon Hart—the boy who was supposed to be dead—standing there alive.
But there were more pressing matters.
"Aberforth… does this mean…" McGonagagall's voice trembled.
"Yes." Aberforth nodded once.
"Albus is dead."