Sitra Ahra
Interludium I: DMLE Report on the Somerset Incident
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Confidential DMLE Documents Enclosed
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Is Harry Potter alive?
Reported by Nigel Fortescue, Senior Reporter for Wizarding Weekly
September 15, 1990
The abrupt ending to You-Know-Who’s reign of terror and darkness has long been considered the greatest mystery of this century. Amidst the endless speculation, there have been precious few truths, merely rumor and assumption. On that fateful night, both Lily and James Potter lost their lives. One of their closest friends, Sirius Black, betrayed both Potters to “You-Know-Who”, and then murdered their mutual friend Peter Pettigrew when confronted.
However, of most interest were the two other individuals involved. The most feared wand in the world, responsible for more death than most plagues, was found within the wreckage of the Potter ancestral residence. While You-Know-Who’s body was never recovered, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement concluded that his body had been destroyed, leaving only his wand intact. The lack of further Death Eater activity seemed to support the DMLE’s findings.
While it is unquestionable that there is a lack of closure with the fate of You-Know-Who, there is a complete shroud of mystery surrounding the sole heir to the Potter legacy.
Harry Potter.
The name itself is enough to send even the most reserved of citizens into long-winded tirades and theories on what possibly could have happened to the one year-old child. I must admit, I’ve been among the guilty. Exactly like most components to the mystery of Halloween of 1981, there has been a dearth of facts to even begin to build a case upon. All of the numerous sightings have all turned out to be either hoaxes or mistakes.
There theories are many, and we’ve all heard them before.
“The Potter sacrificed themselves in a explosion, to catch You-Know-Who! Harry Potter was born a Dark Lord, and used dark magic to kill his family, then You-Know-Who! Harry survived, and is now under the care of a prestigious English family, just waiting for his Hogwarts letter!”
However, it may be the truth that is strangest of all.
Has Harry Potter been living under our noses the entire time?
Roughly three weeks ago, there was a large contingent of Aurors and Muggle Relations agents dispatched to a muggle orphanage in downtown London. The official cause was uncontrolled accidental magic, which is hardly a cause important enough to warrant the skills of highly trained Ministry personnel. And if indeed there was a young muggleborn exhibiting powerful enough magic to summon half of the Ministry, then where is this wonder-child?
Don’t bother asking the Ministry.
All queries have been casually tossed aside, with our government claiming that there never was such a child. When pressed regarding the source of this phantom accidental magic, “no comment” was the only reply.
Luckily, a friendly ear within St. Mungo’s relayed to me a story of a young boy, perhaps ten years old, being rushed to protective custody to one of their private wards. My source only got a quick look, but claimed the boy had sustained heavy injuries, looked like he had been in a serious accident. Also, this mysterious child had black hair, but no other real distinguishing features.
Black hair, like that of James Potter. Accidental magic strong enough to summon half the Ministry, and to cause grievous injury to the young boy.
Could this have been the power that was enough to fell You-Know-Who?
If indeed the sole survivor of that fateful Halloween night has returned, we the people deserve to know. Enough with the secrecy, enough with the lies! This is a discovery that belongs to the people of England, not some bureaucrat looking to use a child as a political tool.
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Ministry Discovers Harry Potter in Muggle Orphanage!
Special Report by Rita Skeeter, Award-Winning Daily Prophet Reporter
September 18, 1990
That's right, ladies and gentlemen! The Potter heir has been found!
In a press conference that shook the entire Wizarding world to its core, Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, announced to a stunned crowd that Harry Potter had indeed been recovered from the Stonewall muggle orphanage.
Minister Fudge was slightly less than forthcoming with specific details regarding why the heir to a prominent family was found in the middle of muggle London, but is not without purpose. Cornelius Fudge, whose leadership has guided our country through dark times in the past, knows perfectly well where Harry is and why, but chose not to reveal it yet, in Harry’s best interest. The Minister assured as that when the situation is more secure, he will have more details for us, as has often been the case within this newfound era of open Ministry relations.
