The front page of the Daily Prophet screamed the reality of the previous night's events, shattering the illusion of quiet triumph Anduin had enjoyed in his isolated laboratory.
HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED DEFEATED!
The Dark Lord Vanquished By a Boy!
Celebrations Erupt Across the Nation as the Terror Ends.
Beneath the enormous, celebratory headlines, the details of the tragedy unfolded in stark, brutal prose.
"A gruesome scene unfolded in Godric's Hollow last night. According to reliable Ministry sources, the Dark Lord entered the residence of the esteemed James and Lily Potter on Halloween night, October 31st. The popular young couple was tragically and brutally murdered. However, in an act that can only be described as a miracle, the Dark Lord's attempt to execute their infant son, Harry Potter, with the Killing Curse failed for inexplicable reasons.
It continued, "Senior Aurors on the scene speculate that the Dark Lord was somehow fatally injured by the rebound of his own curse, leading to his apparent demise. The surviving child, now known across the nation as 'The Boy Who Lived,' is currently under the care of Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore."
Anduin's heart felt a terrifying lurch. The narrative was unfolding just as he remembered from his previous life, despite his desperate, focused attempts to alter the variables. He had warned Dumbledore, he had assumed Lily's protective charm would be initiated much earlier, and he had believed that their protectors would be more vigilant.
"How? How could this happen?" Anduin muttered, his eyes scanning the paragraphs, searching for the crack in the foundation. He had been so sure the Fidelius Charm and Sirius Black's watchfulness would prevent this.
He flipped the newspaper aggressively. The second page answered his unvoiced question with an even greater shock, twisting the knife of betrayal in his already aching heart.
The headline read: "POTTER BETRAYER CAPTURED: BLACK FACES AZKABAN."
"Further tragedy struck hours after the Godric's Hollow incident. Sirius Black, notorious member of the Potters' inner circle and believed to be a close friend of James Potter, was apprehended by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement following a horrific confrontation in a Muggle neighborhood. Black, it is alleged, used an advanced destructive spell to obliterate an entire city street, resulting in the death of fellow Order of the Phoenix member Peter Pettigrew and twelve innocent Muggles. Authorities are certain that Black acted as the Potters' Secret Keeper under the Fidelus Charm and knowingly, deliberately betrayed them to the Dark Lord. He is considered solely responsible for the tragedy at Godric's Hollow."
"What!?" Anduin roared, the sound cutting through the celebratory din of the Great Hall. His shout was raw, attracting immediate attention.
Around him, the young wizards were ecstatic. Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws were cheering, some throwing enchanted confetti, others setting off small, harmless indoor fireworks. Even many Slytherin students, who had been cautious or quietly supportive of the Dark Arts, were swept up in the wave of relief. The sheer, overwhelming reality of the war being over transcended house politics—for now. Only a few pure-blood scions sat in stunned silence, staring blankly at their toast.
But Anduin felt none of the joy. His face was contorted in a mask of raw confusion, disbelief, and a mounting, furious anger. Sirius Black? The carefree, loyal, good man he had befriended, the one who had always looked after him? A traitor? A mass murderer?
He thrust the paper into his pocket, stood up abruptly—knocking his bench back—and bolted out of the Great Hall, ignoring Vivian's shocked cry of confusion.
Anduin hammered wildly on the door of Professor McGonagall's office. Bang! Bang! Bang! He needed an official confirmation, a magical fact, anything to contradict the venomous print. McGonagall, as a senior Order member, would know the true story.
After receiving no response—the office was empty; McGonagall was clearly involved in the aftermath—he spun on his heel and raced through the corridors to the laboratory wings, slamming on Professor Burns's door instead.
Burns opened the door, his face weary and drawn, clearly having been up all night managing the school's response to the crisis. He immediately recognized the look of devastated betrayal on Anduin's face.
"Professor, please tell me the Daily Prophet is lying," Anduin pleaded, his chest heaving, thrusting the paper at him. "The Dark Lord's defeat is true, yes, but this… Sirius Black... is it true he betrayed them?"
Professor Burns sighed, rubbing his temples. He pulled Anduin into the warm, cluttered office filled with the smells of ozone and strange metals.
"Sit down, Anduin. Yes, the news of the Dark Lord's end is absolute. Albus confirmed it personally last night. He and Minerva have been tied up with the Ministry and securing the boy, Harry." He gestured toward the second headline. "And regarding Sirius Black... I wish I could tell you otherwise."
