11:30pm on the 17th of August, 2011

The assistants and gophers and delivery witches didn't have a desk so much as a thicket of unwanted chairs around a card table with a self-heating kettle. Figaro was taking his break. His had his feet up on the table, and a tub of cottage cheese propped up on his chest. He spooned it directly from the carton while he read a Quidditch magazine.

Niobe Thursby, one of the Prophet's star reporters who had taken a liking to the go-to whipping boy, sauntered over and slipped a bit of parchment in front of him.

   "You might want to owl your mum," she said.

"Hm?"

Figaro looked up, then down at the paper. It was a draft of an article, marked up by copy editors before it would go to print for the early edition.

Knockturn Alley's oldest apothecary, Sellaphix Apothecary, has temporarily shut its doors following an apparent break in the early hours of August 17.  The break-in was reported to the Ministry of Magic by owner Zelda Sellaphix on August 17. Auror reports indicate there were no signs of forced entry, and that an estimated 500 to 1000 galleons of damage had been done inside.

Sellaphix Apothecary was the subject of Auror inquiry in 2008 in connection with a Runespoor Venom explosion that injured three and damaged the Black Chimaera Inn. Rafe Sellaphix, husband of Zelda Sellaphix and co-owner of the apothecary, was convicted on smuggling charges and is serving a sentence in Azkaban Prison.

Department of Magical Law Enforcement spokeswitch said, "We take all reports of this nature seriously, and investigate to the best of our ability regardless of who the alleged victims are. I don't know why you'd indicate otherwise."

Madam Sellaphix declined to comment for this report, and it is not known when the apothecary will re-open.

As he read, he took his feet off the table and set down his snack, his face showing more and more concern.

"What is this?"

    "Rumor is you can read. I assume you didn't know about this since you're here instead of home. Go on, you can leave. I'll cover for you."

"She hasn't owled me..." he said, anger and distress plain to see, his lip almost curled into a scowl. Why - why wouldn't she owl him? Figaro had always worried that his parents thought he was amounting to nothing; he was always disappointing them, it felt like. Did his mum not even trust him to ... And what about Frank?

   "Yeah, I figured. I'd have told you sooner, but I didn't know you were here. Really, go on." She crossed her arms and jerked her head towards the doors.

Figaro didn't need to be told again. It had been more than 12 hours since it had happened. He wasn't sure if she'd be at the shop, or at home, so he'd just try one and the other. He silently gathered up his things, was out the doors, and Apparated to Marylebone.