Daily Prophet
pg. 15 - Tragedies
Attack on The Leaky Cauldron!
E. Limus, Reporter
Sun May 2, 2004
1 DIAGON ALLEY, CHARING CROSS ROAD, LONDON
In the early hours of the morning, a surprise attack on the famous wizarding inn was carried out. The targets of the assault were the landlady of The Leaky Cauldron - Hannah Longbottom - and her husband, the Hogwarts herbology professor - Neville Longbottom.
The young, recently married couple were awakened at around four o'clock by the eerie sensation that a cold, sharp-edged item had been placed at their throats. They opened their eyes to the sight of a cloaked figure looming over them, holding a dagger to each of their throats, a malevolent smile upon his face. The attacker looked straight into the pleading eyes of Mr. Longbottom, and grinning maliciously, he drove the knife through Hannah's heart. The owner of the pub died instantly, as a result of the fatal wound.
The mysterious figure then vanished into thin air just as suddenly as he had materialized out of nowhere.
Shook and overwhelmed by grief, Longbottom staggered out of bed, intending to notify the authorities - and came face to face with a mass of gigantic pythons! The professor is currently being treated at St. Mungo's Hospital, having sustained multiple injuries during his ordeal with the snakes.
Three other people besides Mrs. Longbottom died during the assault (Madison Carter, Marcus Hitchin, and Susan Bones) - all three had been tenants at the inn and had presumably got in the way of the killer. Their bodies were found by another one of the lodgers, Mr. Nathaniel Boot, who then alerted The Ministry of Magic, whose personnel came to the aid of Mr. Longbottom, who was later found unconscious on the floor of his bedroom. It has been discovered that Neville had been injected with the venom of one of the snakes (who also disappeared without a trace), which is hindering the healing of his wounds, leading to severe blood loss, which could potentially be fatal. Here at The Daily Prophet headquarters, we are all praying for his survival.
The perpetrator of the attack is yet to be identified. A motive has also still not been established. All we know is that a murderer is on the loose - so we urge you to stay vigilant.
Note: Unfortunately, we haven't been able to interview any of the witnesses, as they are still rather shaken by the incident.
We will report any further news if it should arise.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Harry Potter series - all credit for creating this amazing universe goes to J. K. Rowling.
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