According to the Ministry, an extremely large accidental magic incident was detected at the Stonewall orphanage, prompting a swift response from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. There, it appears that Harry Potter was hurt by an outburst of accidental magic, and was transported to St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
The precise nature of young Harry’s injuries, as well as the extent, has been closely guarded by the Ministry. Other than saying that he was being cared for in a private ward at St. Mungo’s, no other information was forthcoming. They did, however, say that his injuries are not life-threatening, and that he would be capable of addressing the Ministry in short order.
This reporter could not have been more stunned if the Minister had announced that Amelia Bones had stepped down as head of the DMLE to pursue a career in modeling. The astonishment was echoed in those around me, the emotional responses ranging from elation all the way to fear. One woman who witnessed the miracle had tears in her eyes, and spoke of Harry Potter as a symbol of hope. If a small child could survive the wrath of You-Know-Who, she said, didn't that mean there was hope for everyone?
Others were far less optimistic in their outlooks.
“What if Harry Potter is a fledgling Dark Lord himself?” A man who wished to remain anonymous stated. “Any child who survived an encounter with You-Know-Who must have had some sort of Dark powers himself.”
Though we may not like to entertain it, our anonymous wizard makes an interesting point. With the damage done to the Potter home, no normal child could have possibly emerged without grievous harm. We can only hope that the child who outlived You-Know-Who turns out to be a symbol of hope for the Wizarding world, as opposed to a harbinger of a new dark age.
There is also the troubling matter of the DMLE being directly involved with the proceedings. One cannot help but wonder whether they are the right Wizarding body to deal with this crisis. It’s no secret that the Minister has had countless difficulties with the head of the DMLE, Amelia Bones, who has repeatedly sought to undermine the authority of the new created Muggle Relations branch of the Ministry. Should we be placing the trust of such a delicate matter in the hands of such a Ministry official with such a questionable background? We can only hope that young Harry Potter receives the best of care and remains firmly rooted in the Light.
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Where is Harry Potter?
An opinion by Tavia Lovegood, Chief Editor of The Quibbler
October 7, 1990
Surprise, surprise.
Yet another week has passed us by, and still there’s no sign of Harry Potter. Most governments would be embarrassed by this sort of mistake, that is, promising the answer to one of the Wizarding world’s biggest secrets as being imminent, before entering three weeks of media silence. In England, though?
It’s just business as usual.
Is Harry Potter close to recovery? No comment. When will we be able to speak with young Harry? No comment. Do you at least have photographic evidence that he exists? No comment. Why didn’t your puppet masters program a wider vocabulary in their slaves? No comment.
With our Ministry’s penchant for dropping the ball in critical situations, however, none of us over here at the Quibbler are exactly shocked. In fact, this is exactly the type of behavior that the once proud people of England have become accustomed to. Given the current efficiency of the Ministry’s bureaucracy, is there anyone out there who would trust them to watch over a cat, let alone a young child?
We all should have seen the signs. The Chudley Cannons would have a better chance of going undefeated than our Minister, the Corrupt Dwarf, passing up a photo opportunity with Harry Potter. Sad as it may seem, I can clearly picture the Corrupt Dwarf, his entourage of bumbling fools in tow, pushing Harry Potter’s comatose body up and down Diagon Alley. All things considered, I’m beginning to doubt whether the Ministry ever actually had Harry Potter in their possession
Doesn’t it seem rather convenient that as soon as the Wizarding Weekly article pops up, the Ministry rushes to make a statement? It almost seemed like the Ministry hadn’t any idea that Harry Potter had even been at the Stonewall orphanage, and had scrambled to uncover any possible truth to the article. Judging by the amount of information the Ministry provided in their illuminating press conference, it appears that they weren’t able to uncover much. Perhaps they were hedging their bets upon finding Harry Potter quickly. Perhaps wrackspurt infestation kills more brain cells than originally suspected (for more information of wrackspurts, have a look at my husband’s fascinating article on page 5).
It was all too-clear what would have happened. Young Harry would have been paraded around by the Corrupt Dwarf like a toddler showing off his new toy to the rest of the nursery. He would have been raised aloft, used as a symbol of the Ministry’s stranglehold over the darkness that always seems to be threatening our country. Then again, in this political climate, it seems something as minor as a drop in earwig sales is reason enough for a national emergency.
No, I’d rather like to imagine that the Ministry never had control of Harry and that some shining benefactor rescued him and took him away from the insanity of this country.
