15 January 1999 • The Wizarding World's Beguiling Broadsheet of Choice • 5 κ
The Dark Lord's Grandson!
By Rita Skeeter, Reporter
In surprising news today that has shocked even the most forward thinking commentators, yesterday evening the Dark Lord announced the presence, of all things, a grandson. No rumours or hints have ever circulated about such a thing. Many had believed our Minister possessed no living relatives. This has clearly been proven wrong.
At the end of a press conference aimed at criticising the brutal riots the other day [see page 5], the Minister halted his speech to summon a boy by the name of Vladimir Romanovros onto the stage. Without further ado, he was introduced as his grandson. He was allegedly born and raised in Russian by his mother before she was killed. Information is scarce, but she was apparently English born Elladora Devereux who died in June last year. While there have been no reports of Mr Romanovros being in England, he has apparently been in the country for several weeks.
Whispers are already starting to spread about the boy’s role and his past. Despite his Russian heritage many are very curious about the identity of the boy’s mother and how the Minister came to have a daughter. Notoriously private, the Minister has refused to answer any questions and little evidence has come to light. It is unknown whether a marriage or any long term relationship of any sort existed between the Minister and the woman. Of course the Prophet is on the search for any further information.
As for Mr Romanovros, his current position is unclear. The Dark Lord specifically reoffered to him as his heir. He did state that he would have no official public role, but we wonder how long this could really last.
What this means for the Minister’s Image? Continued Page 7