"On the first charge, being a member of the Death Eater organisation, we, the Honourable Justices of the Wizengamot Court find you, Frederick Richards, by a vote of 18-8, not guilty."
There were cheers from the gallery, as the man's family celebrated the decision. Lord Chief Justice Crouch seemed much less enthused, reading out the verdict.
"On the second charge, conspiracy to commit terrorism, we, the Honourable Justices of the Wizengamot Court find you, Frederick Richards, by a vote of 18-8, not guilty
"On the third charge, treason against Magical Britain and Ireland, we, the Honourable Justices of the Wizengamot Court find you, Frederick Richards, by a vote of 18-8, not guilty.
"The findings of the Court being read, Mr Richards, you are declared a free man by the Most Honourable Wizengamot Court, you shall not be tried again for these crimes brought before us, and your record shall not be marred by these allegations. This Court is adjourned."
With the formalities over, the justices all stood and left the courtroom via the door to the right of their bench, entering their shared robing room. Lucius sighed as he removed the formal robes and wig, running a hand through his hair, which always felt stiff after being covered in the traditional headdress of a Wizengamot Justice. He hung his robes on the hook with his name above it and placed his wig on its designated stand.
He was startled by a voice at his side. "You would think, would you not, that the DMLE would realise the futility in bringing these cases to court?"
"Lady Longbottom." He bowed his head in respect to the current Lord Longbottom's proxy at the Wizengamot. Lucius suppressed a sneer – for whatever reason Frank Longbottom had decided to pursue a career in the Auror Office rather than fulfilling his duties to his house and taking up his seat in the Wizengamot.
"Indeed, my Lady, it seems that the pressure is getting to Minister Crouch and he is ordering Ms Ashword to pursue shaky cases."
She nodded. The Lady Longbottom had voted to acquit in this case, and one other. "What is this, the third case we've heard now in as many weeks?"
"Indeed. All three of which have been thrown out in the lower courts. I may start to vote against hearing the DMLE's appeals."
"I may join you, Lord Malfoy. While I am all for throwing the book at the Death Eaters, it is clear that the Ministry is simply trying to look as if it is doing something, rather than actually doing it."
"Well, we've known that since they stormed the Wizengamot, my Lady."
She harrumphed, and gave him a stern look. "I may be older, but I am not a fool, Lord Malfoy. I am aware that at least some of those arrested that afternoon were Death Eaters."
"They haven't been arrested since, if the Ministry had any evidence, they would have rearrested them, outside the Wizengamot chambers."
She chuckled. "You have a silver tongue worthy of your Slytherin status, Lord Malfoy."
He laughed. "You charm me so, Lady Longbottom. Forgive me, but I am needed at the Manor, we have a guest for dinner. I shall see you soon, my Lady."
"I doubt it will be too far in the future, my Lord."
They both bowed their heads again, and he left the robing room and made his way out into the corridor, down the lift, and into the atrium. Reaching the floo, he travelled to the Manor, and sought out his wife.
It had been stressful few days for the Malfoy family. After his Lord had revealed himself to Cepheus, all hell had broken lose, as Severus often said. Cepheus had had a breakdown and refused to come out of his room for the rest of the day, and Draco had thrown a tantrum – wanting him and Narcissa to play Quidditch so that he could try out his new broom. Lucius had mentally cursed the Dark Lord, who had swiftly retreated from the Manor, leaving him and his wife to deal with the aftermath of his dramatic announcement. The Dark Lord was clearly used to dealing with adults, not children. Cepheus had to be coaxed into coming down for breakfast the next day and Lucius had decided to cancel the business meeting that had been scheduled that afternoon, so as to assuage some of his youngest's fears regarding his newly discovered heritage. It had been hard work, but he thought that Cepheus was at least beginning to understand that he was more Malfoy than Potter. By blood, magic, and family, Cepheus was a Malfoy. Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, even the Dark Lord considered the child to be a Malfoy, and it didn't matter whose loins the child had come out of, he was a Malfoy. He had put it in a slightly more child-friendly manner, but the meaning was the same. He just hoped it would be enough to pull the child out of whatever dark pit the revelation had sent him into mentally.
