My bets were on Mr. Calderon. Nothing makes a man snap quicker than his career in jeopardy and if Mr. Calderon doesn't win this election, well, it's back to wherever you came from, handsome.

Now, for those of you who haven't had a chance to tune into the Interviews, I've got a handy low down for you on all the candidates to peruse for your voting desires!

We'll start off with naming our current Interim Minister, Mr. Mateo Calderon. As you can see he's a solid five foot eight weighing a hundred and sixty-five pounds of solid, delicious man meat so if he lacks the intelligence to lead us, at least he is nice to look at. Oh. This isn't a beauty pageant. Let me fact check. Height, correct. Weight, correct. Obviously, Mr. Calderon has some skill leading the country since former Minister Bain held him in the highest of esteems. And the Wizarding World hasn't seen any chaos since Calderon took the throne-- I mean position.

There's always a couple wild cards in these elections and while Mr. Thomas O'Brien has absolutely no experience working for the Ministry, he's an interesting man if you ask the right questions. Mr. O'Brien has a vision for change but he hasn't outright told anyone what that vision might be. I find this interesting and would vote for him solely on his good looks and mystery.

Mr. Haywood has been around the Ministry for a long time in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He's stepped up to the plate as Head of the Department and will be the man who will ensure the Magical Communities around the world will be at peace and prosper while helping one another out. Mr. Haywood, a family man, believes that progress and the future are in the hands of our children and therefore we should be focused on them. He's definitely a man with a plan and might just be the top running candidate in terms of qualifications, dreaminess and success for the future. Vote Haywood! Or not. We still have one more candidate for Minister for Magic.


And our last candidate, is none other than the Head Auror of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, though I must question what a member of Law Enforcement is doing trying to run a country. Mr. Eggleston has a nice face, and he's a tough man. He has to be in his position! But can he handle the stress of being at the real top of the food chain? And will his "equal rights" bulletin get him to the top? Who knows! The voters do!

So, my darlings, there are the potential candidates for your new Minister. Choose wisely because the Senior Undersecretary can't fix it all if you choose poorly!

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Our candidates for Senior Undersecretary for the Minister are a different breed of something else! We have some ambitious young people in the Ministry looking for the next leg up in their career and boy, are they all pretty too! But are looks enough? Tell me some of them have the brains and brawn to keep the future Minister from losing his brains to an well placed Imperious Curse - I'm look at you former Death Eaters. Let's bring on the candidates!

Ximen Longyan is an interesting candidate, I feel as if he and his boss, Eggleston are in this together. Why else would the Head Auror run with one of his subordinates? Everything about politics is fishy but this one gets me the most. We don't know a lot about this young man but he must be efficient otherwise why would he bother running in this election? Unless, like I said, something is up with him and the Minister Candidate are definitely up to something!This next candidate might be my favourite.





She's organized, well spoken and knows what she's after and what skills she has to obtain her goals. Of course, she also is the most impressive candidate considering her work experience as the Assistant Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot! That's right folks, it's not all seasoned old men with long beards on that council. Woman power is here! Lavinia Tse is definitely my favourite candidate just because she has suffered the worst of all of them in her career next to those old fools in the basement who decide the destiny of our criminals. Just, don't take my word for it!
Nakolai Mikhailov is an impressive young woman and once again we see that women are stepping up to the plate. Men have been running our lives for so long, its time we had some breasts in power. Nakolai works for the Improper Use of Magic Department and has a strong position on magic being used properly and in the proper hands which means she will crack the whip on anyone who is doing what they shouldn't and misusing their power. I suspect she's fierce. Look at that face. I might even cry if she cracked her whip in my direction. 





And our last candidate for Senior Undersecretary for the Minister for Magic is foreigner Nathaniel Kinglsey of Kingsley Brooms International. What business does a broom maker have in politics? About as much as a glorified police officer, but he's more than a broom maker. Nathaniel works for the Department of Research and Experimentation which is no easy feat. He's brilliant - though rumour has it, he's clumsy. That cute smile could melt hearts but he's going to have to prove he's got more than good looks and a photographic memory - yes, I read your biography.

