"Are you sure you're ready?"
"I am, Cinderella, we both are. No need to worry."
Sirius shot her a glare, but let the nickname slide. "Don't do anything stupid like me, yeah?"
"Do we look stupid to you, brother?" Regulus carelessly drawled, sauntering in through the door. "Last time I checked, I don't have a saviour complex like you."
"That's what makes us Gryffindors so great, Reg," Sirius grinned. "We love everybody, and they bloody love us."
"Oi, shut up you two," Aoife cut in, preventing Regulus from making a scathing remark. "Theia told us to wait here. Where is she?"
They were currently waiting for Aletheia in one of the smaller parlours off the hall. The Inferi had specially sent instructions to her. It seemed as if she had some past connections with them, but all three of them were too intimidated to ask. (Yes, even our noble Gryffindor).
"I think Belladonna's coming today," Regulus said. "I overheard Theia talk to her."
"Maybe she's coming back with some genius idea or something," Aoife suggested.
"I don't think that Bella's some sort of Dumbledore or anything, coming up with genius but barmy ideas," Sirius shrugged.
Regulus instantly scowled. "I don't like that man."
"Like him or not, he's still a genius."
"Here she is!" Aoife once again stopped Regulus from making a cutting remark.
Aletheia had entered the room, looking worse for wear. Her usually immaculate clothes were dishevelled, and there was the odd smell of seawater lingering around her. A few cuts adorned her face, and her hair was damp with water, as well as the rest of her.
"Where were you? Out for a swim?" Aoife joked, trying to ease the tension her aunt brought in with herself.
"You can say that," was the grim reply. Aletheia unclasped her cloak and flung it on the chair, before sitting down on another chair, her head in her hands.
"What happened, Theia?" All three of them asked simultaneously. She didn't answer at once, but gestured for them to sit.
When all of them had taken a chair, (which was done comparatively faster than usual, probably due to the apprehension they were facing), Aletheia wordlessly pulled out a newspaper, The Daily Prophet, and wearily placed it on the table.
Aoife unfolded it curiously, unable to suppress the gasp that followed. Intrigued, both the Black brothers craned their neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the paper. Aoife spread it on the table, while Aletheia made sure not to meet their eyes, focusing quite intensely at her fingernails.
DEATH EATER ATTACK AT GODRIC'S HALLOW
Earlier this morning, Death Eaters struck the small and peaceful magical community in Godric's Hallow. According to sources, it has been revealed that all Death Eaters were asking for the Potters, one of the oldest Pureblood families which has been missing from society for almost an year.
After no cooperation from the villagers, the Death Eaters burnt the houses to crisp, killing the oppression mercilessly. Many members of the group dubbed "The Order of the Phoenix", lead by Albus Dumbledore, were reported to be at the spot, but there is no news if they are alive or not.
Public outrage is quite visible on Dumbledore's failure to protect the Wizarding World, but Bathilda Bagshot, an acclaimed writer and historian thinks differently. "If it weren't for Albus, half of our society would've been killed by those masked baboons," she told one of our correspondents.
(For the full interview, turn to page 10).
In this recent massacre, it is also noticable that rumoured member of the Order, Marlene McKinnon, was murdered along with her family. The houses of a few eminent personalities were also burnt, especially those who have sided with Albus Dumbledore.
In such times, is it truly safe to ally ourselves with great wizards like Dumbledore? The Wizarding World needs a saviour, but many are starting to believe that Albus Dumbledore is just not it.
(Read about the Hollyhead Harpies's soul crushing defeat against the Chudley Cannons, pg 5).
Topping this article, there was a gruesome picture of the remains of Godric Hallow. The once bustling village, filled with Muggles and Wizards, was now crammed with their corpses and ash. The entire scene was so macabre that it made a shiver run down Aoife's spine. Regulus sat there, morose, staring at the picture of a demolished village. Aoife swore she could see one of those corpses - a large hole where the abdomen shoud be - with an oddly misshapen hand.
