The Daily Prophet: Special Emergency Edition
"A horrifying murder occurred in Godric's Hollow last night. According to sources, You-Know-Who broke into the Potter home on the evening of October 31st and brutally murdered the young couple, James and Lily. He then attempted to harm their infant son, Harry Potter, but the Killing Curse inexplicably failed. Senior Aurors suggest that You-Know-Who was struck by his own rebounding curse and subsequently perished. The boy who survived has been taken into protection by Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore." The front page was dominated by the tragedy, with bold headlines proclaiming the "Godric's Hollow Incident," "The Downfall of You-Know-Who," and "The Boy Who Lived."
Alan's heart sank. The disaster he had always dreaded had come to pass, despite everything. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. Weren't the Potters under Dumbledore's protection? And what about Sirius? He was supposed to be the one keeping them safe. How could this have happened?
He flipped feverishly to the second page, searching for answers, but the news of Sirius Black was even worse.
The report stated that Sirius had used a curse to blow up an entire street in a Muggle neighborhood, killing Peter Pettigrew and twelve bystanders. He was apprehended by Hit Wizards at the scene. The motive, according to the Ministry, was clear: Sirius had betrayed the Potters, directly enabling the Godric's Hollow Incident.
"What?" Alan's shout of disbelief startled Vivian.
Around them, the Great Hall erupted in a frenzy of celebration. Students tossed their hats into the enchanted ceiling, launched unauthorized fireworks, and leapt onto the dining tables with roars of joy. Even many Slytherins joined in, relieved the shadow had lifted. Only the pure-blood hardliners sat in stunned, silent disbelief.
Alan, however, felt neither joy nor relief. His face was a mask of doubt and mounting fury.
With a sharp scrape of his chair, he grabbed the newspaper and sprinted from the Great Hall. Vivian watched him go, utterly bewildered by his reaction.
He hammered on Professor McGonagall's office door—*bang, bang, bang*—hoping for word from a fellow Order member. But there was no answer; she was clearly away from the castle. He spun on his heel and rushed toward Professor Bones's office.
When the door opened, Bones took one look at Alan's pale face and the crumpled newspaper in his hand. He understood immediately. Even he was still reeling from the night's events.
"Is it true, Professor?" Alan gasped, unfolding the paper.
"Yes. Dumbledore knew everything by last night," Bones said, his voice heavy. "He and Professor McGonagall have already left the grounds. He asked me to stay behind to look after the students."
Alan flipped to the second page. "And this? Sirius... did he really betray them?"
Bones let out a long, weary sigh. "I know you and Sirius were close, Alan, but based on every piece of evidence we have, he indeed..."
"That's impossible!" Alan shouted. "I know him. I know how much he loved them. Something is wrong!"
"Calm down," Bones said, pulling Alan into the room and guiding him into a chair. "Facts speak louder than sentiment. I don't want to believe it either, but..."
"What evidence is there? Even if he fought Peter, couldn't there be another reason?" Alan couldn't reconcile the Lily he knew—kind, brilliant, and protective—with a world where her best friend was her murderer.
"It's time I told you the truth of their protection," Bones said after a long silence. "I know you once urged Dumbledore to safeguard them. Do you know the method he chose?"
Alan frowned, trying to focus through his grief.
"The Potters never actually moved. They stayed in their home, yet the Death Eaters could never find them. Do you know why?"
A realization clicked in Alan's mind. "The Fidelius Charm? That's why my memory of their address vanished so suddenly?"
Bones nodded, impressed as always by Alan's quick intellect. "Then you understand why the conclusion is so unavoidable."
"Sirius was the Secret-Keeper," Alan whispered.
"Yes. Didn't you notice he went into hiding at the exact same time as the Potters?" Bones reminded him. "We thought he was protecting himself to protect the secret, but the truth is far darker."
"Is it possible he was captured? Tortured until he broke?" Alan pleaded, desperate for an alternative.
"If he were broken and tortured, he wouldn't have had the strength or the presence of mind to track down and kill Peter Pettigrew," Bones said solemnly. "And you know the nature of the Fidelius. Unless the Secret-Keeper gives the information willingly, not even the Imperius Curse or Veritaserum can force it out. He had to want them found."
"Then that's it. That's the truth..." Alan looked down at the paper, feeling a hollow sense of loss. Professor Bones had dismantled his last shred of hope with cold, clinical logic.
"I'm sorry, Alan." Bones didn't know how else to comfort a boy who had just lost three of the people he cared for most.
Alan walked back to his cabin in a daze, the world around him feeling blurred and unreal. Because he hadn't known the specific nuances of the original plot, he wasn't sure if this was a deviation or the destined path.
But being inside the story changed everything. He couldn't look at these people as characters in a book anymore. Lily had been his mentor and friend; Sirius had been the boisterous, free spirit who made him feel welcome. Now that they were gone, the silence of the Forbidden Forest felt heavier than ever, and a profound, inexplicable sense of loss took root in his heart.