Election Chapter 1:
The Prejudiced and The Idiot
The man looked more like a bum than a wizard. His name was Duke Dingo, and he was a politician at heart. He sat in his Outback home in the middle of nowhere. He had gone to Hogwarts, a Ravenclaw at that.
But no one knew who Duke Dingo was. He was just a citizen of the wizard world, another voter for rival candidates Zeus MacArthur and Merlin O'Brien to convince.
Merlin O'Brien was a blood relative of Merlin. He was a businessman, and he owned the company that made Chocolate Frogs. He had recently acquired a 40% share in Gringott's, putting him on the board. He was being called a monopolistic meathead that wanted total control of business.
It was a beautiful day in London. In Diagon Alley, Merlin O'Brien was holding a campaign rally. It was New Year's Eve of 1999. His supporters waved banners, supporting the Pureblood Party, Merlin's party. The candidate had been decided long before that, but Merlin was still looking for a vice-minister to run with him. No one wanted to. Not even Duke Dingo, even though no one knew who he was.
The steps of Gringott's had a podium, and Merlin's voice was broadcast throughout London. Merlin was a tall man, with black hair and a streak of white. He was flashing his award-winning smile.
"Hello, fellow supporters. For thirty years, the Pureblood Party has never had control over any major portion of the Ministry. We have tried and tried, but our policies have never been popular with the world. We are once again pushing for the Anti-Muggle Act, which has been actively supported after the Liberation Party leaked evidence of our existence. Should I remind you who cleaned up after the mess? We did!!! It is time for an anti-Muggle reform in the Ministry. And now, I have the pleasure of introducing my running mate, one of the most influential men in our world today. Please welcome Lucius Malfoy!" Merlin stepped to the side, allowing Malfoy to come into view and take the podium.
"Hello! For years, I have supported the Pureblood Party. Our views have been debated, though we know they are the right way to go. As you know, it was the Pureblood Party that cleared up the Muggle Informing of 1998. Merlin and I promise reform and a restoring to the honor that we knew thirty years ago! I promise that when we're elected, we will put a stop to this Mudblood pity and rid the world of their existence!
"We are tired of this Liberation Party rule. The Ministry is under a spell; they constantly believe the Liberation Party's way is the way to go. The Liberation Party told the Prime Minister of England about our existence! Isn't this something we swore to never allow, for we think of our existence and role in life higher than Muggles? So, here's for the rise of the Pureblood Party and the downfall of Mudbloods!" Malfoy raised his fist in the air. The crowd cheered. Lucius smiled to himself; he certainly knew how to pump up a crowd.
The roaring crowd was full of adults, all taking up the pathway in Diagon Alley. It was next to impossible to enter, much less enter if you were not a supporter of the Pureblood Party.
Thirty minutes later, Diagon Alley looked like normal - if anything ever was normal. Draco Malfoy walked into Gringott's. He disappeared, walking through a secret passage to a downstairs chamber.
His father and Merlin were laughing about something. Draco was not sure what this was, but he was almost certain it had to do with the crowd. His father had told him a few weeks ago about his decision to run for vice-minister, and Draco felt slightly intimidated by this. After all, he had always felt proud about the fact that his father was a very important man; but he certainly didn't want to be ruled by his father - he'd had enough of that already!
His father turned from his chair as Draco walked into the dimly lighted room.
"Hello, Draco. What a pleasant surprise! I thought you off somewhere, after all, you have had little time in this political race. But I'm glad you're here," the elder Malfoy said. Draco opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He knew his father would not like his opinion of the race, for Draco knew there was no way that the Pureblood Party could win. Their opinions were too radical, too prejudiced.
"What is it, chap?" asked Merlin. Draco stood his ground for a moment before answering.
"You're...going...to have to work hard in order to beat to beat Zeus. The Liberation Party - no matter what their original purpose - represents the ideals of the majority. And the majority is who will win," Draco said, raising his eyebrows at the two powerful men. His father's response was unexpected.
"Then we'll have to get the voters on our side." Lucius stared intently at his son. Draco nodded.
"Yes, you would. But your ideals are more radical than Voldemort's, Salazar Slytherin's, or even Julius's for that matter! Voldemort and Julius fought wars in order to try and spread their beliefs. You have launched a war against Zeus MacArthur. He has no vice-minister, but he is easily the better candidate for the best interest of the majority. Do you understand what I am saying?" Merlin O'Brien rose to his feet. His head was red with rage. Lucius set his hand over Merlin's large stomach.
"He's right. We believe we're right. But do the majority believe we're right?" Merlin thought for a moment.
"Yes," he replied quickly. Lucius Malfoy laughed.
