Post War Governmental State
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Since the assassination of the War Cabinet during a meeting held toward the close of the Death Eater trials, and amidst the uncovering of the Vanguard Alliance, the Wizarding government has been locked in a state of uncertainty. With so few of the Wizengamot left, the appointing of a new Minister proved impossible and instead, an interim Minister was placed in temporary power. The decision saw several of the older Wizengamot members resign while the populace has been appeased by talks of organizing an eventual election once the immediate crisis was resolved. This, however, has yet to happen despite the settling down of both social and political scenes in Britain.
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The End of an Era
At the close of the Second Dark War, many Death Eaters entered England and, before they could be captured, surrendered themselves en masse at the Ministry, placing themselves at the mercy of the Wizengamot while the European Detachment was still engaged in France and helping to clean up the last vestiges of the broken Death Eater forces.
A series of trials began as Minister Cornelius Fudge, determined to bring a conclusion to the war and all facets of it as quickly as possible. During the course of these trials, which also incorporated the trials of the Hit Wizards who had surrendered to Ministry personnel after the Battle of Hogwarts, the existence of a group that named itself ‘Vanguard’ came to the forefront. Their tale told, the Wizengamot, much to Fudge’s surprise, began to cast votes in favour of full pardons. Infighting broke out amongst the Magical Courts, though, locked in a series of planned trials as it was, they pressed on and exonerated near every individual who had voluntarily stepped forward. It became apparent that the Vanguard influence reached further than Death Eaters and Hit Wizards, though little could be done until the last Death Eaters were tried and excused for their crimes.
Incensed, Fudge called a closed meeting of the war cabinet. Citing treason underfoot and underway, he ordered a full-scale investigation that would interrogate every member of the Wizengamot. His Deputy Minister - Susan Meadowbank - opposed the directive and several in the cabinet itself began to add their weight to silence any such investigation. Whatever conflict may have ensued after this moment of rupturing within the Ministry’s uppermost echelon is lost to fate, however, as another plan unfolded which had little to do with the Vanguard’s attempts to usurp the Ministry and seize power through a subtle takeover.
Zachariah Airewing, husband to Lillia Airewing – Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement - opened fire on his colleagues. Within minutes, the war cabinet was broken, he was arrested and Lillia, appalled by her inability to see her husband’s corruption via the Imperious Curse took an official leave of absence, which she has yet to return from, leaving Auror Mason Jardis as effective head of the entire Law Enforcement department.
Initially suspected of having a hand in the assassination, Devron Blackstaff was re-arrested and detained. The head of the Wizengamot removed, and several already in disgrace for their blatant voting, the Vanguard’s bid failed (their membership amongst the cabinet was dead and could no longer protect them). A slew of resignations began from both the loyalists who had lost faith, and the Vanguard who effectively jumped before they could be pushed. This left the Wizengamot gutted, forcing the remaining members to elect an interim Minister and begin a search to replace its devastated numbers as theirs were deemed too few to form an effective caucus.
The Goblins
The last true edict passed through the courts that was not related to Death Eaters and the fates of the surviving Hit Wizards granted the goblins three seats on the Wizengamot and gave them the right to both vote on and propose motions. This act drew human and goblin relations far closer than they have been in recorded history. They were granted this position in response to their aid on the final Battle of Diagon where their timely aid in the intense fighting between Aurors and Death Eaters smashed the Death Eater force and broke the back of the invasion.
The goblins, as it turned out, were a part of the Vanguard Alliance.
The Mayor’s Reign
After a week of deliberations, Wizengamot Wizard, Warren Hugo Tristam, The Mayor of Bellsbury was granted the rights and privileges of the Minister’s position as the only Wizengamot member with suitable leadership skills, and experience, his rise was minimally opposed and granted on the condition that he not be granted full title of Minister for Magic.
The Mayor was quick to act and began filling seats in the Wizengamot. At first, his selections were reasonable and deemed well chosen, it became apparent too late for the original core to vote down further selections as new members owed loyalty to the Mayor, rather than the cause, and so he began to bring in less obvious, less well-known wizards and witches. Granting them titles and power as Wizengamot members, in what is largely regarded as a subtle political coup, he assumed near total control over the Wizarding Court.
