"What did you say?" McGonagall cried out, as though demanding an explanation from Aberforth himself.
Professor Flitwick let out a long sigh and removed his pointed hat.
Professor Sprout wiped at the corners of her eyes.
A heavy silence fell over the ruins of the Astronomy Tower. Every witch and wizard bowed their heads in silence, forced to confront a truth too painful to accept.
If it had only been the Death Eaters' word, they would never have believed it. But if even Albus Dumbledore's only living relative said it was so… then it had to be true.
"What exactly happened?" Several witches and wizards sank weakly to the ground, as though the sky had collapsed above them.
Harry raised a trembling hand and wiped away his tears.
"Harry," a calm voice said beside him, "you should show them this."
Jon Hart placed a golden cup into Harry's hands.
Harry raised it numbly.
"That's Hufflepuff's relic!" Professor Sprout exclaimed. She hurried over, took the golden cup, and examined it closely. "There's no mistake. Where did you find this?"
"This object was in Voldemort's possession for nearly fifty years," Jon said quietly.
"Wait… that voice…" Professor Sprout stiffened. She turned slowly and stared at the familiar figure beside her. "Good heavens… it's Jon…"
"Jon?"
"Jon Hart?"
"Hogwarts' champion in the Triwizard Tournament two years ago!"
"Merlin's beard—wasn't he dead? I remember Harry brought his body back to Hogwarts!"
All eyes turned to Jon Hart.
"Jon… you're alive…" Professor Sprout's grief-stricken face softened with relief. "Praise Merlin…"
"Yes, Professor." Jon nodded. "I'm sorry for deceiving you."
"Hart was never dead," Alastor Moody said gruffly. "The one who died was that impostor who once pretended to be me."
"Impostor?" many echoed in confusion.
"Barty Crouch Jr. You may remember the name," Moody explained.
"Crouch… yes," Arthur Weasley said slowly. "Bartemius Crouch's son. A Death Eater. He died in Azkaban."
"He didn't die in Azkaban," Moody said. "Perhaps Dumbledore never told you. That Death Eater attacked me more than two years ago, the day before I was due to start teaching at Hogwarts. He used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate me. He also cast a Confundus Charm to slip Harry Potter's name into the Goblet of Fire."
"But by sheer coincidence, Hart was also selected as a Hogwarts champion. During the final task of the Triwizard Tournament, Hart uncovered that Death Eater's plot. At Dumbledore's instruction, he sent the disguised Barty Crouch Jr.—transformed to look like himself—straight to Voldemort. Voldemort killed him."
"That allowed me to take Barty Crouch Jr.'s place and infiltrate the Death Eaters," Moody continued. "And the 'dead' Hart was able to join them under a different identity."
"Jon… you've been among the Death Eaters all this time?" Harry stared at him in disbelief.
"Yes." Jon nodded calmly. "That was the only way I could uncover the secret of the Horcruxes from within their ranks."
"Horcruxes?" several members of the Order of the Phoenix repeated in confusion.
"It's a dark and terrible kind of magic Voldemort used to keep himself from dying," Harry explained quickly. "That's why he's been able to escape death again and again."
Months ago, Harry had learned the full truth about Horcruxes in the Pensieve. Now he recounted everything in detail to the assembled witches and wizards.
"Horcruxes…" Professor McGonagall said quietly, regaining some of her composure. "I've heard of that dreadful magic. I never imagined anyone could be mad enough to split their soul into seven pieces."
"Hart discovered Voldemort's secret," Moody said. "He gave us our only real chance to defeat him. A year ago, at the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore and I joined forces and defeated Voldemort again. At the same time—"
"At Dumbledore's command, we moved as quickly as possible to locate and destroy his Horcruxes," Kingsley Shacklebolt added. "But in the end, we fell short. One Horcrux remained undiscovered. The Death Eaters moved it before we could find it."
"Hufflepuff's relic?" Professor Sprout asked at once, looking at the golden cup in her hands.
"Yes." Jon nodded. "To destroy this final Horcrux, Professor Dumbledore made a very difficult decision—"
"My brother knew that under those circumstances, You-Know-Who would guard that Horcrux more fiercely than his own life," Aberforth Dumbledore said. "Without something of immense value as bait, he would never have let it leave his side."
Harry's voice broke as he spoke.
"Professor Dumbledore lured Voldemort to Hogwarts… and while he held him there, he sent us to find the last Horcrux and destroy it."
...
At last, everything made sense.
The Headmaster of Hogwarts. Founder and Secret Keeper of the Order of the Phoenix. Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class. The greatest wizard of the age—
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was gone.
With his passing, an era had ended.
"Where is Professor Dumbledore's body?" Jon asked softly.
"Nothing remains," Professor Flitwick said in despair, shaking his head. "Voldemort has always excelled at that kind of magic." It was the first time in his life he had spoken the name aloud.
"I'll take a look," Jon said, his steps heavy as he walked toward the place where Dumbledore had fallen. "Perhaps there's still something to find."
"Minerva… what will become of Hogwarts?" Professor Sprout asked quietly.
"I will assume the duties of Headmistress for the time being," Professor McGonagall said. She had forced herself back into composure, though her voice was firmer than before. "Until Hogwarts appoints a new Headmaster."