Sirius, on the other hand, looked devasted. The Death Eaters were after his best mate, after Prongs, and those evil gits had murdered one of the best women in his life. The bright, bubbly Marlene McKinnon was now just a shell of who she once was, with vacant eyes and gaping mouth.
His heart clenched when he thought of her little brother, Max, who had just started Hogwarts. Even though Marlene said she hated him, and grumbled everytime her friends fussed over him, she was the first to beat up his bullies so bad that they still quaked in their boots.
A sudden, delicious anger burned in him, fogging up his brain. He was going to kill those bastards, if it were the last thing he does.
He stood up, shaking in fury. "I'm going to kill them. I'm going to kill all those fucking bastards."
"Sirius," Regulus said softly. "I know Marlene was your friend, but you can't just rush into a fight without knowing who you're against."
"Gone soft for your buddies, Regulus?" Sirius spat, breathing heavily. "Wanna become mummy's darling boy, do you? As if you know how this feels."
Regulus's face went scarily blank, his eyes glinting murderously. Aoife knew she'd have to intervene before it turned into a bloodbath.
"Sirius, Reg, we can hug this out, right? No need to get all the emotions haywire," Aoife said tersely, trying to catch Aletheia's eye. Only she could stop the oncoming fratricide.
Both the brothers seemed to realise she was still there, and conceded to only shoot each other murderous looks. For now.
"You've read it?" Aletheia asked out of the blue, startling all present. Except Regulus.
Aoife nodded hastily, opening her mouth to ask something. Aletheia, however, quickly cut her off. "Turn to page 12."
This time Regulus shuffled through the paper, quickly scanning the contents of the page. His face kept turning stonier and paler as the article went on. Both Aoife and Sirius waited on tenterhooks.
Sirius was quite unsure whether he wanted to read the paper or not. On one hand, the curiousity to know what was happening against the war with Voldemort was eating him alive, and on the other hand, he didn't want to read about the deaths of the friends he'd went to Hogwarts with.
When Regulus deemed the paper ready for public viewing, Sirius's curiousity won. Leaning over the table, he read the gruesome headline:
INFERI ATTACK IN EAST LONDON: IS ANYONE TRULY SAFE?
Just this morning, a few hours after the attack at Godric's Hallow, another surprising attack was launched in East London. This attack gives us the first taste of the power of Inferi, dead corpses re-animated by Dark Magic. (Read pg 7 for Dr Figglywiggle's interview on precautions against these 'Spawns of Evil.').
The last sighting of Inferi was during Grindelwald's reign, when Inferi were seen roaming the streets like you and I. One of our correspondents went on the spot to talk to eyewitnesses.
"Never seen anything like it," Bertie Briggs, one of the local witches, told our correspondent. "They was damn big, and quite brawny too. Threw me car down the road."
"I saw Grindelwald's Inferi," Hamna Schmidt, a 99-year-old witch, told us. "These creatures had different powers. Almost as if they were - well, alive."
Where is Dumbledore? The next 50 victims asked us ceaselessly. Where is our saviour? Who will protect us innocents against You-Know-who's wrath?
(Turn to pg 9 for a breakdown on the Harpies's performance by Quidditch expert, Dr Haggleston).
"Bloody hell," Aoife exhaled heavily. "It's a fine kettle of fish we've gotten ourselves in."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Sirius said grimly. "Let's hunt these bastards down. We'll kill them off one by one."
"We can't do that, Sirius Black," Belladonna glided in gracefully. Aletheia woke up from her stupor, startled by her voice.
"Anything?" she asked hopefully, staring into Belladonna's blue eyes.
"I have found one person, yes, who can help us," she said heavily. "Please enter," she called out of the door.
"Who can it be?" Aoife murmured to Regulus, who just shrugged.
"Belladonna? What about the-" Sirius was cut off by the unexpected entry of one wizard he'd never thought to meet again.
"Shafiq?"