8 Jan 2010

HOGSMEADE - The life of one of Wizarding Britain's heroes was cut tragically short this week.  Hector Harrison (95) perished in The Three Broomsticks on the afternoon of 6 January. 

For many, Harrison's name might be lost to history.  For the last decade or so, Harrison lived a life of obscurity mainly consisting of frequent visits to his local pub.  But for those more versed in the dark times of Gellert Grindelwald's reign of terror, Harrison's is a name synonymous with a war hero, a warlock of the highest esteem.  As a young wizard, Harrison infiltrated Grindelwald's followers and became instrumental in the events that ultimately lead to his defeat. 

In the decades following the war, Harrison founded the still-thriving Hector Harrison's Unfortunate Urchin Grant Foundation.   Each year, HHUUG contributes thousands of galleons towards the rescue and magical training of magical youth living on the streets.  Harrison left the Foundation in capable hands in the 1980s, but the Foundation continues his legacy across Europe. 

Two years ago, Harrison came out of hermitage to donate some memories to the Ministry of Magic's Memory Repository, so that future generations would know the horror of Grindelwald's crimes.

The circumstances regarding Harrison's death are unclear, but sources from St. Mungo's Hospital and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement concur: "nothing fishy going here, poor old bloke."

Young bartender Bethan Ellis (19) was the only staffer on duty that afternoon.  It was she who found the body of the late Hector Harrison and identified the threat.  A witness described how Ellis fought off the strange smoky presence.  Ellis had this to say:

"Well, I'll be honest. I didn't know what it was, like, and I wasn't expecting to see it in a pub, so I had to be... what's it called... intuitive? And it was lucky I'm so quick with a wand, you know? The Broomsticks is an institution – would be a shame to see it closed just cause some smoke got in."

Heading up the investigation is Auror Dean Baily.  "Near as we can tell at this time, Harrison was victim to some kind of magical creature, something like a Dementor.  He died of a heart attack.  No evidence of foul play.  We're grateful to Miss Ellis for fending it off, whatever it was, or else it might have done more damage."

The Department of Mysteries continues to research the nature of the creature and how it might be connected to Harrison's death.  The Ministry of Magic published a short statement to reassure the public that Hogsmeade was "absolutely safe for travel and shopping".

The HHUUG Foundation will be hosting a black tie event in Harrison's honor this March.