Chapter four- false reporting
Blaise Metile Zabini was not the kind of person who liked to brag. There really was no need. Most knew of him and respected him in passing. Those who didn't respect him didn't deserve the time it would take to explain himself. Draco had always understood that. Draco had always known that Blaise was worthwhile and smart.
When Blaise volunteered to work for the Ministry of Reproductive Affairs, Draco simply assumed that Blaise had a good reason. Blaise was glad of that because, had Draco asked, Blaise would have had trouble explaining his motive. Blaise knew Draco was too proud to admit that he was worried about whom he would end up with, but Blaise did not want to see his friend unhappy.
The job wasn't offered to Blaise until one week before the deadline. It seemed that most young wizards were not excited to take a position in the new Ministry. Blaise understood why. Blaise's processor resigned from his post in response to death threats from the general public. A young writer for the Daily Prophet wrote an article accusing the Ministry of violating the basic rights of the wizarding population. The same writer called anyone under twenty-one who worked for the Ministry "age traitors". Of course this writer was married.
Many of the employees of the Ministry of Magic were victims of violence at the hands of dissenters. For weeks protesters stood outside the Ministry headquarters shouting and picketing. Then in the late evening of the second day of a particular month a squadron of Ministry police filed into the Ministry plaza and set up an apparition tent. As the press rallied around, the police stood their ground and waited. All day there were reports of signs of life in the tent. One reporter said he saw a leather shoed foot. Another reporter saw a woman's silhouette. Soon the reports came in of the hundreds of young people that registered.
Still, no actual names appeared in the paper. No reporters actually interviewed anyone who was not already married. Blaise hardly found this odd. He knew that the reports were exaggerations. He knew that most young people had reacted to the laws and married as the Ministry had expected. He also knew what the Ministry had predicted around fifty applicants for matching. The Ministry had been wrong. There were only two.
