Daily Prophet

Halloween Murder.
Is it ever going to end, or is this just the beginning?


A blood red dawn broke this morning, as news of yet another murder came to light. A sleepy cottage in the south of Wales was the site of the latest in a group of murders the Auror Squad are presuming as the work of a new anti-muggleborn terrorist group, writes Betty Muldoon, special reporter.

The body of Blethwyn Jones, 41, was found in the early hours of this morning in the Jones’ home in Llandridon Wells. Lachlan Jones, of the Department of Magical Sports and Games, had just returned to the cottage after a long night shift, when he found the body and contacted the Ministry in a panic.

Ministry officials and Healers rushed to the scene but Jones, pictured below, had been dead for several hours.
“Such a senseless act of violence,” commented Alfred Damsons, one of the first on the scene at the welsh cottage. “This is sickening.”

It is not known for fact why the Jones’ were targeted. However, conclusions are being reached after the recent riots and political arguments, that Jones, a muggle married to a wizard, was brutally murdered for her so called ‘impurity of blood’.

It’s the latest in a long line of tragedies surrounding these blood debates. And it doesn’t look to be the last, either. It seems that the wizarding world is growing into a state of terror and violence reminiscent of the Grindelwald era.

As of yet, no specific suspects have been named. But it has been confirmed by a Ministry official that they are treating this as a muggle hate crime. The official assured this reporter that they are doing all they can to get this situation under control before it results in another death like that of Blethwyn Jones, a loving wife and mother of two.

“This is a terrible occurrence, and the ministry in doing everything in its power to catch who is behind these acts and bring them to justice,” commented one Bailey Stubbs, a Ministry spokesperson.
The Ministry may be doing everything in their power, but this reporter wonders, is that enough?
With wizarding relations strained to snapping point, and muggleborns and purebloods alike living in fear, The Daily Prophet asks this:

Who is safe?

Isles of Scilly - The lone survivor of the worst raid since the time of Grindewald stands looking out over the destruction laid out before him, the once beautiful island of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly reduced to rubble and blood. He talks of hiding in the newly-dug holes meant for the dead, screams of pain and agony coming from above as 45 people, including 7 wizards, were murdered in cold blood on a hot summer's night. He also talks of laying perfectly still as the body of a 14 year old muggle girl was flung into the grave with him, traumatic memories forcing him to the brink of insanity.

The raids were reported to have started at 11pm, when most of the townsfolk and holiday goers were sleeping on the idyllic island. Tresco is a popular holiday spot for middle-aged wizards and witches, attracted to the warm summer heat and blooming flowers. The few wizards on the island were unable to stop the raid, overwhelmed by the sheer power of the attackers, forced into the only wizarding accommodation on the archipelago, The Hotel Nemo. Rough estimates state that the first attacks were here, disabling the wizards to alert any magical authorities. German Wizarding Law Enforcement has also become involved with the raid, after the discovery that one of the wizards murdered was Franz Brauer, a wizard wanted for crimes against humanity in the 1940s. So far the ministry has refused to comment, with only one ministry official willing to talk to us, saying only a few things before running into the Leaky Cauldron.
"Want to identify the bodies before they say anything, don't they? Mangled them they did, completely destroyed the poor sods. Have to tell the families yet, let them get over it first."
The Prophet can exclusively reveal that the bodies found are those of prominent wizards Eloise and Micheal Skeeter, German criminal Franz Brauer, a teenage girl yet to be identified, two middle-aged men yet to be identified and an elderly woman also unidentified. Anyone who has concerns about family members holidaying in the area is urged to wait for correspondence before owling the ministry.
As more and more muggle villages fall to these brutal attacks, The Prophet has this to ask the Ministry: Who is conducting these grotesque murders? Is it a blood issue, as suspected with the death of Livia Agostini, or is there something more? What is the ministry doing to apprehend these violent criminals?

As the Ministry searches the United Kingdom for the culprits, a traumatized, scared man stands on Tresco, tears running down his bloodstained face as he looks at the sunset, mockingly turning the clouds a shade of red as it bleeds its way down the horizon

Blood Wars reach Our Schools!
We ask who is safe as professor murdered!

Staff and student of the prestigious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were left shocked and saddened last week when one of their own, Study of Ancient Runes professor Livia Agostini, was found murdered in the Italian honeymoon suit she shared with her new husband, Arithmancy professor, Abîme Delame, writes special reporter Betty Muldoon. Whilst we wish to assure our readers that their children are protected, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal that Hogwarts isn’t as safe as eccentric headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, would like families to believe.