In case it went unnoticed by readers of the Daily Prophet, in the “article” written by Rita Skeeter, she mentioned an unnamed man who suggested that Harry Potter may indeed be a budding Dark Lord. Yes, a Dark Lord, at ten years old.
Just when you thought the bar could not be lowered any further, the Ministry throws in this little gem, as an afterthought. How Skeeter can continue to call herself a journalist is something I fail to understand. This is nothing but the Ministry propaganda machine speaking through the newspaper.
The Ministry wants a scapegoat, someone to place the blame on if they have indeed lost control of Harry Potter, which I’m certainly sure they have. My hypothesis is that a kind benefactor did indeed whisk Harry away from St. Mungo’s, out of the clutches of the Ministry. The article was a threat of sorts, to bring back Harry or have him painted as the next Dark Lord. Once again, if you’re not on the Ministry’s payroll, or campaigning for them, you’re against them.
People of England, the predictability of our Ministry would be amusing if not for the lengths they’d go to prove their righteousness. In the coming weeks and months, you’re going to see articles trying to paint an innocent, ten year-old boy as the next You-Know-Who. I urge you all, please don’t allow the Ministry to wield this type of power. When you start to hear about the budding Dark Lord, who is planning to take over the country in-between games of Exploding Snap, don’t listen. Better yet, tell others, those that won’t question the dubious “facts” presented by the media. Tell them not to let the lies of a corrupt establishment make a pariah of a boy that has already lost everything once in his short life.
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What Really Happened at Stonewall Orphanage?
Special Report by Bradford Belby, Wizarding Weekly reporter
November 1, 1990
Almost two months ago, Wizarding Weekly reported that Harry Potter had been found at Stonewall orphanage, deep within the heart of muggle London. Three days later, the Ministry released a statement, confirming what this publication had already written, but not bringing any new information to light.
The revelation that the Potter heir, the final remaining link to one of Britain’s most prominent families, was still alive invigorated our society as a whole. People openly celebrated in the streets, jubilant at the unexpected news. Since the abrupt, mysterious end of the Wizarding war, there has been precious little to celebrate. The uncertainty that has draped this country has been like a cold, damp, cloudless night. Harry Potter was like the dawn of a new day, poking through the gloom, a symbol of hope.
Now, in the wake of two months of silence from both St. Mungo’s and the Ministry, people have become restless. The looks of hope have faded, morphing into those of distrust, of skepticism, an unanswered question in their eyes.
Where is Harry Potter?
Tired of the run-around handed down by the Ministry, myself and other colleagues here at Wizarding Weekly decided to take matters into our own hands. We started scouring the halls of the Ministry, the Atrium, known haunts of Ministry employees. Wherever we went, it seemed to be the same story. No one ever had any comment, wouldn’t talk to us, wouldn’t even give us the time of day. After several days, we started to grow very frustrated. Wasn’t there anyone within the Ministry that actually cared about Harry Potter?
On the fourth day, our luck changed. A member of the DMLE agreed to talk to us, provided we kept their identity secret. With our mission to find out the truth behind Harry Potter, we agreed quickly. Sadly, we were unprepared for the horrible truth.
According to the DMLE operative, on August 27th, the tracking grid started going ballistic over a section of muggle London. The area had been confirmed as being a home to no magical children, so an incident of accidental magic would have been surprising. Still, mistakes happen, and accidental magic would have been the expected cause. However, that was not what the grid started charting.
Complex magical detonations, advanced level transfiguration, banishers, summoners, stunning spells, cutting curses, blasting curses and other powerful spells were all detected, but that paled in comparison to the most heinous spell of all.
Avada Kedavra, the killing curse, was cast multiple times within the room that Harry Potter had stayed in.
Needless to say, we were shocked when we heard the news, but wanted to hear more. Our informant continued, saying that a large contingent of Aurors was dispatched to the Stonewall orphanage, and rushed up to the room. The scene described inside was one of complete chaos: all furniture smashed to pieces, the room burned in many places as if it had been on fire, holes in the ceilings and floors, shrapnel gored into every surface.
However, there were no witches or wizards inside, only two recently Obliviated muggle children. No Harry Potter.
