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Daily Prophet

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May 14th, 1888

Argus Scrimgeour Arrested

Family Drama Goes Further

Mr. Argus Scrimgeour, 63, of Wellingtonshire, has been brought in by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in connection with his daughter, Miss Annabelle Scrimgeour's, disappearance. The Department confirmed that Miss Scrimgeour has been found alive.

Court records indicate that Mr. Scrimgeour faces charges of aggravated assault against Miss Annabelle Scrimgeour. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement revealed that Miss Scrimgeour has been found alive, but harmed, at a "friend's house." At this time, reporters were not able to discern what motivated the assault, but rumors of Miss Scrimgeour's misbehavior may have contributed.

"We're disinclined to reveal the friend at this time," said department sources, "Given the sensitive nature of the case."

Mr. Scrimgeour declined to comment on the case, as did his other daughter, Miss Araminta Scrimgeour.

Mr. Scrimgeour has not been indicted at this time. 

Ian Pengloss

Written by Beanie

  

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Daily Prophet

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May 14th, 1888

Interview With A Vampire

Charlotte Potter Speaks Out

After our paper broke the news of Miss Potter's return to Hogsmeade earlier this week, we were contacted by Miss Potter herself for an interview, to set the record straight. Our meeting with her is reprinted in full below:

What happened the night you disappeared, in 1883?
"I had gone out of the house for a walk that evening and had decided to visit Asphodel. My father had been buried there recently. It grew dark earlier at that time of year and I was returning back with less light than I'd expected. The vampire who attacked me was at the edge of the forest, nearest the path. I managed to fight him off, but not until after he'd taken a good deal of my blood. Afterwards, I was disoriented — I eventually passed out, but I think I must have wandered farther into the forest before I did."

So your brothers didn't find you?
"No; Bennet and Darcy had no idea. When I eventually came to my senses and realized what had happened, I couldn't bear the thought of returning home. I was worried I might loose control and hurt someone I loved, so instead of telling them what had happened, I left."

Where did you go?
"To the continent, initially. I was trying to adjust and learn how to hunt animals, which was frightfully difficult without magic. I traveled some, but the magical citizens of Europe were packed in too densely for me to feel comfortable avoiding exposure. I eventually went to North America and trained as a Muggle nurse. Working in hospitals allowed me access to stored blood, the way the British Ministry provides the blood bank for vampires here."

So you've never killed for blood?
"It took me many years to feel comfortable around humanity again. I had to learn how to manage the hunger. But the reason that I've returned to Britain is that I feel it can be managed, and there is no reason that vampires and wizards cannot coexist, if the wizards are willing to make certain allowances for vampires."

What sorts of allowances?
"The Ministry's blood bank is a solid beginning, but there are still many barriers to accessing it. Unlike werewolves, vampires can be created from Muggles as well as magical folks, in which case they might never hear that it existed in the first place. The registry aspect worries some. And then explaining how one received blood prior to registering — there's a lot of stigma surrounding vampires, and a lot of mistrust, which is understandable given the way the relationship between vampires and wizards has been in the past, but it doesn't have to continue to be that way."

What do you plan to do now that you've returned to England?
"My main goal is to connect with the vampires here, to try and change the perception of the wizarding world. We need to try and trust each other if we want to create a better relationship with future generations, and since vampires have much longer lifespans, on average, I think that trust-building really needs to start with us."

An interesting stance from an interesting young woman. We have yet to see any influence of her plans on either the Ministry of Magic officials who decide policy or on the resident vampires of Britain, but at this point it seems anything could happen.

Ian Pengloss

Written by Lynn

  

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