Author's Note: Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters or stories written about or mentioned in this fanfic. This was simply something that came to mind earlier today and I wanted to put it on paper. I hope you enjoy reading!

The Curse Of Mr Hyde

Daily Prophet

June 28th

1885

Aurors Receive New Information In The Search For Mr Hyde

'It has been confirmed that Mr Edward Hyde was responsible for the death of Ministry Official and high ranking member of the British Parliament, Sir Danvers Carew. Gabriel Utterson, the lead auror on the case, stated that while this was not the first time Hyde has lashed out; it was most certainly more vile. He has deemed it enough to lay a criminal charge against him. The reasoning behind Utterson's verdict as well as how he managed to discover it was Hyde, was not disclosed to the public. '

Daily Prophet

March 3rd

1886

Infamous Murderer Hyde Found Dead/Henry Jekyll Missing

'After investigation, aurors claim the cause for Mr Edward Hyde's death was self inflicted. While his corpse was discovered in the laboratory of esteemed Healer and Ministry Official, Henry Jekyll, the latter has not been found as of yet. Speculation serves that Jekyll was but another of Hyde's victims before his untimely demise, yet no proof has been found to support this allegation.'

Daily Prophet

March 8th

1886

Respectable Auror Gabriel Utterson's Silence after Jekyll's Disappearance

'It has been established that Utterson lead the investigation of alleged murderer and dark wizard, Mr Hyde; however his reports to the public remain vague upon questioning. Utterson addressed the public yesterday and confirmed that Henry Jekyll was no more. While no body has been found, the public has accepted the news and now mourn the esteemed Healer. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has deemed the case 'closed' and inhibited further investigation.'

It's been more than a century since the strange case of Mr Hyde, however the heinousness of his crimes somehow prevailed. In Gabriel Utterson's final will and testament, he left a letter to his cousin, Richard Enfield, a respected gentleman in the wizarding community. After Utterson's sudden death, Enfield was presented with the letter and stunned into silence by it's contents.

My dear Enfield

If you are reading this letter, I trust it is because I have departed from the life of auror to a far more peaceful plain of existence. However, I cannot rest peacefully, until the truth regarding Hyde's death has been told. Mr Hyde was indeed an odd fellow; I believe you were the one who first mentioned his name. You described the man as having a sense of deformity; as if evil were radiating from his very being. I regret to inform you, dear cousin, that your suspicions were correct; although the truth is far more sinister.

You remember our venerable Jekyll; the embodiment of opulence. It was indeed his very manor that a certain Hyde ventured into that night you caught him; trampling over that innocent child. Jekyll was a dear friend, and his avoidance of me had awoken a strange suspicion that years of being an auror had yet to tame. I then made the decision to look upon his will, and the results were startling. In the event of Jekyll's death or disappearance all of his belongings were to be inherited by one Hyde. I found myself pondering the situation, wondering whether or not Hyde was blackmailing dear Jekyll. I begged him to confide in me, but he implored me to let the matter rest. And so I did. But what bothered me most was his words that night.

"Just to put your good heart at rest, I will tell you one thing: the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr. Hyde. I give you my hand upon that."

It had never made more sense, than in the moment I found the deceased Hyde along with a final letter from dear Jekyll.

Enfield, do you remember the night of Sir Danvers' death? I immediately knew it was Hyde, but not from the young lady's description as I have led my fellow aurors to believe. No, it was because the remains of the murder weapon that lay beside Danvers caught my eye. It was in fact part of the cane that I had once bought Jekyll as a gift. That was the day we put out a criminal charge against Hyde.

For almost a year, we had little success in finding him. It was as if he had disappeared off the face of the earth. There were no more leads; until the death of my close associate, Dr Hastie Laynon, an aspiring muggle doctor. The cause of his death: shock.

Lanyon had always said Jekyll's view on medicine and science was complete balderdash; which was understandable. Magic has always been frowned upon by muggles. I came to the conclusion that he must have seen something that could not have been explained by his scientific mind; and my suspicions were proven correct after reading Jekyll's final letter.

My dear Enfield, I regret to inform you that our Jekyll was not as innocent as he had led us to believe. He had had a taste of the dark arts, which left him with a thirst that normal magic could not quench. He concocted a potion that, according to him, revealed that man was not truly one, but truly two. Both light and dark. But such a respectable wizard would never be able to indulge in heinous crimes without tarnishing his reputation, unless…

Yes, dear Enfield. Jekyll was in fact the infamous Mr Hyde all this time. It was his transformation that drove Lanyon to madness. Jekyll's final letter stated that after the first few bouts of the potion, he had started to lose control. He was raging a war inside, and Hyde was winning. When I arrived at Jekyll's laboratory that night, we were about to make an arrest. Hyde was most certainly going to be sent to Azkaban. He must have known this as well, because what followed was an inhumane screech, the shattering of glass and a thud on the ground as Hyde took his own life, and simultaneously, Jekyll's as well.

I would not let his reputation be tarnished by something he could not control, but I admit that this secret has become a festering evil in my life. Jekyll had stated that the potion was a curse upon his very soul; but I digress. This secret is the true curse, dear Enfield. I was bound by my loyalty to Jekyll, but I entrust it to you now in the hopes that you will succeed where I have failed. Break the curse and free our families from its ravenous clutching shadows.

I have faith in you.

Gabriel Utterson

Utterson's letter was locked away in Enfield's vault; ensuring that not another soul read it. And so, his silence on the matter followed; until a startling development. Just two years after Hyde's death, a new threat had appeared in the streets of London. A threat that the wizarding world had come to know as Jack the Ripper. There was never a clear description of the culprit, only of his crimes. It was at that moment that Enfield felt dread, for upon seeing the culprit once during a chase, the same sense of deformity crept up his spine. Jekyll knew many people, and if he dared to show Lanyon, a muggle, his transformation, there was no telling what he would have told someone who openly shared his views.

Richard Enfield retrieved the letter from his vault and presented it to the Ministry; finally unveiling what had transpired all those months ago. Investigations were put in place and suspects were considered; all without Enfield, who's Ministerial license had been revoked due to his prolonged silence on the matter. Aaron Kosminski became the most likely suspect in the Ripper case. It was said that he had a strong hatred of women, especially of the prostitute class, as well as strong homicidal tendencies. Kosminski was moved to a muggle lunatic asylum in March of 1889 and later Azkaban Prison; after which, the Ripper-killings came to a rest.

The potion that Henry Jekyll created was never documented, nor was a recipe ever discovered. However, suspicion arose amongst the aurors across the world when similar cases came to light. The only recorded cases after Kosminski was The Black Dahlia Murderer and the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run in the 1900's, both of which were never solved...

Enfield still remembered Utterson's last words in the letter, even in his old age.

'This secret is the true curse, dear Enfield'

It was indeed. The instructions to Jekyll's potion was still lost to the world, shrouded in dark magic; and those who have discovered the recipe have never come forward to tell the tale. This was the true curse; formed by the man who started it all.

This was the Curse of Mr Hyde...