Lucius and I were sat in his study, a baby on either of our laps, Draco on his, and Harry on mine. It would have been rather funny to see Dumbledore's face if he saw the big, bad Lord Voldemort supporting a child sat on his knee.

We had been sat there for quite a while hashing out our response to the emergency election. Lucius shared my cautious enthusiasm regarding the upcoming polls; both of us realised that it could be an amazing opportunity for the Dark, if played right. Of course, the chances of the next Minister coming from the dark-leaning Wizengamot faction was slim – but keeping a lacky of Dumbledore out of the office would be a great accomplishment, especially considering how large Dumbledore's popularity currently is. Eventually, we had a plan. I asked to borrow one of the Malfoy's owls, and sent a letter to, I guess my, political correspondent, Vernice Catts. In the next day's Daily Prophet, there was this article plastered on the front page:

First Major Candidate for Minister for Magic? Daily Prophet Exclusive!

By Vernice Catts, Political Correspondent. Reporting by Oliver Bovin, President of the Daily Prophet

Wizards and witches, sources close to Lord Lucius Malfoy have informed our President that Lord Malfoy intends to secure his party's nomination for their candidate for the Minister for Magic. Lord Malfoy is a member of the Wizarding Traditionalist Party, who choose their nominee in a behind-closed-doors vote, with the members of the party in the Legislative Wizengamot the ones voting. While no other members of the WTP have been rumoured (yet) to be running for the nomination, one would need to be a brave witch or wizard to bet against Lord Malfoy, who is a powerhouse and one of the most leading members of the Traditionalist Party. Only time will tell, however, as to whether Lord Malfoy will secure his party's nomination.

The Prophet will keep you up to date on any developments regarding the Election.

In the days and weeks following, the campaign took place.

Lord Malfoy Nominated Unopposed!

By Vernice Catts, Political Correspondent

Just mere days after officially announcing his intention to run for the nomination of his party for the upcoming Ministerial Elections, the official spokesman of the Wizarding Traditional Party today announced that, in what he called "a show of strength and unity" the party has officially voted for Lord Malfoy as their nominee to be the next Minister for Magic. The official announcement follows:

Fellow Wizards and Witches.

Today the Wizarding Traditionalist Party can confirm that the WTPs Representatives in the Legislative Wizengamot have nominated Lord Lucius Malfoy as our party's nominee for Minister of Magic. All of those who voted, in a show of strength and unity, voted for Lord Malfoy.

We at the Prophet would like to wish Lord Malfoy the very best of luck in the upcoming election.

Lord Bartemius Crouch Senior Announces Candidacy!

By Vernice Catts, Political Correspondent

At noon today (2nd April), Lord Bartemious Crouch Senior announced that he is running for the position of Minister for Magic. Lord Crouch, one of five Independents amongst those holding hereditary seats in the Wizengamot, has become popular during the Wizarding War, for his tough-on-Death Eater stance, though this has been under strain, due to a lack of arrests recently.

Lord Crouch, one of the few Heads of Departments in the Bagnold Ministry to escape unscathed from the damning Wizengamot report into corruption, has pledged to reform the Ministry to prevent future scandals.

He currently has two confirmed challengers: Lord Lucius Malfoy, the Wizarding Traditionalist Party candidate, and Cornelius Fudge, a relatively unknown figure, who is the Junior Minister of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Fudge has seen a recent spike in popularity according to Prophet polls, seen by many as relatable and charismatic, though he is still a distant third in polls. The PWP has yet to hold their nomination vote.

The Prophet would like to apologise to Lord Crouch for omitting his title in a previous article, and wish him luck in the election.

Progressive Wizarding Party Nominee Announced!

By Vernice Catts, Political Correspondent

Today (6th April), the Progressive Wizarding Party held their nomination vote, where, similarly to the WTP, their Wizengamot members vote for who they want to be their nominee for the upcoming Ministerial Election. Unlike the WTP however, the vote is an open one, with the press allowed to be present. In a shock result, a relatively unknown figure, Twernese Singh, was nominated by the members of the party, after receiving the endorsement of Albus Dumbledore. The endorsement was a political risk, with the second-generation muggleborn relatively unknown by the public. The newly nominated Singh, however, was not worried when talking to a Prophet political writer who was on the scene at the vote.

"I believe that I can win the public over, and with the backing of my allies in the party, I can become the next Minister for Magic. I would like to thank the PWP Representatives for nominating me. This is a hugely humbling moment.

