1 Mar 1922

Merrow Found Guilty,
Sentenced to Twenty Years in Azkaban

The highly anticipated trial of Minister of Magic Wylder Merrow began this morning and ended with a verdict and sentencing that has left the Wizarding World in a rather unstable position.
The trial was the final of four in regards to the dark events that happened in March 1921 on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That night saw the capture and torture of three students by Arthur Thayer, astronomy professor, which resulted in his death.
Among the witnesses, besides the three students, were former Headmistress Ruby Haswell, Deputy Headmaster Gideon Blackwood, Professor Maddox Barlowe, and Minister Merrow. Blackwood and Barlowe were found not guilty of all charges brought against them by the Wizengamot.
Haswell was found guilty of Child Endangerment and sentenced to two years in Azkaban for the role she played in not protecting the students at the school. It was a verdict that drew considerable debate among readers of the Daily Prophet.
Upon her sentencing, Galen MacLean was appointed the new Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Merrow was accused of Manslaughter, Child Endangerment, Treason, and Conspiracy. The Prosecution introduced evidence of collusion with Thayer that involved the previous Minister’s Gringotts account receiving payments from the now deceased professor.
Merrow was found not guilty of Manslaughter, but guilty on all other charges.
He was sentenced to twenty years at Azkaban.
Undersecretary Gerald Nunn has taken the position of Interim Minister of Magic. An election for Merrow’s successor will begin in late 1922 or early 1923.
What the events of the past year have made clear, if nothing else, is that the structures Wizarding Britain has long relied upon are not immune to corruption. A professor. A Minister. The halls of Hogwarts itself. Whether the verdicts delivered today restore any measure of public confidence remains, at best, uncertain. An unstable world awaits whoever steps into the role next.

1 NOV 1921

Verdict: Haswell Guilty
Court Finds Negligence in Hogwarts Crisis

Facing the Wizengamot today was headmistress Ruby Haswell, who took over the running of the school in September 1920 after the previous head was sacked for his excessively pro-muggle views. Readers will recall at the time she had tried to allay the fears of many parents by promising a safer Hogwarts. With the tragedy that rocked the school last March that promise failed to come to pass.
The Facilitator for today’s trial was Bertram Norstrom, who’s own granddaughter attends Hogwarts and was one of the girls taken by Thayer. Haswell is accused of First-Degree Manslaughter under Magical Statute 345.B and Child Endangerment under Magical Statute 102.A, the same charges that were leveled against Blackwood two months ago.
Haswell attended court today with the well-known Barrister Alistair Crowe, hoping that family money and connections could buy her innocence or at the very least a successful barrister. Haswell, more dressed for the streets of Paris than the court room, attended showing no remorse, and no doubt feeling confident that she would receive the same treatment as Blackwood. In recent weeks many have spoken out saying that women have no place leading an establishment like Hogwarts, citing that the most successful heads have been men, and the events that led to these trials really do seem to highlight this as the case.
Haswell pleaded not guilty to all the charges before her council stepped up to speak for her, to expertly try to shift the blame of the events of that night, firstly by saying it wasn’t his client that cast the unforgiveable, or for the managing of the incident. Instead he shifted blame to our own Minister of Magic Wylder Merrow, showing the continued disrespect to the Ministry that we saw in the trial of Blackwood. Crowe claimed that the Headmistress had behaved within the scope of the law, a scope that apparently allowed three young innocent girls to be tortured.
Facilitator Nordstrom expertly saw through the defence’s blame game reminding the Wizengamot that duty of care is non transferable and that blaming the Minister of Magic should not be the defence used by a woman with 24 years experience, a comment that caused Haswell to smirk with little regard for the authority of the court.
In a moment that shocked the court, Nordstrom then called Ruth Elliot to the stand, one of the girls who had been tortured by those that had invaded that night. She was not called as a witness in Blackwood’s trial and, had the Facilitator seen fit to call her, no amount of money would have saved Blackwood.
Ruth Elliot, a studious 5th year Slytherin, bravely took the stand and was instantly bombarded with questions from the gathered wizards and witches all eager to ask the teenager her side of the story. However, despite the terror the young girl must have been feeling, she was able to confidently relay to the Wizengamot the events of that night.
Her testimony was indeed damning; she explained how Haswell had almost accio’d her into the path of the killing curse, and that it had been dumb luck rather than good planning on the Headmistress’s part that had allowed the brave young girl to see another morning. The girl then also disclosed the litany of disasters that had plagued the school last year, events that would surely have made many parents pull their children from the school but had been covered up by Haswell showing further failings in her leadership.
It was then Crowe's turn to question the girl, initially trying to deflect the disclosure of numerous dangerous events at Hogwarts before he attempted to coerce the brave teenager by trying to get her to agree to the events Haswell wanted us all to hear. However, true to her house, she stood up to Crowe with the confidence of a much older girl, putting him back in his place in a way many adults would struggle to do before she left the stand.
As in the trial of Blackwood, Minster of Magic Wylder Merrow was called to the stand, once again to give his version of events on that fateful evening. However the wizards and witches of the Wizengamot were more interested in the reasons that Haswell had ever been deemed suitable for the role of headmistress.
Once Merrow left the stand, Nordstrom had not finished with Haswell, asking her why she had chosen to ignore 24 years of experience as an Auror on that night. Haswell herself seemed more annoyed at having been asked such a question than showing any form of regret for her actions. Instead, she chose to blame her colleagues and the previous administration, never once taking responsibility for her actions or lack of diligence.
These were aspects of the defence that were quickly tackled by Nordstrom, who clearly showed his experience and inability to be blindsided by Haswell’s womanly charms.
Crowe's closing arguments, clearly damaged by the evidence given especially that from the Elliot girl, held very little weight just reiterating that it was everyone’s fault but his client’s, despite the evidence the Wizengamot had heard today.
During Blackwood's trial the Wizengamot deliberated for 3 hours, while during Haswell’s trial they were cloistered for 5 hours before a decision was made. Haswell entered the courtroom with the confidence of a woman who has always dodged accountability, and no doubt felt confident after Blackwood had gotten off scott free. However this was not the same trial and after five hours the Wizengamot found her Not Guilty on the charge of Manslaughter in the First-Degree under Magical Statute 345.B.
But she was found Guilty on the charge of Child Endangerment under Magical Statute 102.A, pertaining to the sustained negligence and failure of the Duty of Care at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was sentenced to two years in Azkaban and unable to hold a position of authority for a further five years after her release. She was also dismissed from the post of Headmistress of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Details of who will be taking over the post are not yet available but be sure to check the Prophet daily for updates on this unfolding story.