Oddly enough, it gets stranger. A week prior to the incident, an employee of the Muggleborn Education office stopped by, and submitted a report that there was no evidence of any muggleborn children within the orphanage. The employee who submitted the report?
Nymphodora Tonks. The very witch that broke into the Ministry and stole a few rare artifacts, and was somehow involved in the murder of respected Ministry official William Flint.
So, what really happened here?
Did Nymphodora Tonks attempt to hide the existence of Harry Potter, intending to come back and kill him? And if so, how was young Harry able to fight back? All the magic detected was far more complex than any ten year-old would know. For that matter, where did Harry escape to? Our reports have him as being at St. Mungo’s for a short time, but where did he go? He certainly doesn’t seem to be there anymore.
Sadly, all the answers we received just spawned far more questions. One thing is certain, however.
Harry, all of us here at Wizarding Weekly wish you the best.
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Inside Harry Potter’s Stay at St. Mungo’s: What is Dumbledore Hiding from Us?
Special Report by Rita Skeeter, Award-Winning Daily Prophet Reporter
November 15, 1990
Albus Dumbledore, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has long been held up as the gold standard to the Wizarding world. From his defeat in 1945 of the Dark Lord Grindelwald, to his various exploits in alchemy with the reclusive Nicolas Flamel, his achievements are numerous. Sadly, though, it seems as if this once-great wizard has begun his fade from renown.
New reports from anonymous sources have surfaced, casting further doubt upon the actions of Albus Dumbledore, the so-called leader of the Light. According to an unnamed worker at St. Mungo’s, on August 27th, a very harried-looking Albus Dumbledore stormed into the hospital, holding a boy in his arms. The boy looked to be about ten years-old, with black hair. Whoever the boy was, he was in very harsh shape. Blood from a broken nose grimed his face, and leaked from the corners of his mouth. There appeared to be various burns across his body, and one of his thumbs had been torn off.
Before the staff could react, Dumbledore was demanding access to one of St. Mungo’s private wards, to which the staff complied, too fearful of an angry Light Lord to do anything else. Once within the private ward, Dumbledore implied harm would come to anyone who spoke of the child that had been brought before them. Ordering them to help the child, he then took his leave.
Over the next week, the staff of the secret ward used the extent of their healing skills to work on the comatose child. Though his eyes twitched beneath his eyelids, and he occasionally let out blood-curdling screams, he never awoke. With mounting horror, the staff found that the young boy’s injuries were even more extensive than originally anticipated. A large object had apparently hit him, impacting his chest cavity, doing massive damage to his internal organs. Had Dumbledore waited even an hour, it was a strong probability the child would have died.
At the end of the week, the boy’s physical injuries had mostly healed. However, he still was within the grip of a coma, and still let out the occasional scream of terror. When Dumbledore returned at the end of the week, he proceeded to take the boy with him. The staff insisted upon him seeking treatment from the mental health staff of St. Mungo’s, but Dumbledore declined, saying that he was beyond the help of their staff. Without further word, the helpless staff could only look on as Dumbledore scooped the child up in his arms, and left St. Mungo’s.
At the conclusion of the anonymous worker’s account, I sat for a moment, in stunned silence. As much as Dumbledore’s actions of late have suggested a mind slipping into senility, kidnapping seemed a stretch for even him. After all, shouldn’t a Light Lord have some sort of moral objection to kidnapping?
As reported right in this space by yours-truly, as well as countless other publications, Dumbledore has been increasingly at odds with the Wizarding world. All attempts to bring the proven effectiveness of our Ministry’s progressive ideas to Hogwarts have been met with stiff resistance, and even occasional outright denial. In the face of rapidly declining performance in OWL and NEWT testing, Dumbledore has remained steadfast in his certainty that there is no need for reform, for change.
This hard-headed stubbornness, this complete denial in the face of fact, has not merely been limited to the school which he presides over. In the Wizengamot legislative sessions, the Ministry has faced almost constant criticism and resistance from Dumbledore, holding up key legislation that stands in the way of progress for our fine nation. However, even this jaded reporter was shocked at the lengths Dumbledore would stoop to undermine the Ministry.