There you have it darlings! Enjoy my article and make good choices! Ta for now!

As for our Minister, did you see the poll results? It was a landslide! The people loved listening to him almost as much as he liked to talked. I think we can expect a very chatty few years in the making with the Kings in charge of our governing body. I hope the people are happy with their decision to place Eggleston and Kingsley in charge, because not everyone sees this as a good thing. Take former candidate Lavinia Tse for example, when asked how she felt about the election results, this was what I got: “I have no comment other than this election being an unfair process with heavy anti-creature bias. I will keep doing all that I can to ensure that this prejudice is eradicated and that every human and being is treated with the respect they deserve. I hope our people will make the right vote the next time around.” Not exactly the words of someone taking her losses well.

And others seem quite content with the results, such as candidate Ximen Longyan:
“Unfortunately, I didn’t believe I had much of a chance to begin with, I was just grateful for the opportunity to sit alongside all my fellow competitors and learn more about their perspectives on the communities. It was a privilege to be part of this experience and I will be happy to congratulate the new winners of the election in your paper if that’s what you want.”

Good luck, Minister Eggleston and Senior Undersecretary Kingsley!

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SEHNANINGANS AT HOGWARTS
Hogwarts has always been notorious for hosting the best balls the community has ever seen. From the disasterous Horriballs of the past, to the dazzling Memories Balls of the future. People flock from all over Britain to attend and share in the wonder and romance of the balls. However, no ball is complete without some drama and it seems Hogwarts has outdone itself this year.

I can’t quite put my finger on what’s going on but if seems as if Professor Huntington and Professor Stewart do not have a good handle on things at Hogwarts. I heard rumor of a Sping the Bottle party, and for those of you who don’t know, it’s a game where you spin a bottle and kiss the person it points to when it stops. When I addressed this with Professor Stewart at the ball his reaction was not the outrage it should have been.

“The kids will find ways to do this despite our best efforts to stop them so why not create a safe space where trusted adults know what it going on and can pop in to monitor the situation so it doesn’t get out of hand. And it did not.” - Dean Stewart, about Spin the Bottle.

However, that’s not the worst of it! Valentine’s Day marked anniversary of another school tradition and the Great Hall looked like a walking billboard for romance with cupids and pink everywhere I wanted to vomit, and will admit I saw a few green faces such as the Hogwarts caretaker Ulric Snare.

What’s worse though is not the decorations or the horrendous outfits on some of the guests present, but what was happening among the guests. We knew Valentine’s Day is a momentous day for people to express their love and I’ll be the first to tell you there was a lot of love being expressed in all the wrong places. It was almost like everyone had been drugged and finally spewing all the foolishness they had kept inside of them all these years. DISGUSTING!

Let me give you a few examples I overheard as I walked around with rosegold glasses skewking my visions.

Maxwell Clarke and Myla Belanger I belieeve I overheard compliments such as ‘you’re so cute’ and ‘you’re so beautiful’ and I’m wondering what the Clarke’s are going to think of this display. I won’t even touch on the age of these children who are much too young to be considering romance, but Clarke is a pureblood from a notable family. I’m sure he will be receiving a Howler from Mom and Pop Clarke following this article. Sorry, Maxwell.

I must say, there HAD to be something in the punch the way kids were dropping like flies to dance with the first person they laid eyes on. Maxwell Clarke and Myla Belanger were not the only dispicable muggleborn and pureblood pairing noted at the ball. I do believe Professor Stewart’s own brat was hanging off every word said by another Belanger (not that she said too many to him) and the klutz Sutton Bane couldn’t help but fall all over herself for Kai Ahane, and we know that pairing isn’t going to last the instant Papa gets a hold of this information!

I’ve already lodged a complaint and requested an investigation into what was going on at Hogwarts that night, and not because I hold any prejudice towards different bloods mingling.

