She was hysterical. She had been all morning. Madame Pomfrey advanced carrying a large dose of a sleeping draught and sank gently to the floor to persuade her to drink. It wasn't difficult, and she soon fell into a dark, dreamless sleep.
"Honestly Minerva, of all the people to find him!"
Poppy Pomfrey was beside herself as she and Minerva McGonagall lifted Hermione Granger onto the nearest bed. Minerva said nothing, but gazed at the sleeping girl in front of her. Tears blurred her vision before being swiftly blinked back to make room for her more usual persona.
"I must see Albus immediately. I trust Hermione will not be disturbed here Poppy?"
"Of course not."
"I'll be back shortly. I only hope Albus has some answers."
With that, Minerva steeled herself to, once more, become Professor McGonagall.
It began before she had closed the Infirmary door, with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil.
"Professor…is Hermione alright?"
"What happened to Harry?"
"We've heard…"
"I'm well aware of what you will have heard by now Miss Brown. The short answer is that we simply don't know, and you would do well not to listen to such gossip, both of you!"
She snapped and walked away, shaken by the possibilities thrown up by the school gossips.
"Fizzing Whizzbee."
The professor paused briefly to mutter the correct password to the waiting gargoyle, before slipping through the gap in the wall.
Harry Potter. Dead. It didn't seem possible, but she knew it was true. Left alone with her thoughts for a moment as the steps moved up towards the Headmaster's office, she attempted to piece together what had happened.
Hermione Granger, looking for Professor Sinistra early that morning, had instead found Harry Potter's body at the top of the Astronomy Tower. Dead. Killed by an Unforgivable Curse at Hogwarts.
Albus Dumbledore looked up wearily as Minerva McGonagall entered his office without knocking.
"How is Miss Granger Minerva?" He asked quietly, his gaze focused loosely on a patch of floor just inside the threshold.
"Sleeping. I had Severus make up a sleeping draught for her; the calming potion was quite useless."
She wandered about the room, flustered, before sinking in the nearest chair.
"What happened Albus?"
There was a pause before the question was answered.
"He was killed Minerva. Killed by his own wand."
"He didn't do it himself? Surely not…"
The witch tailed off as the enormity of what she had said sank in.
"No. He may have been able to turn his wand on himself, but I find it highly unlikely he could have punched himself and knocked himself over doing so."
Albus pondered what he was about to say, stroking his beard slowly.
"He was murdered Minerva. Murdered on school grounds."