He had hoped to spend the day after with Cepheus as well, especially when the Dark Lord had sent word that he would be joining them for dinner, but no, the final day of the Richards case was brought forward at short notice, and he had to spend the day listening to a case weaker than Lord Lestrange in his final days. He was getting seriously fed up with the Ministry arresting people and accusing them of being Death Eaters with the most circumstantial of evidence. It didn't matter if Lucius knew that some of them were Death Eaters, you don't prosecute unless you knew for certain, and had the evidence to prove it. The Ministry most certainly didn't have the evidence to prove it. That thought gave Lucius an idea, but he filed it away for later, the Dark Lord was coming for dinner that night, and he needed to help Narcissa prepare.
"The venison was delicious, Narcissa, please give my compliments to the elves." I said.
"Thank you, Oliver, I shall be sure to do so." She replied.
"Did you enjoy your present, Draco?" I asked the Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy.
"I haven't really had chance to use it, sir, but I most certainly appreciate it." The seven-year-old said formally, yet also managing to throw a petulant glare towards his father.
I nodded, practically dreading what was to come next. "Lucius, Cepheus, let us retire to the drawing room."
We did so, and once we were all settled, I began.
"I would like to apologise, Cepheus." The child looked surprised, as did his father for that matter. "I should have realised that the revelation would be more shocking that I thought, and I shouldn't have just thrown it upon you like that."
"Thank you, my Lord." Lucius had clearly spoken to him about how to properly address me.
I nodded. "With that being said, I would like to explain what I plan to do." Cepheus looked confused, so I continued. "I plan to continue in my mission to overthrow the current order of things, and usher in a new age for the country. And you are integral to that. You are the future, Cepheus, my handpicked lieutenant, if you like, in the next generation. And that is why I gifted you a wand: I shall train you in everything I know, and together, we will lead this country into a new era."
Lucius looked amazed, Cepheus, less so.
"But… why?"
"We have many years to discuss these things, but for now I simply need to ask you: are you willing to accept my tutorage?"
Cepheus paused before nodding. "Very well, but for me to guide and assist you, I need you to swear a vow."
He looked nervous. "Why?"
"You are young. You are susceptible to accidentally spilling secrets, though you may not mean to do so."
He nodded warily, accepting my reasoning. I offered out my hand, and he clasped it.
"Lucius. Administer the vow."
The man looked a lot more wary doing this than he did when it was Snape on the receiving end, but he took out his wand, regardless.
"Do you swear to not reveal anything revealed to you regarding my plans for the future of the Wizarding World, to anyone you suspect of not already knowing, unless I explicitly give you permission to do so?"
"I do, my Lord."
A silver ring slipped out of Lucius' wand and wrapped around our hands.
"Do you swear not to reveal the identity of anyone involved in creating or executing my plans, be they Death Eaters or not, to anyone you suspect of not already knowing, unless I give you explicit permission to do so?"
"Yes, my Lord."
Another ring entwined itself around our clasped hands.
"Do you swear not to reveal my real identity, or even hint that I may be someone other than Oliver Bovin to anyone you suspect may not already know, unless I give you explicit permission to do so."
"I do."
Another ring.
"And finally, do you swear not to reveal your previous identity of Harry James Potter, or even hint that there may be more to your identity than you being Cepheus Armand Malfoy, second son of Lucius Abraxas Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy, to anyone you suspect may not already know, unless I give you explicit permission to do so?"
"Yes, my Lord."
With that, a final ring shot out of Lucius' wand and attached itself to the others, they wrapped around our hands and spun tightly, becoming knitted soundly together before flashing a bright white, and disappearing, the unbreakable vow now in place.
