The Headline
November 6, 1981
Ellen fumbled with her key ring as she walked out of the elevator doors and down the hall to apartment 432. She found the key and slid it into the lock, pushing her entire body against the door to open it. Slipping the key ring into her left pocket she heard a slight clinking noise as it clattered against the white gold diamond ring on her third finger.
She pulled her hand out of her pocket and looked at it, the slightest of smiles passing over her face. The thought of her upcoming nuptials brought a mix of emotions. The smile faded and she reached into the pocket of her jacket to pull out her wand. She pointed at the fire and flames instantly sprung to life.
She made her way to the kitchen and began fill a kettle with water, all the time lost her thoughts. When she had met John four years ago, she had never imagined that she would still be with him now, about to marry him in less than twenty four hours. Back then she had been nervous, just out of Hogwarts and just starting her first job at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Being muggle-born, she had thought that doing a normal muggle thing like going to a club would help to settle her nerves. Unfortunately, she had not accounted for the length of time she had been absent from the muggle world and just how little she remembered about it. After she had been forcibly evicted by a bouncer, John had pursued her outside and convinced the bouncer to let her back in. They had started dating a week later. Three months later, when her secrets had strained the relationship, she apprehensively revealed to him the true nature of the world in which she lived.
A year later he had proposed, and she had accepted. She moved into an apartment in a more muggle part of London, and found that this to be a positive move. Even though she loved being a witch, and loved being part of the magical world, she still felt most comfortable around muggles and muggle-borns.
Back in Hogwarts most of her friends had been affiliated in some way with muggles, either having grown up with muggle relatives or, in the case of one very close friend, having parents who had jobs in muggle relations. She had been in Ravenclaw, and was considered bookish even by her housemates. In fact, through her entire Hogwarts career she had only been on one date.
She finished her tea and walked into her bare bedroom filled with boxes and trunks. Opening a suitcase, she pulled out her pajamas and slipped them on. She crawled into bed and flipped off the lamp, closing her eyes and falling back on her fluffy feather pillow. While she tossed and turned, her stomach full of pre-wedding butterflies, her mind slipped back to that first date.
Sirius Black was one of the smartest and most popular students in her year. Handsome to the point of being practically stalked by half of the female student body, he had always been too busy pulling pranks to bother himself with dating any of his adoring fan club.
One of her closer friends, a Gryffindor student by the name of Lily Evans, was dating another Gryffindor named James Potter. On a cool fall day, as Ellen was lying under a tree doing her charms homework, Lily had begged her to go on a double date with her on the next Hogsmeade weekend. After much pestering and convincing, Ellen had agreed.
She showed up with Lily to the date, feeling slightly sick to her stomach. Lily had picked out a small restaurant for the date, a place with a reputation for being a hotspot for couples. Just as she was beginning to think that she had merely been chosen for the sole fact she was the only of Lily's single friends, two tall, scruffy looking boys walked up to the table.
Ellen's heart raced, partially from anxiety, partially from embarrassment as she realized that she hadn't bothered to ask who her date was. She blushed deeply and starred into her lap, thinking of how many girls would die to be in the position she was in now. She considered whether it would be odd to run out of the restaurant screaming. Startled, she jumped. Sirius had jut sat in the seat next to her.
She glared at Lily with a look that clearly stated how many limbs she would be missing the next day. Glancing at Sirius, she noticed him directing a similar look in James's direction. The pair did not seem to notice, as they were too caught up in each other to pay attention to their unfortunate friends.
After an awkward silence, Sirius extended a hand and introduced himself. She did the same, blushing deeply. He paled and looked away, apparently just as embarrassed by her blushing as she was. Another awkward silence transpired. This time, James took notice at the discomfort of his two guests.
Pulling away from the tight embrace he was involved in with Lily with a smirk on his face, he suggested that Sirius tell Ellen about his new Quidditch moves. Lily gave him a fiery look that morphed into surprise at Ellen's knowledge of and interest in the sport. Upon entering the wizarding world, having been a tomboy beforehand, Quidditch had instantly grabbed her attention.
After finding one thing in common, the date had gone well. Sirius and Ellen had managed to mostly ignore Lily and James's passionate snogging, and had found that they actually had a lot in common. As they left the restaurant, they had promised to talk again.
However, their relationship was never as good as it had been on the date, and their friendship limited itself to waves in the hallway and occasional chats between classes. After Hogwarts, Ellen had lost contact with most of her old school friends, only staying close to a few who worked at the Ministry with her.
A week ago she had been horrified to read the obituary in the paper that told of James and Lily's murder. She hadn't gone to the funeral, feeling that it would be too hard. After shedding a few tears for her old friend and her husband, she had let them stray from her mind.
As she lay in bed, still unable to sleep, her thoughts drifted to Sirius once more. A tear rolled down her cheek and she thought about how hard he must have taken the murder. She closed her eyes at last and decided that tomorrow, before her wedding, she would send him an owl.
The next morning Ellen shuffled into the kitchen as an owl, clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet in its claws, pecked at the window. She wiped her blurry eyes and opened the window. The owl flew in, dropped the paper, and stood importantly on table with one leg outstretched, waiting to be paid. In her purse, in a jumble of muggle and wizard money, she found a knut and paid the owl.
It flew out of the window and she made a cup of coffee. Sitting down at the table she blew on the top of the steaming coffee and unrolled the paper lazily. She dropped her mug of hot coffee, ignoring it as it smashed in the tile and spilled all over the kitchen floor. Her mouth had dropped in shock at the large black headline on the front page.
SIRUIS BLACK MURDERS THIRTEEN