You-Know-Who was dead!
The news struck like thunder out of a clear sky, spreading across the British Isles in the middle of that sweltering summer.
At first, the wizards and witches of Britain could hardly make sense of it. Many even dismissed it as fake news.
After all, experience had taught them otherwise. So many times before, You-Know-Who had vanished, been defeated, or driven into hiding, yet somehow the shadow of him had always remained. Over time, many had almost come to believe he could never truly die.
But then the Ministry of Magic confirmed it openly at a press conference. The Daily Prophet ran the story as its front-page headline. Several tabloids followed with a joint statement.
Slowly, people began to realize the news was probably true.
And a few days later, when the renowned Auror Alastor Moody, Arthur Weasley, Head of a Department at the Ministry of Magic, and the well-known Order of the Phoenix member Sirius Black returned to Britain with You-Know-Who's body, and photographs of the corpse were published in The Daily Prophet, the truth finally settled over the entire wizarding world.
This time, You-Know-Who was truly dead.
And Britain erupted.
...
Celebrations swept across the British Isles with a heat that matched the summer itself.
As Minister Amelia Bones had declared, "I insist that a victory celebration is our inalienable right!"
For decades, even when You-Know-Who disappeared from public view, the terror he left behind never truly faded. His name still tightened throats. His shadow still lingered over conversations. The wizards and witches who had refused to bow to him had always feared that one day, without warning, he would return and threaten their lives all over again.
But now, that threat was gone.
You-Know-Who had left this world forever.
Some people released flocks of owls, desperate to carry the news to everyone they knew. Others rushed into the Muggle world to celebrate wildly. A few even tried to arrange a public meteor shower. Those violations, however, were swiftly and firmly stopped by the Ministry of Magic.
"Even victory celebrations must comply with the Statute of Secrecy."
That became the Ministry's newest slogan.
The Ministry of Magic also announced that any breach of the Statute of Secrecy during the celebrations would be punished severely.
...
At the same time, one question drew even more attention.
Who, exactly, had defeated You-Know-Who?
In the past, the wizarding world had always believed that Albus Dumbledore, the former headmaster of Hogwarts, was the person You-Know-Who feared most.
But after Professor Dumbledore's unexpected death a few months earlier, many had briefly believed You-Know-Who would become completely unstoppable.
No one expected that only a few months later, You-Know-Who would follow Dumbledore out of this world.
The answer soon emerged.
According to information leaked by someone within the Order of the Phoenix, the one who killed You-Know-Who was none other than Hogwarts' young new headmaster, Jon Hart.
For a time, wizards everywhere talked about it. In pubs, offices, shops, and private homes, they argued over exactly how Headmaster Jon had defeated You-Know-Who.
The members of the Order of the Phoenix refused to say a word about the battle itself.
Still, everyone assumed it must have been unbelievably difficult.
After all, his opponent had been You-Know-Who, the most powerful Dark Wizard of the past half century.
Some tabloids even published detailed accounts of the entire duel between Headmaster Hart and You-Know-Who, describing a fierce battle of wits and courage. In those stories, Mr. Hart narrowly seized victory at the final, life-or-death moment, defeating You-Know-Who with one decisive move.
Many wizards also began discussing something else. Headmaster Jon Hart was still so young, yet he already possessed the strength to defeat You-Know-Who.
Given time, in a few more years, would he rise even higher than the late Professor Albus Dumbledore?
No one could answer that yet, but many believed he would.
Several major international wizarding organizations soon responded as well.
The Order of Merlin, for example, had already decided to award Jon Hart the Order of Merlin, First Class, in recognition of his defeat of the powerful Dark Wizard Voldemort.
With that, he became the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, in history.
The International Confederation of Wizards, the Wizengamot, the European Wizarding Council, and several other organizations also issued statements expressing their hope that Headmaster Jon Hart would succeed the late Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and take over his important positions within their associations.
Of course, Jon Hart himself, now standing at the center of the storm, remained extremely low-key. He had not appeared publicly in Britain at all.
Rumor had it that he was still in the Balkans, handling the final aftermath of the Voldemort incident.
Even his Order of Merlin, First Class, was accepted on his behalf by Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts.
...
As for You-Know-Who's body, it was taken to Azkaban Island in the North Sea.
The Ministry of Magic used his corpse to create a human-shaped statue and placed it before the main entrance of Azkaban Prison.
The statue was meant to warn every Dark Wizard in Britain, and even across Europe, not to use dark magic for criminal acts. Even a Dark Wizard as powerful as You-Know-Who had ultimately been defeated by justice. No one should imagine they would be the exception.
According to the Ministry's design, the statue would last at least three hundred years.
For many years to come, it was believed that the Dark Wizards hiding in the shadows would shrink back in fear and keep their tracks well hidden.
Rumor claimed that when the statue first appeared, several prisoners serving life sentences in Azkaban went mad overnight. Others, terrified by their own crimes, took their own lives.
...
Harry Potter did not return to Privet Drive.
Although he was not yet seventeen and had not officially come of age, the Protective Enchantments around Number Four, Privet Drive, had already failed.
The Protective Enchantments Lily Evans had cast with her life were meant to guard against Voldemort and his followers. With Voldemort's death, the Enchantments had lost all purpose.
Rumor had it that a wizard dressed in a black robe and cloak accompanied Harry Potter to Number Four, Privet Drive, and took him away.
As for where Mr. Potter spent the rest of that summer, no one knew.
...
From Southampton to Glasgow, wizards all across the United Kingdom were gathering in celebration.
Go to any wizarding settlement, and you would find at least ten different parties in full swing.
People raised their glasses high and shouted, "To the great hero who destroyed You-Know-Who, Mr. Jon Hart!"
Unfortunately, Headmaster Jon could not witness such a thrilling scene for the time being.
At that very moment, he was still in Greece.
Unlike Harry Potter and the Weasley family, who had already ended their trip to Greece early, he still had to continue his summer journey with his two companions.