Just when one would have assumed this story couldn’t have gotten any stranger, it does just that. When there are multiple people involved in a cover-up, it strongly suggests a conspiracy. It is no secret that there exists an alliance between Dumbledore and Amelia Bones. Considering that the Aurors under her command where the first ones on scene, it’s not a stretch to suggest that there was some sort of cooperation between the two. Perhaps it’s even possible that the Aurors, under the control of Director Bones, were ordered to let Dumbledore go.
Even more taxing on the mind, however, is why Dumbledore was there in the first place, and why Harry was in such terrible physical shape, as if he had just wandered out from battle. We know that wanted criminal, Nymphodora Tonks, visited there and failed to report to her superiors that a wizard resided within Stonewall Orphanage. Could Dumbledore, Tonks and Director Bones have all been working together? Towards what goal, you might ask?
We know that Harry Potter somehow survived an encounter with You-Know-Who, only the most feared Dark Lord in England’s long history. We also know that there were multiple Unforgiveables cast by someone within the orphanage. As much as Dumbledore may have faded, casting such terrible curses seems a little much. So who does that leave?
Harry Potter.
What if Nymphodora discovered a Dark Lord in his infancy? Instead of going to her superiors, she goes to the only Light Lord she knows, Albus Dumbledore, warns him that there’s a young Dark Lord at a muggle orphanage. Dumbledore, armed with this new knowledge, decides he’s going to do something about it, and rushes off to confront Harry Potter, but not before getting the support of Director Bones and her Aurors.
This writer can hear your thoughts as she writes, “but Rita, didn’t Dumbledore take Harry to St. Mungo’s, to heal him?”
Indeed he did. As evidenced by the vast destruction at Stonewall orphanage, Harry put up quite the fight when confronted by Dumbledore, but ultimately lost. Dumbledore had to subdue him Harry, but killing him was not the goal. The Supreme Mugwump’s penchant for giving people second chances is legendary. Dumbledore’s goal would be to capture Harry, and attempt to lead him back to the Light. That would explain why Dumbledore insisted upon the no mental Healers, as he knew a mind consumed by the Dark beyond the scope of the St. Mungo’s staff.
Even if Dumbledore’s intentions were noble in nature, his actions were inexcusable. With his reckless plan, the life of a young wizard was put at severe risk. Judging the collateral damage around the room, there was a high probability of putting muggle children as risk. Are these the actions of a Light Lord?
This writer says absolutely not, that they are the actions of a Wizarding relic, who has lost all touch with reality, who thinks himself above the law. How many other lives will be put at risk before this madman is stopped?
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Exclusive Interview with Albus Dumbledore
Conducted by Tavia Lovegood, Chief Editor of the Quibbler
November 25, 1990
For years, Albus Dumbledore has been known to Wizarding society as a paragon of the Light. He defeated the Dark Wizard Grindelwald, and led the Light against the forces of You-Know-Who a mere ten years ago. After Rita Skeeter’s explosive bit of journalism (and I use the term very loosely) last week, I thought it only fair that Dumbledore have a forum where he could defend himself from these wild accusations, and have his words unhindered by any filter. To my immense surprise, he agreed.
I arrived first, at a room within the Leaky Cauldron. This would was to be my first personal experience with the Chief Warlock outside of my time at Hogwarts, so anxiety had a tight grip on me. He ended up arriving slightly late, apologizing for his tardiness. Dumbledore seemed to sense my discomfort, and made every effort to put me at ease. I could not have asked for a more gracious host. We started off with general pleasantries and small talk, before jumping into the “official” part of the interview.
TL: If I may be so bold, sir, how would you answer those critics who claim that you are involved in a conspiracy with Director Bones, the Aurors and Nymphodora Tonks, with the ultimate goal of brainwashing Harry Potter?
AD: I was not. Miss Tonks asked to meet me, a request with which I happily complied. In the course of our meeting, she mentioned that she had discovered Harry Potter within a muggle orphanage. I immediately rushed away to see if this could possibly be true. When I arrived, I found that Harry Potter was indeed there, but he was under the thrall of the Imperius Curse, and not himself.
TL: Why did Nymphodora Tonks tell you instead of going to her superiors?