Professor Agostini, pictured below with her husband, had journeyed to her home country of Italy to marry fellow teacher at the school, Abîme Delame. Although many of the public are curious as to why Headmaster Dumbledore allowed fraternization between the staff, we are assured that their personal lives in no way affected their work.
“They were good people, you hear? Not a bad word to say about either of them!” One minute and frazzled professor stated to this reporter when questioned about his colleagues. Indeed, both professors seem to be in good stead with teachers and students alike. So why, the prophet asks, was Livia Agostini murdered in such a brutal and seemingly motiveless attack?
Her body was found in their hotel room by none other than her husband. The events surrounding the finding of the body are unclear as this reporter was unable to retrieve a statement from the Italian Auror department who were extremely quick on the scene.

The Prophet can also exclusively reveal that Abîme Delame, who is aged 44 and has taught at the wizarding school for five years, was admitted to a temporary private room in the ‘Janus Thickey’ ward in St Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries on the night of the murder of his wife. In a statement from the hospital, it is confirmed that he was admitted due to severe blood loss, depression and mental instability.

“He’s doing better,” says trainee healer, Dermot McHafferty, who as been monitoring Abîme Delame’s progress over the last few days. “He was pretty cut up when he first came in, eh. And upset too. But we’re not sure what the extent of the damage is yet.”
The statement from St Mungos confirms the idea of an attempted suicide from Delame following the finding of his wife’s body. And though Albus Dumbledore has neither confirmed nor denied these allegations, he was seen looking very grave when asked about the state of health of the Arithmancy teacher and whether he’d be fit to take up his post next year.

Our expert, a top healer in his youth, states that,
“When something so traumatic happens to a person, their brain simply shuts down. It cannot cope with everything and so it returns to an almost primal level. We do not know to which extent of mental illness Abîme Delame suffered, and indeed continues to suffer, but if it was enough to make him want to kill himself, my estimate would be that the damage may possibly be permanent and irrevocable.”

So what, we may ask, brought on this attack on the Delame family?
Many say this was a political attack. Abîme Delame is a well known ‘blood traitor’ and to marry a half-blood such as Livia Agostini seemed to be the last straw. This sheds new light on recent events following the so dubbed ‘bloody riots’, which featured heavily in last months ‘Prophet. Could this be an attack against muggleborns and half-bloods?
All we know is that the present is growing ever more violent and the future is ever more threatening.







((if you wondered, this is written by our guest writer, STACEY MARTIN! and we figured it had to hit the paper sometime.))

Riots in the North!
Half Bloods and Muggleborns targeted!

Like the terrors of the preGrindelwald era and reminiscent of Krystalnact terrible riots swept through Northern England this past Friday night. Led by infuriated Pureblooded families in the area the riot, which began as a peaceful protest in a local meeting house, grew alarmingly bigger as houses were broken into and hexes began to be fired into the air. The Ministry was called to the scene to put down the protesters, many of whom were shouting anti Muggleborn and Muggle sentiments as well as setting the local Muggle television station (a Muggle form of communication) alight.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was spotted along with the Ministry and the Aurors. The Prophet quickly tracked him down for a statement. "The violence here today is a result of the Longbottom murders. Many of these people believe Muggleborns are to blame because of your claptrap. Leave me be or I'll hex you purple." quote the frazzled Headmaster. Rufus Scrimgeour, head of the Auror Office, was also on scene but unavailable for comment.

This isn't the first riot this month and our leading social expert believes there are many to come. Looks as though the Ministry will be having their hands full in the up and coming summer.

FAMILY FOUND SLAUGHTERED

Three members of the prominent Longbottom family were found dead late last night, killed in a vicious gruesome way the photos of the crime scene are not fit to print.

Cillian Longbottom, 42,; Preston Longbottom, 37,; and Bailey Longbottom, 39, were all found murdered near the pond on Ralph's property around midnight. The victims, who were all brothers, had taken the evening off to relax and enjoy one another's company, said Vivian Lawson, a secretary under Bailey.

"Oh, it's just awful to hear what happened to them all. They were good guys, you know? Real good blokes. Can't imagine why anyone would want to do something like this to them," she said.

The Longbottom family was a very prominent family in society with no known enemies. One of the victims, Bailey, worked for the Office of Magical Affairs, though there seemed to be no obvious motive in that regard. The wives and children of the victims were out for a walk when the murders occurred, which might have been what saved them from the massacre, though officials are not yet ready to confirm that.

The murders were particularly vicious, though Ministry officials can confirm that no Killing Curses were used. Instead, they were tortured before they were killed.

"With the way these guys suffer, getting A.K.ed would have been a blessing. Whoever did this, they enjoyed doing getting their hands dirty. I haven't seen this sort of thing since when Grindewald was in power," said Elphias Doge, senior MLE officer at the crime scene.