Among those in court rooms today was a tired house elf looking wretched and out of place at the side of the accused only child. Poor child indeed if rumours of Corvus Grimstone's reign of terror at Hogwarts are true and continues to go unchecked by the Deputy Headmaster, which might solidify other rumours of their less than professional relationship.

Others in attendance for the sentencing were Hogwarts Governor, Mark Grimstone; brother of the accused, his wife and their son. The Grimstones stood proud in the face of such disgrace upon their family name. They have always been in good standing amongst the magical community. This arrest is a serious threat to that very name. By the look of Mark compared to his brother, this part of the Grimstone family is well aware of what is at stake.

What a grime state this court room was in. Cold, damp, empty of any emotions but despair rightfully catering to the disgraced criminals who soiled their family's good name and destroyed the lives of innocence in the name of the dark lord's justice. Upon seeing the criminals up close, and hearing the mournful cries like a dying cat, it was hard to even recognize them as dignified human beings. I can't say I blame the way Abelia Grimstone screamed as she was taken away. I would scream to if i was accused of murder, torture, kidnapping and life imprisonment but to shine a light onto Abelia's predicament, at least she will not longer have to worry about her poor parenting skills.

The world can rest easily knowing the last of the dark lord's puppets have been placed behind bars, and for those burning with curiosity about what is to become of Corvus, dear sources assure me that he will be cared for by the remaining Grimstone family, such is the way of such dignified people.

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QUIDDITCH AT HOGWARTS

Hogwarts has seen quite the display of athleticism in the recent games of Quidditch. The National League will be thrilled with their options in the upcoming years.

The first game was a rivalry Gryffindor vs Slytherin game and witnesses claim these two teams were pretty fairly matched. The only goal made for the game came from first year Slytherin chaser Marius Dumas and while it was an exquisite goal with an assist from the team's beater, it wasn't enough to help Slytherin win. The game went to Gryffindor with Elizabeth Kingston catching the snitch.

The second game was one most people shrug about. Let's face itm even today Gryffindor and Slytherin are the favoured houses but Ravenclaw proved to be the dominant team against Hufflepuff who held their own that even I'm impressed. Hufflepuff had to call in their reserves but these Ravenclaw beaters were taking the team out faster than they could buzz. Oops! May have overheard someone refer to them as bees buzzing around.

While the talented Liwei Kang scored the only goal, defense was tight for both teams so keepers were hardly needed.

Seeker Maia Wolf caught the snitch and won the game for the Claws but it was Hufflepuff's beater Lea de Trafford who deserves the MVP award for that game.

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LOVE POTION NO. 9
Many fans have been writing in to acquire on if there's been any revelations about who spiked the punch at the Hogwarts Valentine's Ball. It's to my great displeasure to admit that there have not been any culprits apprehended for the crime of the century that had students snogging Professors and inappropriate displays of undress at the ball.

 However, I will applaud the staff for shutting things down once it was evident there was something wrong with the punch.Any guesses as to who was responsible? Write in to Rita Skeeter at the Daily Prophet with your suspicions! My money is on the Potion's Mistress. Has anyone else noticed the moon eyes she has for the Muggle Studies Professor?

Understand my concern?
Especially when I asked the owner how he obtained the blood and how safe it was for the vampires to ingest and my owls were not returned in time to share this article with the world. We can only assume that Gino Amadori is doing business safely with his customer's health in mind! But they wouldn't even let me have a peak!

However, for those of you interested, and those of you not of age, I did manage to snap a few pictures of the elegant night club.

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LET'S TALK ABOUT EQUALITY!

Now, I'm all for equal rights. I have a muggleborn, half cousin twice removed and not even blood related relative on my father's side and he deserves all the same benefits of the magical world as I do even if his skill with a quill is less than impressive! Naturally, with this relative in mind, I support Minister Kingsley and SU Kingsley in their endeavours to educate the wizarding world about equality. It's a noble feat boys! I wish you well!