If elected, Singh would be just the second muggleborn British Minister, though some muggleborn sympathisers would consider him a first generation pureblood.

We at the Prophet would like to wish him luck.

Lord Malfoy Questions Lord Crouch's Record on Death Eaters, Heated Exchange Follows!

By Alex Skillton, Political Correspondent

Yesterday, when out campaigning in Tinworth, Lord Malfoy criticised Lord Crouch's recent record on Death Eater arrests.

While arrests during the war remained high, after the end of the war, the number of Death Eater arrests have plummeted, with many reports suggesting that many uncaptured Death Eaters have fled to France.

"Lord Crouch simply hasn't done enough in regard to the leftover Death Eaters." Lord Malfoy stated. "He needs to find out exactly where they are and arrest them. He cannot wait until after the election, the people must come before politics."

Asked for comment afterwards, Lord Crouch responded, "That's rich coming from a man representing a party full of Death Eaters. Hell, maybe Malfoy's one."

His comments caused uproar amongst many wizards and witches, with many asking for proof of his claims. Lord Malfoy himself commented, "That is not a claim to throw around lightly. I should hope that Lord Crouch has some proof to facilitate his claim of me being a Death Eater. I have never associated myself with that organisation, and to accuse me of doing so is slander."

Lord Crouch later clarified his claim, "I was simply noting how people such as Bellatrix Lestrange were associated with the WTP before they became Death Eaters."

The WTP issued a statement noting how Mrs Lestrange is persona non grata in Britain and thus is not associated with any political party, including the WTP.

The Prophet reminds Lord Crouch to not make such claims without proof.

Minister for Magic Election Results Announced!

By Vernice Catts, Political Correspondent

The Minister for Magic Election campaign was long and rather unusually (barring one and two incidents), polite, with all four major candidates being respectful to one another, at least in public. But, after three months of hard campaigning by the candidates, the votes have been tallied and certified by the Independent Electoral Commission – headed by Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore – who notably, for a third time, refused to run for the position of Minister for Magic.

The official results are:

Lord Bartemius Crouch Senior - IND: 34,459

Count Dracula - IND: 299

Cornelius Fudge - IND: 2,589

Godric Gryffindor- IND: 2,734

Lord Lucius Malfoy - WTP: 21,891

Twernese Singh -PWP: 5,678

Lord You-Know-Who -IND: 5

Total votes cast: 67,655

Turnout: 66.2%

The Daily Prophet would like to congratulate the new Minister-elect, Bartemius Crouch, for winning the election. Notably, Lord Lucius Malfoy defied many exceptions; many when he announced his candidacy expected him to perform rather poorly, considering his membership of the Wizarding Traditionalist Party, whose performance in opinion polls conducted by the Prophet has decreased considerably since the onset of the Wizarding War, with many of their members rumoured (without proof) to be Death Eaters, with Lord Crouch even accusing Lord Malfoy of being a Death Eater. Nonetheless, he performed admirably, coming in second place, and his good showing perhaps indicates that the Wizarding Traditionalists may perform well in the upcoming Wizengamot Elections, which are scheduled for May 5th next year.

The Progressive Wizarding Party's candidate, Twernese Singh, a muggleborn up-and-comer who is one of the party's 43 elected Wizengamot representatives, came in third place with a poor 5,678 votes. The party's lowest vote count in over three decades. This showing will surely hurt the party's chances in the election next year. Leader of the party, Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore had this to say: "While it is a shame that our party failed to connect with the people this time around, I would like to congratulate the new Minister-elect, Mr. Crouch, on his victory. The Progressive Party will give him our entire backing in the Wizengamot, whenever he shall need it." In private, many PWP Representatives are blaming Mr. Dumbledore for the poor showing, with him endorsing Singh, but otherwise doing little to raise the relatively unknown politician's profile.

Lord Crouch, the second consecutive Independent Minister, ran on a platform of reform of the Ministry and promised to round up any remaining Death Eaters. He has refused a request for comment from the Daily Prophet, a press conference from the Minister-elect is expected to be announced shortly.

The Minister-elect is due to be sworn into office next week, on May 10th, in a special meeting of the Wizengamot. Sources have told the Prophet that Minister Bagnold has already signed her letter of resignation, and bucking tradition, will not be attending the swearing in ceremony of the Minister-elect.

We at the Prophet wish the Minister-elect a successful term in office.