Anduin's voice was tight with disbelief. "It can't be! I know his relationship with James and Lily. I know their loyalty. I know him! There must be an unimaginable mistake, or coercion! Some form of torture forced him to reveal their location!"
"Calm yourself," Burns insisted gently, placing a hand on Anduin's shoulder. "Sit, and let me explain the magic involved. I know you and Sirius were close, but the evidence, unfortunately, is absolute."
"What evidence?" Anduin demanded. "Even if he murdered Pettigrew, that could be an act of misplaced vengeance! Why would he, the best friend, commit this atrocity?"
Burns considered his response. "Since you were already involved in the matter of the Potters' protection, I can tell you what we know. You correctly advised Albus to fortify their position. Do you recall the magical measure used to make the Potters' location utterly unfindable by the Dark Lord?"
Anduin furrowed his brow, trying to recall the obscure, high-level defensive charm. "They never left their home, but they couldn't be located... That must be the Fidelius Charm. A secret is magically concealed within the soul of a single person, the Secret Keeper."
Burns nodded solemnly. "Precisely. The Fidelius Charm. Therefore, we know for an absolute certainty that the Dark Lord only found the Potters because the Secret Keeper voluntarily divulged the information."
"And... and Sirius was the Secret Keeper," Anduin whispered, the realization hitting him with the physical force of a blow.
"He was," Burns confirmed. "Anduin, the Fidelius Charm is virtually unbreakable by external coercion. Neither the Imperius Curse nor the strongest Veritaserum can compel a Secret Keeper to reveal the information against their will. It requires a conscious, knowing act of betrayal."
Anduin stared blankly at the chaotic headline about the massacre of the Muggles and the murder of Pettigrew. "But... the duel with Pettigrew? The explosion? He was fighting the Death Eaters... or perhaps he was trying to silence Peter, who was the real betrayer, or..."
"Anduin," Burns interrupted, his voice firm. "Sirius was apprehended at the scene. He killed Peter Pettigrew and twelve innocent Muggles in one blast. Peter's body was never found, only a finger, suggesting complete annihilation. The Ministry has multiple witness testimonies of Sirius laughing amidst the wreckage before being stunned and taken away. Furthermore, if he were innocent, why didn't he go to the Ministry and explain himself? Instead, he stood over the corpses, unrepentant."
The brutal, cold logic of the Fidelius Charm combined with the physical evidence of the explosion was undeniable. Anduin leaned back, the air knocked out of him.
"The truth is... the truth is a nightmare," Anduin sighed softly, dropping the newspaper. All the pieces fit the new, horrifying puzzle: the disappearing Sirius, the protected location suddenly compromised, the confrontation with Pettigrew—it all pointed to a deliberate, calculated betrayal by the closest confidant.
Professor Burns watched him with profound pity. "I know this is crushing. You had a deep bond with both Lily and Sirius. Albus feels the same—this tragedy is a devastating loss for the entire Order. We must find strength in the fact that the Dark Lord has fallen."
Anduin barely heard him. He felt an intense, sickening pang of loss, not just for the Potters—his kind, fiercely protective friend Lily, and her cheerful, brave husband James—but for the man he thought Sirius Black was. The carefree, reckless rebellion he had admired was now revealed as a core of dark, cold treachery.
He rose slowly, the newspaper crumpled on the professor's desk. He muttered a hollow thank you and stumbled out of the office, finding his way through the deserted Sunday corridors back to the solitude of his forest cabin.
The entire magical world was celebrating, but Anduin was in mourning. He felt profoundly lost. He had tried to interfere with fate, but it had only served to blind him to the truth behind the very real, very human choices of the people around him. He couldn't view them as characters in a story; Lily, James, and Sirius were living, breathing individuals who had filled his solitary life with friendship. Their end, and the terrible truth behind it, left an indescribable void.
Anduin slumped onto his cot, staring at the ceiling. The Infrasound Resonator—his perfect, silent, untouchable weapon—felt utterly meaningless now. He had prepared for a war that was suddenly, brutally over, only to realize the real battle—the one involving trust and betrayal—had been lost long ago.
He had succeeded in magic, but failed to protect those he cared for, confirming a terrifying thought: knowledge of the future did not guarantee the power to change human hearts.