Albus shivers in the cool air above the skyline, he dares not try to draw his wand as he dropped the keys an hour ago while trying to change hands so he could warm his other hand in his robes. Whatever spell or compulsion has caused him to take to the air has started to wear off, and he is now aware that this trip is not only stupid, but also very risky, even though he is still caught in its grip. Even the decision to land and cast a warming charm is beyond his ability at the moment.
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As the air warms in the mid-afternoon sun, Albus heaves a sigh of relief. Six hours of flying is taking its toll on his body, though he has been able to land long enough to eat some lemon drops and recast his disillusionment charms, along with some comfort charms. He suspects that the thief has finally made his move, and he hopes that poor Quirrell hasn't been disposed of to cover their tracks.
As he gazes at the horizon, his mind wandering, Albus realises that this is probably the first time in many years where he's been awake for so long without something demanding his time. He should really take the time to check on his old master, as Nicolas hasn't been receiving his mail for the last few weeks.
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Exhausted, Albus staggers into the phone booth and dials the correct number to descend into the Ministry of Magic. The queue to have his wand checked feels like it takes longer than normal, but that's probably just his exhaustion talking. The last dregs of the compulsion push him forward, but he is able to justify sitting down on a bench to catch his breath.
He can't have been sat down for more than 5 minutes before Minister Fudge strides up to him with a happy expression, "Ah, Chief Warlock, you obviously got my owl."
Albus looks up in surprise, absolutely certain that the letter he received this morning was just a thinly veiled reason to get him out of the school, "Of course, Cornelius, I was just having a rest before coming to find you."
Heaving himself up off of the bench, Albus painfully follows Cornelius to his office. Shortly before they arrive, a tawny owl lands on his shoulder with a letter in its grasp. Albus takes the letter, and scritches the owl on its breast before it flies off. Quickly glancing at the letter, and seeing that it's from Cornelius, he nods to himself before putting it in his pocket.
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As the two men settle in the Ministers office, Cornelius asks, "Would you like any refreshments?"
Albus nods, "I would appreciate a sandwich, as I haven't had time to eat today."
A moment later, a pot of tea, a couple of cups, and a platter of sandwiches appear on the desk between them.
"Now, Cornelius, what did you need to talk to me about?"
"Over the last few weeks I've had Nott, Malfoy, Avery, Flint, and Fawley all visit to complain about a number of their tenants leaving for a new community. On top of that, my campaign contributions are going down."
Albus nods sagely, "I see, one has to wonder where those tenants have been moving to."
Cornelius nods, "That's the other problem, we now have 40 new voting families. All of them are living somewhere in Birmingham, apparently, the Muggle Liaison Office has processed 73 wizarding identities into the muggle world. What do we do about this and the Statute of Secrecy?"
"Can't we just annex it like we did with Imber?"
"I suggested that, before getting shouted at by Bones and Croaker, apparently they're spread out amongst hundreds of muggle houses in a famous neighbourhood. But that's not the main problem, the main problem is that we now have 40 more voters, and they were all people that wouldn't normally be able to buy property."
"Just how many voters are there?"
"Around 500 I think. That's still down on the 800 we had before the war of course."
Albus tiredly rubs his eyes, "Then, what's the problem? Surely, it's a good thing that voting numbers are going up."
"I mean, yes, but these are people who don't know how the world works. And what happens if this spreads? What will the pillars of our community do then? As every family that becomes a voter is one less family living and working on their land."
"I suspect that they will do what every other member of the aristocracy has had to do, adapt."
"But how am I going to appeal to them, I don't even know what they want. And if this becomes a general thing, there's no way I'm going to be able to personally visit every voter."
"Maybe you could visit the places they visit and talk to them about what they want. I for one am looking forward to the increase in the number of children applying to Hogwarts."
Cornelius' face drains of colour, "But that's terrible, many of those children aren't properly taught their numbers, let alone the customs that most of the children that go there grew up with."
"Cornelius, I think you are starting to imagine problems that just aren't there. Muggleborn students do just fine, and there are only likely to be another two or three students a year. Now, was there anything else you were worried about?"
"Yes! The probation law, we can't overturn it because it's so popular with the light and neutral factions, but they arrested Burke, from Borgis and Burke, for receiving stolen goods. They've now added trading in dark artefacts to his charges, and he's in court tomorrow. When I spoke to Bones about it, she said that they've got enough from the man to justify searching Malfoy's mansion. That's two upstanding members of society, how are we supposed to deal with this?"
Albus groans, he can see this turning into a long evening.