"You are obviously not a politician," he said seriously. "We have to convince the majority we are the right choice. Draco's right; it will take a while. Draco, any ideas?" Draco was shocked beyond belief. He had meant to take a stand against his father's ideals, only to find his father was taking him seriously! He checked his watch. There was utter silence for seconds, though it seemed like years.
"Father, I have to go. Maybe you should think your campaign over. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to visit Mother. She's worried sick about your campaign, scared to death you'll be murdered by some mad Muggle. Thank you for your time." Draco stormed out the room, not knowing what to think of his father. He had always felt a strong bond to his father, but now the bond was breaking. He never thought that his father would actually run for vice-minister! True, he was a powerful man and all, but was he a real politician?
Draco wasn't entirely too sure. His father was very unpredictable. He was beginning to lose faith in his father, for the last few years, he had been doing bizarre and unpredictable things.
Draco tried to take his mind off his father. After all, he had been governed by his father for seventeen years - he was nineteen now. He left Diagon Alley and stopped for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron. Tom had recently passed on, and the pub felt odd without the warm presence of Tom, serving drinks and helping people get through their lives. Or just chatting up a storm with his old friends. There was a skinny man behind the bar; he was clumsy and could barely serve drinks. More like he was too busy drinking them, especially the butterbeer. Draco couldn't stand Alex. He didn't know what it was - a personality clash or whatnot - and he didn't really want to know.
Alex was standing behind the bar, not drinking butterbeer. How ironic, Draco thought. Draco walked up to the counter; his eyes met Alex's.
"I'll just have a hot tea with lemon, if that's all right." Alex nodded. With a flip of his wand, steaming tea instantly appeared in a mug. Draco smiled.
"Put it on Lucius Malfoy's tab." Draco sat down at a table, quietly sipping his tea. A man sat down at the other end. Draco didn't notice at first, but then he realized who it was.
"Severus!" The man smiled at Draco, something the Potions teacher never usually did. "What on Earth are you doing here?"
"I've been visiting a few friends here in London and thought I'd drop by. Where's Tom?" Severus Snape replied. Draco sighed.
"He died a few months ago."
"Oh." There was a pause for a few seconds; neither knew what to say. Draco broke the silence.
"I'm sorry to cut our conversation short, Severus. I really need to go. My mother's having a heart attack over my father's latest announcement, if you know what I mean. You heard?" Severus shook his head. "Well, it'll be all over the news tomorrow. Goodbye." Draco left his tea on the table. Severus Snape sipped his wine. Draco had certainly changed over the years; he was no longer the boy he used to be.
Draco Malfoy walked out of the Leaky Cauldron, unknown to Muggles. He walked down the street, heading to his car. He was now living with Muggles, on an undercover mission for the Ministry. There were operatives all over the world, judging Muggles, trying to decide whether or not they were ready to learn the truth about wizards. His father believed he was living with Muggles so he could kill them. Lucius Malfoy did not know the real truth behind this. He would banish Draco from the family forever, but it looked like Draco was in the process of that happening to him.
It wasn't the truth though. Draco enjoyed the assignment; he wanted to learn more about his non-magical companions. He had (secretly) done research in the Hogwarts library, learning more about Muggles, but from a wizard's point of view. He wanted to learn about them from a Muggle point of view.
Draco could remember four years ago: his summer vacation. He was in Dover, eating at a restaurant. He had choked on his hamburger; and his father panicked, not knowing what to do. A Muggle - totally unknown to Lucius - performed the Heimlich Maneuver on him, saving his life. Draco was shocked beyond belief, but his father had even more hatred for Muggles. "Never let a Mudblood lay hands on you," he had said. He and his father had drifted farther apart ever since.
* * *
Zeus MacArthur sat in his campaign headquarters in New Orleans: a hidden office building. It was in the French Quarter, next to the Aquarium of the Americas. Muggles could not see it. It was an exotic place, a place where he had a lovely aquarium to view, though he wasn't sure about the Mississippi River that he got to see almost every day when he took a stroll down to the aquarium. It was a dirty place, filled with dirt, boats, and altogether awful sights that he couldn't bear.
But enough about that, Zeus thought. He hated thinking about the "exotic" Mississippi River. Why was his headquarters even in New Orleans? He wasn't too sure, but he felt it was a nice place. No, he was denying it. It was a nice place; but it was not right, not a wizard's town. But we do have that showboat, he thought. Very fancy place for making big announcements...
The idiotic man kept thinking nonsensical thoughts. He was not a very smart man, just good-looking. He could flash a smile of pearly white teeth that would blind a bat. But he was just a shell; there was nothing on the inside. I have to change that, Zeus thought.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
"Hello, Zeus," his assistant, Jack Darby, said, letting himself in. "The latest poll results are in. Most people are against new taxes that would protect Muggles." Zeus thought for a moment. What was his stand on this?
