The Daily Prophet

. The Ministry of Magic traditionally holds an annual Hallowe’en Gala for Ministry employees and their families. There are horror shows, storytelling, costume contests, haunted houses, dancing, and myriad other Hallowe’en events. But this year, the horror was just a little bit too real.

Barely an hour into the commencement of the event, the first guest became ill. According to Aurors, in attendance at the party, the first perceived victim was Ginerva Weasley Potter, of the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team, attending the event with her husband, the famed Auror Harry Potter. Though Ms. Potter was the first to show symptoms, many followed immediately after, showing effects from sweating and dizziness to vomiting and fainting.

The first casualty was an Unspeakable, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, but Aurors did say that his death was swift and unpleasant. Several others were reported dead, but exact numbers are of yet unknown, and the Minister’s report to this paper revealed that the poison was in the punch, and that investigations were underway to determine the culprit.

Those who ingested only a small amount, or who had an extraordinarily strong resistance to the poison were taken to St. Mungo’s, where Healers worked feverishly to determine the nature of the poison. Once it was identified, an antidote was quickly brewed, reversing the effects of the poison.

Among those affected were Lucius and Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Bill Weasley. Reporters were not allowed in to interview the victims, and in a brilliant display of the well-known ferocity of St. Mungo’s Healer protectiveness were told to vacate the premises unless they wished to become patients themselves.

There are no leads yet as to the perpetrator of this horrible crime, but Aurors assure this paper that they are working tirelessly to discover the murderer. Services for those who were killed by this awful tragedy will be announced in the Evening Prophet.

Several worried Ministry employees and family members await news on the poisoning victims.

Today's Cartoon of the Day comes from Al McConnell of Glasgow.

For those not aware, the device is a "chainsaw", a type of motorized Muggle tool used for cutting large objects like trees.

Anyone wishing to submit his or her cartoon to the Daily Prophet for our daily contest should send an owl to ‘Cartoon Submission, Daily Prophet’. Winners receive ten Galleons and the cartoon is printed in the paper. Make sure to include your name and address with your submission.

Modern architecture? Not at all! This is simply the MadCube - a newmagical puzzle cube invented by Welsh wizard John Kellerman, based loosely on a popular Muggle toy called a "rubix-cube". It is not for the faint-hearted, however. It's called the MadCube for a reason - it's infuriatingly difficult to solve. Available in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

The town of Newbury, Berkshire boasted a rather unusual birth in the wizarding community: a two-headed Crup. Crups are good-tempered, popular pets among wizards—they closely resemble a Muggle type of dog, except for their forked tails, which can be removed easily with a painless Severing Charm. For those wizards who want a magical pet without having to hide or disguise it among the Muggles, this is the most oft-followed course.

In the opinion of young Mr Jamie Summers, the forked tail is the “coolest” part of the dog. Nine year old Jamie is the proud owner of a Krup named “Rugrat”, whose forked tail must be constantly Disillusioned by his parents when the dog is visible to their Muggle neighbours. It’s worth it, says his mother, who is also fond of Rugrat’s forked tail. Why bother having a magical creature, she wonders, if you’re going to cut off its only distinguishing feature?

Rugrat is distinctive for another reason. Last night, appropriately on Hallowe’en, Rugrat gave birth to a healthy litter of seven puppies—one of which was born with two heads. Often a beast will be born with two heads, but unless this is a normal feature of the creature, it unfortunately cannot live long. It normally happens when two infants cannot separate fully in the womb, and there are often other complications for the baby.

But Rugrat’s two-headed pup is alive and well, proclaimed healthy by a Healer, and both heads are fully formed and functional. Jamie says it’s “the coolest thing I ever saw” and his parents speculate that Rugrat may have some Cerberus blood in her. Cerberi, of course, are the giant, three-headed dogs found in Greece and surrounding territories, and have been known on rare occasion to mate with more normal canines.

Jamie has decided to name the special puppy "Janus", after the god of myth who had two faces.

Here is Janus with two of his littermates.

Honeydukes Sweetshop, serving the wizarding community for 150 years, has the best and finest in wizarding treats.
From toffees to special-effects treats, to extra-sweet sweets, Honeydukes has it all!

	BERTIE BOTTS' EVERY FLAVOUR BEANS Berte Botts' Every Flavour Beans are among the oldest wizarding sweets in the world. Enjoyed and reviled equally among wizards, you take a risk with every mouthful!
	JELLY SLUGS Jelly Slugs have been a wizarding favorite for years. Jelly Slugs are extremely realistic looking, but contain no insect parts whatsoever. Jelly Slugs are sweet and chewy.
	RAINBOW RINGS Rainbow rings are colorful, chewy rings that explode with flavor. And as if their delicious taste weren't enough, they are one of our "special effects" sweets--they make you blink in different colours! Packages specify what colors are contained.
	BLOOD LOLLIES For those with more unusual or daring tastes, try Blood Lollipops! They contain no actual blood products, but taste like the real thing, and leave a convincing red residue on the mouth.
	FLASHING BEADS Flashing Beads light up when strung into edible jewelry. Make earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and noserings!