Daily Prophet; March 20, 2003
FIVE YEAR INVESTIGATION ENDS; PERSONAL AFFECTS RELEASED TO PUBLIC
The Ministry of Magic concluded their investigation of Death Eater activity today, nearly five years after the conclusion of the war. The official end of the war has been declared as the Battle of Hogwarts and the death of the Death Eater leader, Thomas Marvolo Riddle, otherwise known as Voldemort.
In the months following the battle, Ministry Officials seized property of known Death Eaters to use as evidence. Said evidence was used to route out hidden Death Eaters and to determine which of those involved were acting of their own free will. The conclusion has been that, compared to the previous war that ended in 1981, the war ending in 1998 had far fewer cases of the Imperius Curse. With the Death Eaters in power, there wasn't much need to use mind control. They could just kill anyone who got in their path.
The Ministry will be sending letters to those who survived by Death Eaters, informing them of their inheritance. Ministry representatives will not release an official list of those receiving property until after the relatives are informed.
Some have to wonder, however, if being a recipient of these properties links those on the list to the Death Eater activity that ended nearly five years ago.