"But we're for protecting Muggles... I think..." the dim-witted man said. He shook his head. "Isn't Cornelius Fudge running that top secret program of spies?" Cornelius was a member of the Liberation Party; he was serving his final term as Minister of Magic.
"Yeah, but the Ministry is thinking of stopping it. The taxes are going to waste," Jack said.
"Wait, wait. I may have been a newspaper columnist, but I don't understand what's going on!" Zeus leaped from his chair, so high he hit the ceiling. "OUCH!"
"Sir, I have absolutely no idea how you were a political analyst. You know absolutely nothing about politics! I feel like we're pulling a scam!" Jack said, raising his voice.
"We are," Zeus said calmly. "We're pulling the biggest scam since Julius conned the British government into giving him support to fight the Great War." Jack remembered the history lesson perfectly well, but he really didn't understand. It also didn't matter. Zeus was the perfect candidate in the voters' eyes. But in reality he was a fraud, and everyone in the Liberation Party knew it. He was a dumb man, an idiot, and a man who watched WWF - though he never admitted it in public - the thought of watching the Muggle television was enough to get him to lost the support of his own party, which was not happening the public eye.
"Sir, I have to go. Gotta start planning out the campaign banquet that's happening in Berlin next month," Jack said, getting up from his chair. Zeus got up, too. It was the first chance all day Jack had see what the candidate was wearing today. Jack himself was wearing a Muggle polo shirt and Muggle khaki pants - he had been apparating all over the world today, and he didn't want to be seen by Muggles in his cloak. Zeus was wearing an elegant dark black cloak, part of the famous Wizard Wear clothing line. It was what both candidates were wearing these days.
"Why are you getting up, Zeus?" Jack asked.
"I'm going to take a stretch through the offices. And maybe educate myself. A campaign is easier when you educate yourself," Zeus said. Jack silently agreed.
* * *
Jack Darby apparated into Berlin moments later. He walked down the street towards The Third Meal, a newly-opened fancy restaurant for wizards only. It was hidden from Muggles' hungry eyes, like many things were. Jack was still dressed in Muggle clothes, but he carried a briefcase with him now as well. He disappeared into the restaurant's covered outdoor walkway and pulled on his cloak.
"Mister Darby, I presume?" said a stranger looking at Jack. The man smiled a smile of crooked teeth. Jack gulped. He didn't like men like these.
"How did you know?" Jack asked. But did he want to find out the answer?
"You are supposed to come in today, and you have a pretty patch for Zeus's campaign," the man said.
"Who are you?"
"Job Young; I own this place. Follow me please." The man led Jack inside, into the lavish restaurant. It was a fancy place, full of rich people (the best people to invite to Zeus's banquet) and more importantly, exotic dinners. Nice place, Jack thought, thinking the obvious. But it would make Zeus look good. And Zeus needed to look good. That was all he could do.
"Mister Young, do you get a lot of business? Not that many magic folks live in Berlin." Job laughed.
"More than you think! But really, we make fairly decent money. I won't tell you how much, but so far we've made a killing. And it's not like travel time matters! After all, didn't you apparate over here?" Job laughed, and Jack joined in, too.
"Well, the place looks nice. We're booked for February seventeenth, aren't we?"
"Yes, Jack. You are. You can have your little cockamamie banquet here."
"Excuse me? Cockamamie?!" Jack's eyes narrowed at Job. Job didn't care on bit.
"You heard me correct. I'm not a member of either party. I'm really not for either candidate." Jack was shocked.
"Really?"
"Yes. Zeus is an idiot, and Merlin is prejudiced." Jack couldn't agree more.
"So what party do you belong to?"
"The People's Party. Third party - we haven't got a candidate yet, but we'll get an awesome one. Trust me."
Jack apparated away into New Orleans after taking off his cloak. There was nothing else on his agenda today, so he figured he would go to the aquarium again. Maybe he could muster the courage to put a shark. Yeah right.
* * *
Merlin O'Brien sat in Liberation Party Headquarters, a small barn in the English countryside. It was almost entirely underground. Merlin's office was underground, littered with booklets, speeches, letters, and other stuff. It had been two weeks since he had made his great announcement and was really gaining support from around. Even his spies at Zeus's headquarters were confirming to him what he had known all along - Zeus was a fraud.
Of course Zeus could easily educate himself; he knew the ups and downs of politics, something Merlin didn't. But Merlin was easily more stubborn and was a real candidate; his thoughts on the issues were his real thoughts. He had a new stack of letters today, including a few from New Orleans. His spies were littered throughout the town, discovering secrets for his campaign. The first letter he blindly pulled was from Lisa Walken, an intern for Merlin.
