Game of Wands' Journal

The Daily Prophet - 1-4 January 2002
CROWN PRINCE CHOOSES LADY BIANCA OF HOUSE MALFOY

Crown Prince Sirius of House Black chose Lady Bianca of House Malfoy, daughter of his cousin, the former Princess Narcissa of House Black, out of the three eligible ladies at the New Years Eve ball. Both Lady Gwenog of House Jones and Miss Parvati Patil were spotted at the ball looking supportive of the pair, despite being rejected by the prince.

"The couple are very happy together, and they will be wed in early spring," said a spokesperson for the palace. Another source claimed that Queen Walburga was positively glowing at her wayward son's choice.

"She never expected him to actually go through with it," the anonymous source claimed. "She thought he would be disowned by now, but here we are. She's convinced this one will stick, and that there will be a legitimate heir to announce by next New Year's Eve."

This is the Prince's eighth engagement. Lady Bianca is twenty-two years his junior and six months younger than his youngest child.

PRINCE KIT WAKES UP, NO SUSPECT NAMED

Prince Christoper 'Kit' of House Black, who was attacked in a brutal massacre inside the palace days after Christmas, reportedly woke up late Tuesday evening. The prince, who was in critical condition immediately after the attack, was also the reported target of the bombing that destroyed several floors of St. Mungo's Hospital.

Though the palace declined to comment on his condition, an anonymous source reported that the prince may have suffered permanent vocal damage. Lord Blaise of House Zabini has reportedly not left the prince's side since the attack.

TOWER BRIDGE TRANSFIGURED, SUSPECTS ARRESTED

Late last night, a team of Obliviators, along with the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, were dispatched to the Tower Bridge, where a small group of as-yet unidentified wizards, in apparent high spirits, decided to transform the concrete into glass. Muggle onlookers on the overlook, which is itself made of glass, described a scene of mayhem as panicked Muggles crashed their "auto-mobiles" in confusion. Though there were no fatalities, several Muggles were transported to hospital prior to being handled by the Obliviators.

Elyse Dunkirk, Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, stated, "We have reason to suspect, from descriptions of the suspects, that the wizards in question had been drinking and likely performed this act of magic on a whim or a dare. Unfortunately, a lack of malice does not change the fact that this is a serious breach of the Statute of Secrecy. The Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee is hard at work, and we hope to have the aftermath cleared up soon."

Katie Bell, a member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, said, "The trouble is the scale of this event in modern times. Apart from the number of witnesses, all of whom need to be tracked down, we have reason to believe they captured video footage of the incident - that's like a photograph. It's going to take several days to fully clear this up. It's just lucky that no one was killed."

This incident comes only a week after the explosion at St. Mungo's, a far more devastating event which, although more easily contained, also caused comment among nearby Muggles. The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes would like to remind everyone to be cautious in Muggle areas.

( Gossip - 3 January 2002 )