Press brief 1

A few minutes later on television:

We interrupt this program for a special bulletin. About an hour ago, an atomic bomb exploded in a wooded area located a few kilometers from Manchester. Here are images of the explosion filmed by an amateur camera.

After the presenter's message, a video showing children celebrating a birthday on the roof of a building began. At first, everything was going well. The children were laughing while the adults lit candles on a cake. Everyone stopped when, in the distance, an atomic mushroom emerged from the forest. Then the blast knocked over the camera and the video stopped abruptly.

During the break, directives had reached the studio and had been communicated to the presenter. She then pretended to be calm and perfectly reassured, in accordance with the government's requests, she declared:

We call on our fellow citizens to remain calm. We do not know what happened, but the military authorities assure us that it is not an attack by an enemy country. There is no risk of explosion in other cities. Nevertheless, for safety, the government has declared martial law and the total closure of borders. If you live in a large city, you are requested to calmly go to the subway, a basement, or any other nearby shelter. If you are in the countryside or there are no shelters nearby, close the shutters and stay at home. Do not attempt to flee.The explosion took place in the middle of the countryside. As a result, moving away from major urban centers will not keep you safe. You will only reduce your protections in the event of an explosion and hinder rescue efforts by clogging the roads. Now, our reporter in downtown Manchester.

The face of a girl amidst urban riots appeared. After a few seconds, she declared in total contradiction to the calm tone of the presenter:

Hello Eliza, it's panic here. The radioactive mushroom was visible to everyone and a few seconds later, all electrical devices went out. Despite the denials from the firefighters and the weather service, many believe the rumors claiming that the radioactive cloud has reached the city. As you can see behind me, downtown is being looted. I am being told that soldiers have arrived from the nearby military base, but they are blocked by the mass of civilians fleeing the area to escape the radiation.

Excuse me for interrupting, but a panic has started in London. Our reporters have gone there to try to... No, it's impossible. But we can't broadcast that.

We are live, Lyse.

Yes, excuse me. New images have just arrived in our studios and I assure you that they are authentic. They were filmed in the center of London, a few steps from our studios, by one of the surveillance cameras recently deployed.

On the TV, a video appeared of a crowd of people dressed in robes fleeing a pub far too small to contain them all and once they reached the street, teleporting. Then, the camera changed angle and showed a gigantic skull appearing in the sky, then being covered by a huge cloud of black smoke that seemed to come from nowhere.

We are also informed that despite the heatwave affecting the entire country, an intense cold has taken over a very busy district on the outskirts of London. People who get too close faint. Those who managed to escape in time report having lost all will to live. Others felt as though they were seized by an invisible creature and left their bodies. Wait, I'm being told that the center of the phenomenon is a store named Purge & Pionce on Health Street. It is unknown what is happening there, but the victims number in the hundreds. The city police are asking citizens to stay as far away from the area as possible and not to try to approach the zone under any circumstances. For now, all rescue teams sent to the site have fainted shortly after arriving, including a rescue team equipped with radiation protection and gas masks.

oOoOoOo

Author's note: In the canon, the stadium where the Quidditch World Cup final takes place is near Dartmoor. But it's in the middle of nowhere. There's not a soul up there. Result according to this site:https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/ Detonating an atomic bomb there would only cause a thousand deaths.

This is totally unacceptable. I have a reputation as a sadistic author to defend. And then think of Voldemort's disappointment. Think of his sad eyes realizing he can't even surpass the 3,000 deaths of the September 11 attacks. Dark wizards have feelings too.