Alex felt a surge of curiosity but decided not to lose focus. He turned back to his experiments, determio keep going. Over the few hours, he collected a wealth of data. The infrasonic spell, he discovered, could cause severe harm within a five-meter radius. The effects weakened beyond that ra were still strong enough to cause disfort up to teers. Past that point, the interference faded signifitly, resulting only in disorientation. A mouse pced thirty meters away merely squeaked and spun in circles, seemingly fused.
“Humao be more resistant. The interference drops off after teers,” Alex noted, logging his observations with enthusiasm. Feeling satisfied, he finally ed up his tests. Exhausted but aplished, he stretched and allowed himself a rare moment of pride before heading to bed. That night, he slept deeply, unaware of the moal events unfolding elsewhere.
The m, a weekend, started like any other. After finishing their m exercises, Alex and his friend Charles headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. But somethi off. The usual hum of m chatter was repced by an odd tension. Owls flew overhead, deliveriers and neers, while students huddled in groups, whispering urgently.
“Alex, over here!” Vivian’s voice broke through the noise as she waved him over.
“What’s going on?” Alex asked, notig her wide, anxious eyes.
“You haven’t heard?” she excimed, clearly shocked. “The Dark Lord—he’s fallen! They’re saying he was defeated by a boy who survived! It’s all over The Daily Prophet, and my family sent me a letter to firm it.”
“What?” Alex’s eyes widened in disbelief. Vivian handed him the neer, and he quickly sed the headlines.
---
#The Daily Prophet: Urgent News
"A horrific attack occurred st night in Godric’s Hollow. Sources firm that the Dark Lord broke into the Potter home and murdered James and Lily Potter. However, in an unpreted turn of events, his attempt to kill their infant son, Harry Potter, failed. Reports suggest the Dark Lord was struck down by his own Killing Curse, leaving the child miraculously unharmed. Harry, now known as ‘The Boy Who Lived,’ is currently uhe prote of Albus Dumbledore."
---
Alex’s stomach ed as he read. He couldn’t process it. How could this happen? Weren’t the Potters supposed to be under Dumbledore’s prote? And Sirius—wasn’t he their guardian? Questions flooded his mind, each more troubling tha.
‘Is this real? Or is it some sort of ploy? Could they be faking this o bait Voldemort out? Or maybe the Potters survived, and this is a cover story to protect them from the Death Eaters?’
Desperatio him as he flipped through the pages. Then he froze. The sed page had an article about Sirius Bck. It cimed that Sirius had betrayed the Potters, revealing their location to Voldemort. Worse, it reported that he had killed Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles in a street explosion before being arrested by the Ministry.
“What?!” Alex’s shout turned heads in the Great Hall, startling Vivian.
Around him, the atmosphere was electrie students cheered, throwing hats in the air. Others set off small fireworks, and a few even climbed onto tables to celebrate. Even among the Slytherins, there was a mix of reas. While some pure-bloods looked shaken, others seemed quietly relieved.
But Alex couldn’t feel joy. His chest burned with anger and fusion. He smmed the neer shut and stormed out of the Great Hall. Vivian called after him, but he didn’t stop.
He headed straight to Professonagall’s office, knog frantically. When no one answered, he ran to Professor Bones’ offistead. This time, the door opened, and Professor Bones looked at him, his expression somber. His eyes flicked to the crumpled neer in his hand, and he gave a small nod of uanding.
“Professor,” Alex began, holding up the paper, his voice shaking, “is this true?”
He sighed deeply. “Yes, Alex. Dumbledore was informed st night. He and Professonagall have left Hogwarts to deal with it. He asked me to stay and watch over the students.”
Alex’s grip on the neer tightened. “But Sirius—did he really betray James and Lily? Did he actually do this?”
Professor Bones hesitated before speaking. “Alex, I know how much Sirius meant to you. I ’t imagine how hard this is. But from what we knht now... it seems he did.”
“No!” Alex’s voice cracked. “I know him, Professor. He would never betray them. There’s no way. There has to be a mistake!”
“Alex, please,” He said gently, guiding him to a chair. “I don’t want to believe it either. But the evidence—”
“Evidence?” Alex interrupted, his voice rising. “Even if he did kill Pettigrew, that doesn’t make sense! Something’s missing—something doesn’t add up!”
Professor Bones pced a calming hand on his shoulder. “I uand how you feel. But there’s something else you o know.” He paused, His gaze steady. “Have you ever wondered how James and Lily stayed hidden for so long?”
Alex frowned. “What do you mean?”
“They used the Fidelius Charm,” he expined. “It’s a powerful spell that hides someone’s loaking it known only to the Secret Keeper. That’s why no one could find them.”
Realization dawned on Alex. “And Sirius... he was their Secret Keeper.” He paused, his mind rag. “When they cast the charm, I remember suddenly fetting their location. That was why, wasn’t it?”
Professor Bones nodded. “Yes. After the charm was cast, Sirius vanished. At first, we thought he went into hiding to avoid the Death Eaters. But now...” he hesitated, clearly troubled. “Now it seems his disappearance might have been for a different reason.”
Alex’s face turned pale. “But what if he didn’t betray them? What if the Death Eaters captured him and tortured him? Couldn’t they have forced him to reveal the Potters’ location?” His voice was ced with desperation.
Professor Bones’ expression softened. “I don’t know, Alex. It’s possible. But until we have more information, all we do is wait.”