And I am not alone in my feelings of wishing the Minister and his cabinet well in the endeavours though some people weren't as nice as I in their well wishing. Let me share some of the quotes I received when asking around about how people felt about it all.
Obviously, she doesn't have a lot of faith in the elected government! But here's someone who does!

It certainly seems the world is waiting with bated breath to see what comes of these equality programs. And some people seem on board but to be honest, I couldn't tell what Vireo from the Auror's Department was trying to tell me.

I, for one, am absolutely thrilled to see what comes out of this program in hopes that we finally squash all the old beliefs of who is better than who and who should be in charge of our world. According to the Senior Undersecretary, the first step in change is education. If there is no one to provide the education then all efforts to bring about change are futile. The equality program is all about education for everyone. No one will be left out as the Ministry works towards the goal of lasting peace between all sanctions of our world.
Trials for the Equality Program will be running through the summer and anyone who is interested in participating in the trial runs are encouraged to pick up an application at the Ministry Atrium and have it memo'ed to the Senior Undersecretary's office. Don't worry, you will all see Rita there taking dedicated notes.

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THE ANNUAL DEBUTANTE BALL
Let's talk about this sexist tradition of parading our young witches around like delicious eye candy for the higher powers to bid on them like they are some invaluable piece of furniture. Disgusting when it's put out there like that, isn't? As you may know, I was a debutante in my youth and beauty and the hottest of the girls walked down the stairs and across the stage but my daddy said not a single pureblood family was good enough for his Rita and I was allowed to fly free as a bird. Ladies, if your father is insisting on you coming out to society, RUN. Run as fast as you can and hope his connections cannot find you.

Debutante balls are nothing more than a male chauvinistic reign to prove they still have control of their female counterparts! And I must admit, they are also a lot of fun! In fact, I believe, about three years ago, at the Debutante, a certain Arielle Clarke tripped down the stairs, ripping her white dress and her escort, Finn O'Brien laughed at her. That was a good time. I even let out a chuckle or two at that awful occurrence. Naturally, the Clarkes were beside themselves! They couldn't show their faces in society for the rest of the summer!

For the Wolf-Kwon family's sake, I hope their daughters are much more elegant than the Clarke girl, but of course, being a family of Veela's, there's no doubt in my mind that they will make their father proud. Debuting this year at the annual debutante ball are Maia Wolf, Yuri Wolf, Mei-Ling Xang-Wolf, Aurora Sejung and Lina Kwon – who unfortunately is being shown off a second time as her first arrangement did not work out. That might be more embarrassing than the Clarke girl falling on her face. Good luck, Kwons!

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THE GOSSIP MARKET: KRIS WOLF
Okay, sweeties! I don't usually do this but I got some interesting mail from my sources and there's some interesting gossip I think the world needs to know about that could be very concerning to everyone involved.

Along with the annual summer gala the Wolf family is hosting, there seems to be concerns that it's more than just a Debutante Ball. While we all know the purpose of the Debutante Ball is to make appropriate matches for the children of purebloods in order to strengthen the bonds of the pureblood community and keep the families pure, so it's not a surprise that there are concerns.

However, this source says there's more to it than that and it concerns one Kris Wolf actually selling his daughters to grow his power and is looking for Ministry connections to possibly infiltrate it as well as making connections in the black market. While this is all hearsay, I feel the world should know there's rumours going around that could effect us all. And that perhaps the Auror department needs to keep an eye on this man.

My biggest question for Kris Wolf is why not just run for Minister if you want to be in charge? All this extra work seems futile.

Purebloods Everywhere
It seems certainly ironic, and almost challenging that a party would be held this summer with the guest list consisting of only purebloods. And not just were those in attendance purebloods, they were not of any known creatures. No Veelas were making people swoon over them and no animagus were there popping into their animal forms for entertainment. Isn't odd? Why on earth, do I wonder, would this party be allowed to go forth and run while the Ministry is working on equality for everyone? Isn't the whole point of Nathaniel Kingsley's new regime to be all inclusive and yet he was present at this all pureblood party swapping stories with none other than Mark Grimstone.
While I will give the Senior Undersecretary points for this, he had his beautiful cousin on his arm and was overheard to say she only had to dance with Grimstone's son if she wished to which says to me that the Kingsleys do not force connections among their children. Should his young cousin choose to dance with the Grimstone boy she was under no obligation. This is a rather refreshing stance to see instead of the forced way many other young people were put onto the dance floor.

