The Many Musings of Albus Potter

xiii. dragons

xiii. dragons

THE QUIBBLER

EX-DEATH EATERS: EMIGRATION OR ESCAPE?

A piece by Pinkie Periwinkle

Edited by Luna Lovegood-Scamander

The tragic death of war-hero Neville Longbottom's youngest child, Nora Longbottom, in late June brought about a series of ill-advised government reforms which have since done their best to destroy both progress and peace within the Wizarding community. Headed by the Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt himself, along with his notorious underling Gerald Sterling (who remains shrouded in controversy. See: pg. 22 on the brief political history of Vice-Minister Sterling), these government reforms, now referred to as the 'August Manifesto', have caused a ripple of fury among those most affected by them-ex-Death Eaters.

(NOTE: Neither the writer of this piece, nor those affiliated with The Quibbler claim to be sympathetic to the plight of ex-Death Eaters. This article has been written simply to inform avid readers of The Quibbler of the realistic consequences that may arise from targeting a specific group of people, and more importantly, innocents that have the misfortunate of falling into this target group through mere association.)

The August Manifesto does not seek to disguise its pro-Muggle agenda. For the most part, its reforms are radical in nature (to put it in an underwhelming way) and the support it received was astounding, if not somewhat dubious, given that only a year ago, results from a National Wizarding Survey displayed statistics that showed 47% of British wizards do not agree with the integration of Muggle professors and Magical Institutions. (NOTE: Chief Editor of The Quibbler Luna Lovegood-Scamander is currently writing a thoroughly intriguing exposé on the National Wizarding Consensus and the corrupted dealings among Ministry cabinet members that ultimately allowed for a manipulation of the results. TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE QUIBBLER!).

There is more than one flaw to the August Manifesto, to be sure, but perhaps the most pressing of them all is the blatant discrimination it has re-generated, in its ironic bid for equality. Reports tell us that there has been an exponential rise in the emigration of Wizarding families from Britain since the implementation of the August Manifesto. Where British Wizarding emigration was as low as 2.5% just six months ago, emigration rates have now skyrocketed since early September, with statistics telling us that an estimated twenty British Wizarding families a day reportedly leave the country. Even the notoriously biased Daily Prophet has been forced to release a statement announcing the departure of twelve of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families in the last month. Looking at such shocking numbers, one has to wonder what exactly the August Manifesto has done to improve magical relations in the community. More importantly, what implications do these emigrations hold?

We must, of course, acknowledge firstly that the August Manifesto does not recognize the harm it has had on the children of convicted Death-Eaters. What good is it to force-feed child wizards an influx of Muggle ideas, babble on about equality and the ridiculousness of prejudice, when we are driving away their own peers with the prejudices they've grown up with since the end of the Second Wizarding War? What of those innocents who have been subjected to ridicule and unprovoked loathing, simply because their family history is tainted with darkness? Why must they be thrust into the complicated politics of their parents? And that begs the question of whether or not these children even want to leave their beloved country. Perhaps their families may see the good in emigrating somewhere safer, where they are less inclined to judge, but to what extent to the youth of today understand this? Would it be bold to declare this an involuntary migration? Put it into this perspective, and one can see that this seems more of an escape than an emigration.