The moment he stepped foot into his new position, The Mayor reversed the edict of the original Wizengamot and performed a hasty ‘re-trial’ of those few Death Eaters taken back into custody. Yet, while he could not go so far as to order execution or imprisonment, he did revoke their pardons and exiled the last handful of Vanguard members from Britain, thereby destroying any chance the Vanguard could regroup and challenge his rule. It was a daring first move on the Mayor’s part and while it assured his position as interim Minister, it alienated the original core of the Wizengamot that had survived as well as the Law Enforcement Department. The rift between police and court grew over the coming months, for the Aurors do not recognise the right of the Wizengamot to rule, as the Mayor has no public mandate. As well, the Mayor does not recognize the right of a police force to become judge and jury. Tensions between the two have escalated though they are, essentially, stalemated as neither can directly oppose the other.
Since his being granted power, and the rise of the new Wizengamot, the Mayor has stalled all talks of a proper election; citing greater issues to be addressed and a lack of resources to commit to such an endeavour. The Mayor’s loyalists within the courts firmly veto motions being near constantly presented to hold proper election and seek a definite public mandate. This position, while guaranteeing the Mayor’s position, costs him the cooperation of the Aurors and keeps him from truly ruling over Britain as her Minister for Magic.
The Auror’s Rebellion
With Lillia Airewing absent, and Mason Jardis running the Department of Magical Law Enforcement – as opposed to merely being the Auror’s Chief – things have been chaotic in the post-war department. The sub-branches of Auror have been merged back into each other and the recruitment and training drive has all but ceased, freezing Auror growth while, over time, resignations in protest to events have seen numbers slowly dwindling to alarmingly low levels.
Loyal to the book, and seeing the book being twisted by the Mayor of Bellsbury and his loyal majority within the Wizengamot, the Aurors and other Law Enforcement officers have watched the Mayor’s justice all but crucify those deemed innocent or having committed relatively minor crimes, while watching as prize catches from the Knockturn cleanup and other operations around England have been all but dismissed. This peaked after a high profile raid on a Knockturn Pureblood family, Rodchester, netted the family heir – Carwyn Rodchester, wanted on a dozen accusations of crimes against humanity from the fighting on Knockturn Alley, in which he sided with the Death Eaters there. The Wizengamot found him not guilty on all charges, reprimanded the Aurors for clinging to old, unjustifiable grudges and released him.
Several Aurors walked out after his affair, leaving the Ministry and what they regarded as a great miscarriage of justice behind. Unable to effect a change in governmental policy, Law Enforcement began to split into two camps, with several happy enough to ignore the odd glitch on the justice scale and support the status quo while many have begun to refuse to work for a court that no longer honours justice to the strict codes they themselves adhere to. This refusal to cooperate has seen several persons arrested for various, indisputable crimes yet who have links to the new Wizengamot escaping from custody, to never be heard from or seen again. While others, pegged for arrest by Wizengamot warrants, have simply left the country before they could be detained.
This infighting culminated in August 2007, when exiled Death Eater, Devron Blackstaff portkeyed onto Diagon Alley and demanded to be arrested. Taken into custody with little hesitation, he was placed on full trial two weeks later. The Mayor of Bellsbury intended to destroy the former Death Eater and allowed a full range of media into the trial, which was open door and allowed anyone interested from the general population to witness. He needed a decisive case and, while the trial swung back and forth for some time with accusation flying from both accused and the judges, the case fouled as Devron cited the full pardon signed by elected and true Minister, Cornelius Fudge, whereas his exile was issued by a temporary government that had no rights to overthrow the rule of a true governing body.
While protracted and messy, several Aurors, led by Ryleigh Blackstaff nee Atalanta and backed by Mason Jardis, stormed into the courtroom and released Devron; the first, open move against the Mayor. The Wizengamot, at the urging of the Goblins, cast its votes. Evenly split, the goblin representatives voted in support of the Aurors. Blackstaff was released; his pardon honoured and soon after was permitted back into the country. The Auror’s move was costly, as public opinions cemented around one of two camps, neither of which views the near military insurrection that took place (and was hinted at in a thinly veiled threat during the course of the trial) favourably, though some admit it was a necessary intervention on the Auror’s part to ensure justice was maintained.
Since then, tensions have grown within Law Enforcement itself and England’s political and policing halves are at open odds with each other.
