+ Ministry of Magic 2015 Census
Perhaps it was because she was from Ireland and had just recently moved to Britain, but Belle couldn’t help but raise a dubious eyebrow at the news of the, apparently, “annual” census. In Ireland, most magical beings were treated with equal rights as that of an average witch or wizard, but from the looks of things, it wasn’t quite the same here. Seeing as she was registered and was originally from another country, the brunette honestly didn’t know how this particular event would affect her. Even her little incident in her school last year was already a small blimp on her radar, as her mother and relatives sent her letters frequently in regards to the happenings over there.
Obediently taking in a drop of Veritaserum after she is thoroughly searched by a (thankfully) female Ministry worker, Belle enters the hall with a non-descript student from Slytherin. The other student looked only a year younger than herself, or two maybe. Staring blankly at her ‘escort,’ the brunette sets the pace for the both of them as she surveyed the Hall. Although the supervisors who were surrounding the perimeter may serve as a comfort for some people, their alert stances only made the half-Veela feel cagey. It was as if they had sent this many people from the Ministry as a set-back if any of the students reacted violently. She was quite sure that if she even raised her voice slightly, at least one of them would already have a wand in his hand, already thinking of the appropriate measures they could do if she attacked anyone.
Taking her seat and grabbing the quill provided, Belle starts with no hesitation. The first few questions were basic enough. Her name, age, classification - questions she easily had an answer for as it was usually asked of anyone, growing up. Writing down the required information one by one, Belle halts as she reaches Section 5. Are you related to any witches or wizards that you would classify as a beast or being? Was this question pertaining to only her family or does it include her friends as well? Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Belle writes down: Half of my family tree is filled with magical beings. My grandmother, mother, aunts, some uncles, cousins and two older brothers all having Veela blood running through their veins. In Waterford, my previous school, there were also other students who was only half-human, but I was not particularly close to any of them. Although as of the moment, I have no knowledge of any of the acquaintances I had met here in Hogwarts being a beast or a being.
There’s a pause, as Belle tries to think of a reason on why exactly the Ministry wants to know of the relations people like her had. Their relation to beasts and beings in particular. The brunette reckons that she can mull about the questions later on as she pushes her questions to the back of her mind for the time being. The next question was quite a doozy, as it included the personal opinion and views of the person taking the census. Would you classify yourself as a beast or being? Dipping her quill into the ink bottle, Belle starts: Personally, I, myself, don’t understand why people such as I should be classified into these categories. Is a magical creature sorted into ‘beast’ if it is classified as dangerous and ‘being’ if it is less so? Every magical creature is dangerous in its own way, but then again, aren’t run of the mill wizards and witches just as liable? Just because we’re different, special, does that mean that we should be rendered a different treatment?
The last two questions were particularly easy for the half-Veela. Seeing as she was relatively a new student, the brunette hadn’t had the chance to make any close friends as of the moment. So her answer to the third question was a simple ‘No.’ Her answer for the second question applied here as well anyways, and as Belle is a registered magical creature, the fourth question did not apply to her entirely. Raising her hand as she was already done answering all of the questions, her escort leads her to the exit as another Ministry supervisor collects her paper. She is then given an Antidote to the Veritaserum she had taken in earlier, and as she made her way back to her dormitories, Belle couldn’t help but question Britain’s governing government, the Ministry of Magic.
