A New Dark Mark And Six Dead Leave Authorities Bewildered
An uneasy silence shrouded the group of stunned spectators who gathered around the outskirts of Diagon Alley earlier this morning where the bodies of six victims lay discarded in a disheveled heap, far away from the grinning jack-o-lanterns and fake spiders of the main streets.
A dispatch unit from St. Mungo’s and a team of Aurors were on the scene almost immediately in a desperate bid to cover up the corpses, claiming that there had been a “freak accident” involving a loose bit of scaffolding, but eyewitnesses say otherwise.
Chris Lewis, a 70-year-old wizard vacationing from Australia was one of the first people unfortunate enough to have stumbled upon the gruesome scene this morning.
“I just couldn’t believe my eyes,” Lewis remarked, a potent look of fear still painted across his ashen face. “Them bodies were mutilated – I’ve gutted enough Roos in my day to know when summat’s been turned inside out.”
Shop owners and patrons alike have been shaken up by the occurrence; hushed rumors spreading like wildfire throughout the Wizarding Community. Some insisting that it was nothing more than a Halloween prank gone horribly wrong, while others are hinting at something far more sinister.
The ritualistic murders come hot on the heels of an increase in the number Dark Magic related arrests in the past few months, bringing back harrowing memories of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s ascent to power before the First and Second Wizarding Wars.
What makes this macabre homicide even more intriguing is the use of an unknown occult symbol, spotted by a young American witch just before the bodies were hauled away.
Summer Chronister says that in addition to being turned inside out, the bodies had been branded with a strange mark.
“I’ve never seen anything like it – all six had the same thing burned into the back of their skulls.” The Ilvermorny graduate conveyed excitedly.”It looked like some kinda weird ritual. But I’m not chicken about that kinda stuff, so I took a picture with my celly.”
The victims have been identified but their names are being withheld from the general public at this time.
The only information we have been able to glean from the ongoing investigation is that the victims were current staff at the Daily Prophet.
That’s right folks.
Six of our own have been taken – but by whom and for what still remains a mystery.
For now, your most trusted source of Wizarding news will be slowing down production to weekly updates until staff numbers are restored and the culprit(s) behind this Halloween homicide has been brought to justice.