Opinion: Ministry and DMLE, Powerless to Capture Death Eaters, Now Target Innocents
By Lord Lucius Malfoy, hereditary member of the Wizengamot and member of the Traditionalist Wizarding Party
The Ministry has never been weaker than it currently is under the guidance of Minster Crouch. For a man elected on a promise of capturing the Death Eaters who remained free after the end of the Wizarding War, the number of arrests made under his tenure are dire. Nearly three years on from the end of the war, there have been a total of thirty-nine convictions on the charge of being a member of the Death Eater organisation. Four of those were overturned on appeal.
Now, desperate to capture a shred of legitimacy; to at least appear like they are doing something, the Ministry has turned to rounding up random innocent members of the public and parading them about in front of the cameras and judges, accusing them of being Death Eaters.
The Wizengamot Court has been petitioned to hear three cases in as many weeks, appeals by the DMLE against lower court rulings that found the accused not guilty. Each case was flimsy, at best, but as a collective, the Court has decided that the responsible thing to do is to hear cases of those accused of being Death Eaters. The logic being, that if there is a possibility that a true Death Eater has been found not guilty, we should give the DMLE all avenues of righting this wrong. It seems the Ministry has decided to abuse the goodwill of the Court.
Each case heard was weak. A child could have defended the accused and secured a not guilty verdict. Yet the DMLE, led by Ms Regina Ashword, continues to prosecute these innocents, wasting the time of, not only the Court, but the aurors forced to testify – both in the original case and each appeal, meaning they are removed from active duty up to three times, every time that the DMLE decides to prosecute a pointless case.
So, ironically, the Ministry is putting the public at harm each time they claim to be defending the people of the country. The trade off would be understandable if these were actually Death Eaters being prosecuted, or if the Ministry had any reason to believe these people were Death Eaters, but they don't. The DMLE knows these people aren't Death Eaters, the aurors know they aren't Death Eaters, yet they prosecute anyway. It begs the question: why?
The answer is obvious. The Ministry is scared. The Minister for Magic is scared. The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is scared. They are scared of you, the everyday people of Britain and Ireland. They are scared that you will realise that the Ministry has failed in its promise. The Minister, when running for office, promised time and time again that he would round up the remaining Death Eaters and throw the full force of the law at them. Yet he has failed.
His favourability continues to hover around 30% and with an election just around the corner he is desperate to save face, is desperate to make it seem like he isn't powerless to capture the remaining Death Eaters. Like they are trying. So now the Ministry are rounding up random people, with absolutely no affiliation to the Death Eaters, and declaring them to be You-Know-Who's most loyal.
I just hope, for your sake, they don't target your family next.
Ministry Spending Proposal Attacked in Wizengamot
By Luten Baers, Political Correspondent
Speaking in the Wizengamot yesterday (July 31st), Representative Ignatius Gore (TWP) argued that the Ministry's continuous manhunt for the remaining Death Eaters was a waste of resources, that could be better spent elsewhere. He was speaking at a debate on the DMLE's budget proposal for the forthcoming year, and was particularly focused on the demand for 25,000,000G earmarked for the search for Death Eaters overseas.
"Year after year they come to us, asking for money. Huge sums." He said. "And where does it go? We have approved hundreds of millions of galleons of spending for this search. We have approved the use of our aurors overseas, funded them, diverted funds for them. The return on our investment has been unremarkable at best, an insult at worst. They captured Peter Pettigrew, my friends. He is the only high-profile Death Eater captured, and they couldn't even get any information out of him! When are we going to say enough is enough?"
He suggested that the proposed funds could be used elsewhere. "Magical infrastructure is in dire need of improvement. The reports of people arriving at the wrong floo fireplace is increasing week on week, the Portkey Office has been requesting funds for a new international portkey station for decades. Let's spend money on things that will provide a tangible improvement for the lives of witches and wizards, and not throw more money down the drain."