30 SEPT 1921

The Wizengamot has ruled:
Blackwood is Not Guilty

This was an early start for those attending the first in what has been described as the trials of the decade. It is a day that many have been waiting for, since those terrifying events of March 1921 where hundreds of children were put in mortal danger, three innocent young girls were brutally tortured, and a man lost his life due to outrageous failings, by Hogwarts staff on the night in question and during the many months and years leading up to it.
Officials from the Ministry of Magic and the Department for Magical Education have spent many months putting together a case to finally bring Hogwarts to task over the multiple failings that have led to this tragedy. Daily Prophet readers will be aware of the events that led up to the change in school administration in September 1920, when many felt the Ministry should have taken the school under its full jurisdiction, but it was allowed to continue as its own entity and if letters to the paper are those of popular opinion these events further show why the school should solely be run by the Ministry.
The Facilitator for the first trial is the popular Chief of Staff for St. Mungo’s Dorian Montreaux, known widely for being one of the youngest in that role in the hospital’s history. Despite his young age from the moment the trial started you could see why he had been given the role of Facilitator in today’s trial. He started by setting out the expectations for members of the Wizengamot and for representatives for both sides.
The Defendant, Gideon Blackwood, Deputy Head of Hogwarts and current head of Slytherin was present as was his father, Rupert Blackwood. The Facilitator laid down the charges as first-degree manslaughter under Magical Statute 345.B and child endangerment under Magical Statute 102.A.
Blackwood sat at the centre of the room with a cold look in what could only be considered a perfectly tailored suit, clearly flaunting his wealth in front of the Wizengamot, he took his seat with an air of sullenness and spent much of the session devoid of emotion and remorse. He is being represented by Corvus Penhaligon, clearly hoping that money and image would help him buy his way out of trouble.
Facilitator Montreaux set out the events as they occurred on that terrible night, that Blackwood had allegedly used excessive force and as such these actions put the lives of three innocent girls in danger. From Facilitator Montreaux’s moving initial speech it showed how the Ministry is ensuring Hogwarts and its staff have a greater level of accountability.
The barrister for the Defence tried to lay the blame for the events at the foot of the Ministry, blaming them for an unsafe learning environment when it has been clear for many years that the Ministry has not been welcome in the school. Mr. Penhaligon for the defence tried to paint the defendant as an altruistic individual who used himself as a shield not a ‘Hooray Henry’ looking for an excuse to charge into battle regardless of consequences or others safety. That Blackwood’s actions were those worthy of praise not condemnation or accountability.
It was clear to those in the court that the Facilitator found these claims of heroism hard to swallow, especially how the defence tried to assail Blackwood of the blame by claiming inexperience in the role made diligence not a priority. Highlighting the case where Ministry oversight would have been a help to the children at the school and as an ongoing concern for anyone who has their children at the school.
The first witness was called and in a surprise twist, it was the Honourable Minister for Magic Merrow, where the only question he was asked was why he had hired Blackwood, and deemed him competent for the job and as someone who would keep the children safe. Something Blackwood failed to do.
Blackwood himself was then placed on the stand. He began a tale of shifted blame and finger pointing first at the Headmistress and then at the Minister for Magic himself, blaming him for arriving with no Aurors. Which was later corrected as it seemed the staff member who had contacted the ministry had been incompetent and given incorrect instructions.
No further witnesses were called to the stand, and the defence was allowed to present its closing statement.
The Wizengamot then sat in recess for 3 hours as they debated the evidence and statements. And in a shock result showing that indeed weaker members of the Wizengamot can be swayed by money and titles, Gideon Blackwood was found innocent and allowed to return to his duties at the school. A fact many parents will find horrifying and will no doubt be looking to remove their children from the school unless the Ministry steps in soon to save it.