A/N: Look, two updates in two days. Just don't expect it that often ;)

Chapter Eight - Interlude

The Boy-Who-Lived is Dead
At You-Know-Who's Hand!

Earlier this morning, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge released the following statement to the Associated Wizards Press:
"It is with deepest regrets that I inform the wizarding community of the death of it's greatest hero, one Harry Potter."

Details released later in the day revealed that the fifteen-year-old and his family were attacked at the Dursley residence in Surrey by none other than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and a large group of Death Eaters.

Harry has been living with his Muggle relatives since his parents death, and started attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry a mere five years ago. Though being under a great amount of scrutiny from the wizarding community after claiming he witnessed the return of You-Know-Who after winning the Triwizard Touranament a year ago, where seventh-year Hufflepuff Cedric Diggory was killed, he was again brought back into the limelight after You-Know-Who's return was confirmed in June by the Minister for Magic himself.

Reportedly, You-Know-Who lured Potter's relatives out of their home, and systematically murdered them with the killing curse. He then put the Dark Mark over the house, entered, and killed young Potter. As of yet, it is unknown how these details were obtained.

Harry Potter was scheduled to attend his sixth year at Hogwarts this coming September. He died on his sixteenth birthday. He is survived by no family, though his next of kin is listed as known werewolf Remus Lupin, as well as the Weasley family. Albus Dumbledore has scheduled two memorials - a public one at the Ministry, and a private one at Hogwarts for close friends. Both are yet to be announced.

Albus Dumbledore put down the newspaper with a sigh. He was seated at his office desk, and slowly looked around the room. Several objects were missing that had been there in past years; destroyed at the hand of a distraught fifteen year old. Albus looked back on his discussion with Harry at the end of the last school year with regret. Though he had clarified his reasons for his actions, he still felt he owed the boy a more sincere and heartfelt response. He had hoped he would be given the opportunity when he brought Harry to the Order Headquarters later that summer, but would now never have the chance. He cursed himself for his own short-sightedness. He had believed there would be a later time to speak with the boy. And he would never have that chance. His only consolation was in the thought that now Harry was with his mother, father, and god-father.

Of course, it was not just the loss of Harry Potter, his student and friend, that he had to deal with. The wizarding world was now officially doomed. The only way Albus could protect those close to him would be to hide them - potentially forever. No one could defeat the Dark Lord now.

On top of all that, Albus had to worry about the mental state of Harry's friends, particularly Remus Lupin. The werewolf had not left his room since the night of Harry's death, and had refused any food. According to the house elf Dobby, who Dumbledore had spying on the ex-professor, Remus had barely moved from the chair Albus had left him in that night. He sat, hour after hour, slowly flipping the pages through a photo album that had been found among Harry's possessions.

Dumbledore worried for Lupin's sanity.