His statement was met with many cheers from those in the Wizengamot, though Lord Macmillan disagreed. "Our country will not be safe until those who waged war against us are either locked up in Azkaban, or given to the dementors." He said frankly. "It seems, my friends, that the WTP are willing to sacrifice the nation in order to save a few knuts!"
The Prophet will keep you updated.
I, as Oliver Bovin once more, was sat at the bar in Bovin's Gambling House, waiting. The den, was of course, not just a gambling house. It was a vital source of information. All of the dealers, and bookkeepers were paid twice – an official wage, and another, kept off the records sent to the Ministry, for any piece of information on important figures they give me. This information was all kept in a large book, secured in a safe with so many curses on it that anyone who tried to force their way in would die a quick death.
I was waiting for one witch. I had been for nearly an hour now, but I was not worried, I knew she would arrive eventually. She had been nearly every day for two weeks now, and had lost a lot of money, and had even opened a tab, which had accrued debts of nearly fifty thousand galleons. It was time to call in those debts.
Ah. As expected, there she was. Slinking in, almost guiltily. Sticking to the shadows, as if people wouldn't notice her if she skirted around the edges. I stood up from the stool and slid five galleons over to the bartender. It's amazing what a bit of generosity can do. I approached her face on, having navigated the various gaming tables. "Ah, Ms Ashword!" I greeted her, my face the picture of warmth. "Come into my office, would you? We have much to discuss."
"Mr Bovin." She replied. "I am here in a personal capacity. I'm sure you understand."
"Oh, I do, Ms Ashword. I wish to talk to you about a more… private matter."
Credit to her, she didn't openly show any worry.
"Follow me, Ms Ashword."
We made our way to my office. After taking a seat I opened the top drawer on my desk, pulling out a red book.
"Now, Ms Ashword." I began, leafing through the pages, "I am afraid to say that the gambling house is calling in your debts."
"What!" She exclaimed. "But I was assured that the tab does not expire."
"It does not. But we are not a bank, Ms Ashword, you have far surpassed the threshold where we are able to demand repayment, and you are obliged to pay." I had finally reached the page I was looking for. "Your tab is at 45,782 galleons and 14 sickles. Ms Ashword, I am formally requesting that you clear this debt."
She stared at me in horror. "I do not have that kind of money, Mr Bovin."
I looked at her reproachfully, "Then you should not have gambled beyond your means, madam, the tab is there to provide short-term, small-fund relief. It is not a bottomless pit. Now, either repay the debt in full, or we will go to court, and they shall find a way to make you repay."
She shook her head. "I am the Head of the DMLE, sir, you shall not order me around." She said firmly, though she fidgeted in her seat before catching herself.
I smirked. "The law is the law, Ms Ashword. I was simply stating facts."
Our eyes locked, a battle of wills. She blinked first.
"Surely there is some sort of deal we can reach."
I smiled. "I'm glad you are open to working with us, Ms Ashword. I am sure we can reach some sort of deal."
Regina Ashword Resigns, Head Auror Alastor Moody Appointed Acting Head of the DMLE
By Richard Irons, Political Correspondent
A somewhat surprising development came out of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement yesterday (September 2nd, 1987), as Regina Ashword, Head of the DMLE, resigned from the Crouch administration.
One of Lord Crouch's first appointments after his election win, Ms Ashword headed the largest Ministry department and vowed to carry out the "largest manhunt in history" in order to "eliminate" the Death Eater threat.
Five years on and her efforts, as well as those of the wider Crouch administration, have largely failed, something she noted in her letter to the Minister. In her resignation letter she wrote, "While we have attempted to find those traitors who escaped the initial searches post-war, they have largely been in vain. I consider myself at least partly responsible and have decided that the best thing for me to do is to step down and allow those efforts to be reinvigorated by a fresh face at the head of the Department."
The resignation comes as a particular surprise, as in recent months, the administration has largely downplayed the importance of finding those still at large, with multiple cabinet ministers saying that the risk of any Death Eater attacks is minimal, with Hadrian Parview, the Head of the Department of Magical Transport going so far as to say they are "sub-zero".