AD: Miss Tonks was only recently graduated from Hogwarts, and had a wide reputation as being one of the most cheerful and rambunctious souls to ever grace its halls. I believe that upon her first visit to Harry, whoever put Harry under the Imperius also put Miss Tonks under its thrall, and this compelled her to seek me out. I also strongly believe this explains her actions at the Ministry, as well as the actions of the muggleborn wizard Octavius Pepper, who is currently awaiting trial.
TL: How is Harry Potter right now?
AD: He’s doing quite excellent right now. The process of extracting the influence of the Imperius was long and arduous, but he’s now completely recovered.
TL: What made you decide to take him away from St. Mungo’s?
AD: His physical injuries were vast, and the Healers of St. Mungo’s are among the finest in the world. With his body healed, I removed him so that he could recover from the mental strain of the Imperius in a safe and peaceful location.
TL: Why did you not return him to Ministry after his mental wounds had healed?
AD: Quite simply, Harry requested it. After his ordeal he wanted a safe, quiet place, so I suggested one, and Harry agreed.
TL: I can’t blame you, as the Ministry probably would have taken credit for discovering Harry Potter, and turned him into its mascot. When do you think Harry will be able to rejoin the Wizarding world?
AD: That’s a difficult thing to predict. Harry enjoys his current residence vastly, so he may stay there for a good deal of time. The only thing I can really say with any certainty is that when the next school year begins, Harry Potter will be there to start his first year.
TL: What would you say to those who claim that you’ve overstepped your bounds?
AD: I would ask them if they would be content to merely do nothing if they saw a young child in dire need of help. Simply stated, I saw a child in desperate need of assistance, and decided to intervene. If that is what is defined as overstepping my bounds, then it is a line I will never hesitate to cross.
TL: Is it true that both the Ministry and the Hogwarts Board of Governors threatened to strip you of your position at Hogwarts if you didn’t give up the location of Harry Potter?
AD: Certain parties may have made empty threats in my direction, but there was no legal ground for them to stand upon, so I feel rather confident that my current position is not in any jeopardy.
TL: Could you please clarify that statement, sir? Why wouldn’t they have a legal precedent?
AD: Before the tragic demise of Harry’s parents, I was named as the executor of their will, if anything untimely was to occur. Sadly, James and Lily Potter did not survive to see the end of the Wizarding war. They granted the title of executor unto me, so I would be able to help make important choices for him, such as where he spends his years leading up to Hogwarts.
TL: Have you any final words to impart upon the people of England?
AD: I do. To all who read this interview, I realize that a great deal has been written about Harry Potter, but precious little of it has been based upon fact. This child has experienced horrible ordeals, far above and beyond what any ten year-old should have to face. Despite all the adversity, however, Harry remains a wonderful, vibrant young man. I would ask that he be given the same consideration and empathy one would have for their own children.
TL: Thank you for the interview, sir.
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Articles continue on, all the way to the tragic events that occurred at Hogwarts in late spring, 1991.
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Confidential DMLE Documents Enclosed
To: Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
From: Terrence Higgs, Junior Auror
Date: January 12, 1997
Subject: Possible clues to Undesirable #1’s location
Overview:
This report is a comprehensive analysis of all materials recovered from the site of an unregistered magical residence in the Somerset County. Most of the evidence was destroyed, with the attached scrapbook being one of the few exceptions, the contents of which are all articles pertaining to Undesirable #1’s entry into the Wizarding society, roughly six years ago. We believe the scrapbook to be a memento of sorts, and think that the residence may have been used as a hideout for Undesirable #1. With the scarcity of leads on Undesirable #1’s whereabouts, we recommend continuing our investigation into this matter. Enclosed is the full report on the incident.
Full Report:
On January 10, 1997, a small magical detonation was detected on the grid, in an area without any nearby magical residences. Upon further investigation, the location was determined to be an isolated forest within the boundaries of Somerset country. Due to the heavily taxed resources of the DMLE, and the relatively low threat level associated with the task, it was determined by Supervisor Yaxley that I would investigate the occurrence myself.
The explosion detected was consistent with neglected ward-schemes, which is a common nuisance for the DMLE. The reading was a bright flare of magical energy on the grid, which disappeared within several seconds. The intensity of the discharge covered a small area, which suggested a minor incident. With no subsequent magical readings in the immediate area, it was accessed as being cleared for investigation.