Not all of my readers might be aware but the biggest reasons for parties such as these are to strengthen the bonds between pureblood families whether it be through friendly connections or arranged marriages. You might recall my article on those from the latest edition of the Daily Prophet and would then know that I am anti-arranged marriage. I will say this, though, I got some sweet, heartwarming information sent to me about the favoured couple of the summer and their love affair started right at the party we're currently discussing.

It seems the young Elizabeth Kingston, favoured daughter of Noel Kingston, and the handsome Sungwon Choi were caught falling madly in love, and won't their parents be thrilled. My sources tell me that she referred to him as her “songbird” and he called her his “kitty.” What beautiful terms of endearment for some so young! Perhaps sometimes arranged marriages do work out and these two love birds will be the next to walk down the aisle.

Listen for wedding bells, dearies!

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Equality Program Part One by @thesilverquill

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Magic announced its plans to institute a series of “Equality Programs” in Hogwarts and the Ministry, in hopes of combatting the resurgence in blood-purist ideals. This author’s thoughts have been previously printed, in short, in the Daily Prophet, though she prefers to give them this way rather than secondhand.

At the beginning of the summer, Senior Undersecretary Nathaniel Kingsley put these programs on trial, inviting a host of figures from mixed backgrounds to discussions and lectures about the concept. Several Hogwarts professors were in attendance, including a very uninterested-looking Dean Stewart, and the focus on education was clear from the get-go in Kingsley’s opening statements:

Standard diplomatic fare, but a promising start. One hopes that these programs will clean out the Hogwarts library and replace the misinformation-laden wastes of paper that litter its shelves. Merlin knows that this new curriculum will require more than one accurate book on werewolves. Kingsley, however, expertly buried this question in bureaucratese:
This remark, for many, will only support fears that this program will do nothing but support the beliefs of those who already agree with it. One class with no other alteration of curriculum or educational materials is unlikely, to say the least, to change anyone’s mind.

We, however, will have to wait and see what this program comes to; this was only the beginning of the trial, so look for future coverage of what happened next.

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Hogwarts Professors: Are They Too Young?

There has been a lot of talk about how our famed school, Hogwarts, is being run these days. With the employment of known Veela's, Werewolves, Vampires and who knows what other creatures are lurking the halls where our children are supposed to be safe, it's not surprising there's talk of concern. The latest talk of concern is that of the age of current Professors. Are we worried that children are looking after the education of children? Well, if we aren't we should be. Did you know the youngest member of the Hogwarts staff is none other than recent twenty year old, Finn O'Brien, and while he is only the librarian assistant, he is still present and influencing the lives of children where he has no business doing so.

More concerning is the presence of Professors actually teaching classes such as Astronomy, Transfiguration, History of Magic and Care of Magical Creatures. While the last named is not a core class, the other three are certainly important subjects left in the hands of adults barely out of Hogwarts themselves.

Professor Leo Starling is the current Astronomy teacher and is twenty-one years old. He only just finished Hogwarts four years ago and what education has he gained following his years at Hogwarts to provide a proper education to our youngsters? While Professor Starling is the youngest Professor on the roster, he's not alone in his youth. Professor Oleander-Mei is just twenty-two, and Professor Salome Hwa-Young (24), both recently hired to teach Transfiguration and Ancient Runes. Meanwhile the school has employed Professor Ryan Hwa-Young and Professor Wilson for a number of years and both are relatively youthful. Are we wondering if perhaps notorious womanizer, Professor Dean Stewart has a hand in selecting staff based on personal preference and attraction? Certainly, we are!