This is the latest in a series of murders that has been shaking the country since December. Until this point, the attacks were limited primarily to Muggleborns and Muggles, and this murder of a prominent pureblood family has left the community clamouring for answers.

Ministry officials will not say whether or not they have any suspects in custody, though this Prophet reporter saw them escorting three men in Muggle clothing away from the scene. It is the Prophet's suspicions that these crimes were committed by these men, likely Muggleborns, and the Ministry is afraid to out-and-out claim that lest it spark puritist violence.

"I think that it's fairly obvious that Muggleborns are behind this tragedy, and all the other murders," said Bernard Yaxley, a prominent pureblood patriarch. "The idea of respectable purebloods doing this sort of awful thing is absurd. No, only Mudbloods could be this vicious."

We at the Prophet demand that the Longbottom murderers be brought to justice, be they pureblood or Muggleborn. The Ministry has languished too long on catching these vile criminals, and now thye have gone and massacred an entire family of purebloods. When will the violence end?

Minister is Silly!
On-lookers stupefied by Minister’s Choice in Muggle Garb!



“The Minister has lost his mind!” Weatherby Wiggins, a presenter for the charity event that assists Squibs down on their luck, remarked upon seeing the wear of the Minister of Magic for the night. “I mean, really! An umbrella indoors?” He went on to add with an air of disgust in his voice.

The Minister attended the event sponsored by the SSO, or Squib Support Organization, which is an annual formal gala that requires formal robe wear. The Minister, mysteriously unaccompanied by his wife, showed up at the gala in strange Muggle wear that baffled the influential guests of the night. As jaws dropped and questions were asked the Minister acted as though nothing was the matter, calmly taking off his hat and sunglasses before sitting at the place of honor at the head table with the event organizers.

The Prophet asks: Has the Minister gone insane?!

For more coverage of the Minister and his loss of sanity turn to page 12
Turn to page 35 for the latest in the mandatory Werewolf branding and registration bill

A RIGHT FRENCH FARCE



New French Minister, Sylvain Sarkozy, celebrates with his main British backer, Icabod Black.

Lucas O'Grady, PARIS

Last night an air of confusion hung over the quartier de la sorciere in Paris last night as the surprise candidate, from the PDNS (Partie des Droites Natureaux Sorciers*), the radical party supported by France’s most noble wizarding families, Sylvain Sarkozy, stormed away with the general Ministerial election.

The party was accused through out the election of purism and blatant discrimination and was considered a no hoper as far as the election was concerned. But after the front-runner, Marcel Beaufois was embarrassed by accusations of embezzling ministry funds while in the position of Chief Interrogator and taking a vested interest in the trial of Suzanne Garp. He never recovered from this setback in his campaign, and quickly lost ground to other candidates. However, the current government never expected the extremist party to gain enough ground to win in such a fashion.

The reaction of the outgoing Minister, Pierre Alois, a strong supporter of M. Beaufois, was echoed throughout the magical sections of French society. He called for a re-election as he “sincerely doubted the reliability of the result“ and although he never made a clear accusation of fixing he did imply it in this statement later on, “I would accept this result graciously, if I truly believed that this was the will of the people.”




Mr Alois outside the Ministry, today.


Many of the Parisian wizards we spoke to were enraged at the result and we couldn’t find one person in the capital who admitted to voting for such a party. M. Beaufois wasn’t as diplomatic in his renouncing of the result, stating quite clearly, “Isn’t it plainly obvious that the majority of the population doesn’t support the party of government? When those in charge do not represent the electorate, we have to question the very foundation of the governmental system in this country. And they accuse me of corruption.”




A despondent M. Beaufois


The incoming Minister had this to say in his victory speech, “It is about time the voters of this country stood up for the true rights of true wizards. Those who have been running this country so liberally have only demonstrated their corruption and weakness in recent weeks. We are the only party who will stand up for a strong, noble France.” M. Sarkozy, whose brother, Serge, was arrested for the attempted murder of the aforementioned M. Beaufois said this on that issue, “It is plainly obvious that such an arrest was merely a political move, attempting to undermine my position. My brother is not a criminal, neither is many of the others arrested by the clearly self-interested Monsieur Beaufois. They will be acquitted and his clear abuse of office shall be properly investigated.”

This is a clear statement in French politics and possibly world politics, that radicals are capable of taking power anywhere or any how and we must be vigilant and not take our vote for granted. Although there are many questions about the legitimacy of the elections, it seems like they will stand. It seems like this farce of an election is only a sign of things to come.

The Prophet asks: What will this mean for the future of wizarding politics and society as we know it? What repercussions will this have on politics here?

*Party of the Natural Rights of Wizards