;

  prall shot a sharp look at dumbledore and said,

  ”the he rumors that are flying around. you

  know what everyones saying? about why hes disappeared? about what

  finally stopped him?”

  it seemed that prall had reached the point she

  was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on

  a cold, hard wall all day, for her as a or as a woman had

  she fixed dumbledore with such a pierg stare as she did now. it

  lain that whatever ”everyone” was sayi going

  to believe it until dumbledore told her it was true. dumbledore,

  however, was g another lemon drop and did not answer.

  ”what theyre saying,” she pressed on, ”is that last night

  voldemort turned up in godrics hollow. he went to find the

  potters. the rumor is that lily aer are -- are --

  that theyre -- dead. ”

  dumbledore bowed his head. prall gasped.

  ”lily and james... i t believe it... i didnt want to

  believe it... oh, albus...”

  dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. ”i

  know... i know...” he said heavily.

  pralls voice trembled as she went on. ”thats

  not all. theyre sayio kill the potters son, harry. but

  -- he t. he t kill that little boy. no one knows why,

  or how, but theyre saying that when he t kill harry potter,

  voldemorts power somehow broke -- and thats why hes gone.

  dumbledore nodded glumly.

  ”its -- its true?” faltered prall. ”after all

  hes dohe people hes killed... he t kill a little

  boy? its just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but

  how in the name of heaven did harry survive?”

  ”we ly guess,” said dumbledore. ”we may never know.”

  prall pulled out a ladkerd dabbed

  at her eyes