21 May 2009

On 1 October 2008, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was murdered by an Auror under the influence of a strong Imperius Curse.  In the interim months, the case has not yet been closed, and a replacement for the position has been scarce.  Veteran of the Auror Corps, Tamis Raynor has been filling the post until then.  But following a statement from the Minister of Magic's office, on 4 May, Cameron Rosier (47) was appointed as the new chief of Level Two.

His appointment is not without controversy, however.  Rosier hails from the infamous pureblood Rosier family, not a few of whom were Death Eaters during the last few decades of the twentieth century, but Rosier himself has worked as a prosecutor for Level Two under Tiberious Ogden and Bartemius Crouch, Sr.  Amid rumors that his appointment was the result of heavy-handed pureblood Wizengamot influence, Rosier says, "look back through my career and decide [...] if I’ve ever taken anyone’s side except the side of the Ministry itself."

"I’ve been threatened before. I reckon, I’ll survive for now," says Rosier to questions of any inheret threat from heading Law Enforcement.

"First and foremost, I will not deny that these are dire times and there is no question a lot of hard work is ahead of us. The first step for me would be to achieve more unity within the Department, which by itself is an ambitious task. I will try to pick up the pieces that were shattered post the assassination of my predecessor, Gawain Robards. Only when that is done, we can hope to move forward. "

Internal Turmoil

Indeed, the Department has been in a strange state of flux.  Despite the strength of the crew under Interim Head Raynor, sources in the Minister's office say that they could not do without a proper Department Head any longer.  "This is as it should be.  Raynor is an impeccable chief of the Auror Corps and we expect good things from this pair."

Talk about the Ministry however paints a much less rosier picture (excuse the pun).  Grumblings from all corners about new procedures and changes in expectations seem to be chafing what many believed to be a system that was working just fine, or at least that's the Auror perspective. 

Unconfirmed reports tell of an Auror resigning on the spot, but Rosier denies it. "No Auror has been fired or has officially resigned since my appointment. "

However, Rosier is hopefully pragmatic.  "Unfortunately they have very little time to adjust, and satisfied with my appointment or not, they won’t have a choice but to adapt. However we are quickly learning to work together as a team."

Change will come, so they say, if but slowly.

But they'd better adapt quickly - Law Enforcement has some very pressing matters on their plate.

Criminals at Large

Cinaed Tawse, an Ex-Azzie charged with a poutpourri of murders.  Theodora Kingstreet, still at large after the 2008 Remembering Day slaughter, and the attempted framing of Moira Randall.    Rosier declined to provide any strategy or detail as to the pursuit of these criminals, but did say that the Department makes "progress every day", and that the criminals "will not escape the law and sooner or later receive the greatest punishments."

Macduff the Direwolf
"Dugan MacDuff is a dangerous terrorist and it is about time we finally put a stop to his crimes," declares Rosier, "He has proven that even the best members of Level Two are vulnerable when knowing when and where to strike, but this will soon come to an end. And while the best groups of Aurors are working on this case, I cannot remind you enough how important it is to put extra protective enchantments on your households and be vigilant at all times."

Since March, the wizard known as Dugan Macduff has been responsible for the kidnapping, attack and slaying of many Ministry of Magic employees and their families, including Colin Downer of the Department of Mysteries, and the family of former-Auror Ackerly Fox.

But reports fly all across Britain and Ireland, that Macduff is no ordinary criminal, that he is not only a werewolf, but a direwolf.  While the Ministry is stingy with information concerning these particularly cursed indiviuals, eye-witness reports to the Daily Prophet claim that direwolves can transform during the daytime, and can pass through even enchanted walls and locked doors. 

"The term "direwolf" is not an official term. As far as we know Dugan Macduff does not possess any special powers that are different from any other werewolves. People often look for excuses, but Macduff is hardly special - he is simply one thing - a terrorist. "

Straight from Level Two.

Muggle Affairs?
Newly appointed to the Ministry's highest levels of leadership, the Daily Prophet did not waste this opportunity to inquire about the rumors of a newly formed 'Muggle Office'.

"The Muggle Affairs office, to my knowledge, is there to serve people who seek assistance after living in the Muggle world for a long time, or are planning on living there in the near future. It is developed to assist the Muggle parents of children with magical abilities, spouses of witches and wizards and their non-magical relatives. This office is needed to control that the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy would not be breached, but still offer leniency when a Wizarding family’s  Muggle relatives are concerned. "

It is not clear at this time how this new Office would function, or if it will be the purview of Level Two.

Time will tell what the impact of this new chief will be - granted he survives to voluntary retirement.