I apparated to an area a quarter mile from the incident site. It was dense woods, with no signs of life. A fire burned in the distance, so I made my way cautiously towards it. I cast the revealing spell, and confirmed that the area was presently deserted.
I broke through a thick bramble, and into a small clearing. A cabin, the source of the fire, was in the center. The fire was just beginning to spread, so I cast asphyxiation curses upon the fire to control it, which I did within minutes.
With the threat of fire attended to, I began to investigate the cabin. The glass windows had all exploded outwards, leaving little doubt it indeed was the source of the apparent explosion. The front door had been partially torn of its hinges, requiring the use of a levitation charm to allow access.
The cabin was a single room, with a wooden floor and the remains of smoldering furniture scattered about the room. There was a large crater in the floor, which suggested that the source of the explosion had been hidden below the floor. Upon investigation of the hollow, bits of stone were found within.
The shards of stone suggested that the magical explosion was caused by an overloaded keystone. As you’re well aware, smaller structures typically don’t use dischargers, but rely on periodic cooling charms. It’s a common occurrence for neglected wards to explode when remaining active for long periods without preventative maintenance.
Searching around the property, I found more chips of stone embedded into the wall and ceiling, but without knowing what the keystone looked like, it’s impossible to determine what sort of wards were being used.
The fire was clearly caused by the intense heat of the failing keystone, and probably started before the explosion, though not a great deal of time would have separated the events.
Following the path of the fire, I discovered some interesting things. Five feet from the original explosion site, there was another hollow beneath the floor. All that remained within it were ashes; the contents damaged too great an extent to restore with a repair spell, making it impossible to gather any information from them.
The cabin seemed to have little in the way of personal effects. No pictures, personal letters, anything. Aside from a bed, a table, some chairs and a bookcase, there was little to distinguish it. The lack of personal items indicates that either the occupant had only been there for a short time, or that it was only an occasional dwelling.
Against the south wall leaned a bookshelf, which had been spared damage, as the table had absorbed most of the blast, and the fire hadn’t yet reached it. The only intact personal items were upon the shelves. Oddly, almost all of them were exclusively muggle in origin. The topics included muggle theology, philosophy, psychology and history. I’ve enclosed a full book list at the end of the report.
While cataloguing the books, a small scrapbook was discovered on the top shelf, wedged tightly between two thick muggle history volumes. They contained newspaper clippings, from a wide variety of Wizarding publications, very much unlike the muggle literature.
The subject of the articles pertained entirely to the Ministry’s most notorious enemy of state, Undesirable #1. All of the articles printed were from a time period of late 1990 to late 1991, a year’s worth. The occupant didn’t seem to distinguish between positive or negative, which is a source of frustration to us, since it makes it difficult to tell if they were a supporter or not.
Enclosed is a copy of all the articles recovered from the scrapbook. If you wish, we could have investigators go over the originals, to see if any further information can be gathered from it.
I wouldn’t have even brought this issue to your attention, were it not for the Ministry’s pressing need to find Undesirable #1. At this point, any clue should be investigated to the fullest extent.
In my professional opinion, there’s not much here. There were no personal comments within the scrapbook. Talking with our runes experts, they suggest that an explosion of this size, of this magnitude, was probably in the making for two years, strongly suggesting this trail is cold. However, if you wish, I will have the cabin be put under surveillance.
- Terrence Higgs, Junior Auror
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Author Notes:
Surprisingly, most of all to myself, I was able to get this chapter done in the timeframe presented last chapter. Hopefully this admittedly small trend continues.
I didn’t want to do the typical “bunch of Rita Skeeter” articles, so I thought I’d present the information in a different manner, and set it within the larger framework of the plot, to show how Harry goes from media darling to potential Dark Lord.
The next chapter will continue the narrative at the Flamel Estate, and should be finished by the end of October.
Any comments, suggestions or criticisms would be deeply appreciated. I’ll make an effort to answer every review I get.
Thanks to my co-conspirators, darklordmike and mira mirth, for their valuable assistance with plotting, characterization, continuity and grammar. They put a huge amount of effort into helping me hammer out the kinks in this chapter, as I had immense trouble with the articles.
Thanks for reading.