Ms Ashword, who was approved by the Wizengamot by a margin of 117-2, came to be loathed by many in the legislature, after refusing to apologise for the infamous storming of the Wizengamot Chamber three years ago. There were some rumours of impeaching her, but they eventually came to naught.
It is unknown what the now ex-department head will do, with aides and allies remaining mum on her future plans, though it is known that Ms Ashword is an avid gambler, so perhaps she has a future as a professional player at Bovin's Gambling House, owned by Mr Bovin, President of the Daily Prophet.
Speaking to the Prophet, Representative Albus Dumbledore, Leader of the PWP said, "I hope to see someone with vigour take over the DMLE, as this is what we need to finally secure the safety of the county, which, despite the reassurances of the Ministry, is still at risk from the remaining Death Eaters. Ms Ashword, while competent managing the day-to-day duties of the department, sadly was unable to carry out the extra duties required ever since [He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named] waged war on us all. I wish the best of luck to her successor."
We at the Daily Prophet wish Ms Ashword the best in her future endeavours.
Cornelius Fudge Appointed Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Confirmed by Wizengamot
By Vernice Catts, Political Editor
After a long process, and many votes in the Wizengamot, there is finally a leader of the largest department at the Ministry.
The newly confirmed Cornelius Fudge was certainly not the first choice of the Minister for Magic, Lord Crouch, who submitted six names to the Wizengamot, which rejected them one after another before a compromise candidate in Mr Fudge was found. Rarely has a Wizengamot been able to effectively hand-pick a candidate for the head of a Ministry department, especially one so important, but with the Minister so weak politically at the moment, he had little choice but to give in.
Some of the notable candidates who the Wizengamot rejected were Amelia Bones (rejected by a vote of 75-60), Lord Frank Longbottom (rejected 76-63), and even Head Auror Alastor Moody, who publicly declared he did not want the job (V.V.). The Wizengamot's lack of a party majority resulted in the Ministry often having to try and convince various independent representatives to back their candidates. The WTP unanimously rejected all the candidates besides Fudge and managed to convince enough traditional-leaning independents to vote against the nominees to outweigh the Ministry-Progressive bloc, who were usually united behind the candidates.
Ultimately, the TWP agreed to vote for the relatively inexperienced Fudge, who promised big things in his confirmation hearing. He promised to reduce the crime rate by two-thirds within ten years, and to convince the Treasury to back an increase in the size of the Auror Corps. When asked by Representative Twernese Singh about the Death Eater threat he replied, "The war is over, we need to stop getting hung up on Death Eaters and get on with our lives. You-Know Who is gone, if any Death Eaters turn up, then the Aurors will deal with them, but I will not waste the department's money on a wild hippogriff chase, trying to find Death Eaters who are almost certainly outside the country."
Mr Fudge's comments seem to have struck a chord with the public. A snap poll by the Prophet found that 62% support the appointment of the new Head of the DMLE.
Lord Arcturus Black, whose party's backing was crucial to Fudge's eventual confirmation via voice vote said, "Sadly, many of the other nominees were lacking in some way, but I am convinced Mr Fudge will breathe some fresh air into the DMLE and allow us to move forward into a more secure future. It is right to focus on bread-and-butter crime issues and we hope to be able to lend him our support in doing so. Lord Crouch and Mr Fudge's predecessor have wasted enough of the taxpayer's money in their failed attempt to round up Death Eaters, and I'm sure the public will appreciate the WTP supporting a candidate who vowed to spend their money in a more meaningful way."
Representative Dumbledore, whose party's members mostly seemed to vote 'no', commented, "While I wish the new department head the best, I was unable to lend my support after he chose to ignore the safety of the people of Magical Britain and Ireland. I cannot, in good conscience, support a man willing to turn a blind eye to terrorism."