Dear Mister O'Brien,
Hello! It's been a long time since I saw you! But we're fine here. The campaign is in full swing, and they're still trying to work out some way to work their way around Zeus's stupidity. Zeus is reading constantly and educating himself on every issue. The man may have been a fraud before, but he's really getting smarter and smarter. It's a good thing you've pulled ahead in the polls. Otherwise, you wouldn't have a chance at the rate he's going.
Good luck,
Lisa Walken
So the man is getting smarter, thought Merlin. I'm going to have to start talking the issues. Perhaps a debate...
"Homer!" the candidate called. "Homer? Lucius?" Lucius Malfoy stepped into the room, followed by Homer Lyte. Homer was a skinny, wiry man that was an excellent public speaker, the perfect campaign manager/publicist/spokesperson/closest advisor.. Homer was British; he was the ideal Brit. He liked tea, crumpets, and cucumber sandwiches.
"Merlin, before you say anything, maybe you should learn about a project the Ministry is having," Lucius Malfoy said. "Our contact at the Ministry has informed me that the Minister has formed a top secret division filled with spies. They are watching Muggles, living with them. They want to see if Muggles are ready to learn the truth about us."
"Something we are thoroughly against," Homer added. Merlin smiled.
"Boys, I received a few letters from New Orleans today. Zeus is a fraud. You heard me correctly: a fraud. He is brushing up on everything now, but his opinions were never actually his opinions. Perhaps we should start mud-slinging?" Zeus asked.
"No, not yet. You can't make phony claims until they're proven to the public. Why don't you challenge him to a debate?" Homer asked.
"Just what I was thinking. Send an owl to the Voter's Union. Tell them to schedule a debate between me and Zeus. Contact our moles at Merlin's office and get them to do the same. This should be interesting..."
* * *
Duke Dingo sat down on his large leather couch. It was brown, a color the Aussie liked. He breathed deeply, pulling the remote control from under his seat. He flipped on the television, watching an action movie he was particularly fond of.
"I'll be back," the Terminator said. That was his favorite part, and he knew the movie by heart. He hated Australian flicks; they were always so awful. The view outside his window was ironically full of rain; it had just rained in the Outback.
How he missed the old days, walking through forbidden halls in Hogwarts. It had been the best times of his life, and now he was stuck in the middle of nowhere, programming Muggle websites for a living. He did everything exclusively on the web; he usually never met his Muggle clients in person. He had basically given up on the magic world. He liked it and had taken great interest in the race between Zeus and Merlin. Not that he liked either candidates much anyway. He checked his watch. 3:30 P.M., January 15th, 2000. The loneliness was killing him. But he couldn't take a walk! It was pouring down rain, almost flooded.
Duke sighed! It was as if no one knew who he was! He knew the locals in a town he lived near, but they were the only people he thought knew him.
"Knock, knock!" went the door. Who would want to come to this house in the middle of a rainstorm? Duke thought. He opened the door and nearly fainted. The man at the door was wearing a cloak!
"Oh my God!" Duke screamed, shocked. The man was a wizard! "I'm sorry, really. Come in. Please. It's been a long time since I've seen any wizards." The man came in. Duke couldn't recognize them.
"You are Duke Dingo, aren't you?" the man asked. Duke was shocked, though there really wasn't anything to be surprised about. He was amazed people even knew he existed!
"Yes, what do you need?"
"Duke, I represent the Peoples' Party. 'People, not politics' is our slogan. I've been sent on a mission to find Duke Dingo, the legendary political mind." This time Duke did faint, only to be woken up by hitting the floor.
"I did lead a student activist group against You-Know-Who; and I did help some people try and run for Minister, so yes. I guess I am." Duke was amazed.
"Would you like to run for Minister of Magic?" Duke's jaw fell, and gravity was not the reason.
"I'd be honored. Why me?" The man laughed.
"You're Duke Dingo! You have an odd name, you have strong political stands - we've read your letters -, and you are just the perfect man."
"But an Australian's never been Minister before! And with the Muggle Informing of 1998 in Sydney, how could pull it off?"
"We are for people. Not politics."
"You people are idiots in the public's eye! I remember when you had that guy running for Minister a few years ago - he was so stupid!"
"That's why we want you." This time nothing would wake Duke when he fainted.
Authors Note: Actually I do not believe this is how wizards choose Minister of Magic. I do believe he is appointed. But who cares - let's have some fun! Special thanks to Ninamazing - you really helped! As for the future of Election, I am working at a rapid pace, so look out! It will be like one of those old Republic serials!