He opened Godric's bedroom door without knocking, faintly surprised to find it unlocked, but the reason immediately became clear. The dead body of Gryffindor's heir was slumped in an armchair, blood trickling from his slit throat. It had been gashed so deeply that the head was only just attached to the shoulders. On the earl's pale cheek was carved a very rough approximation of a skull with a snakelike tongue – the symbol of the Death Eaters. As per their orders, they were busy dispatching Weasels, and they had gotten to this one before he could.