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!1997: 08, !daily prophet, !news

Daily Prophet: August 26, 1997

Wedding Ends In Mayhem
Betty Braithwaite

The sparsely attended wedding of former French Triwizard champion, Fleur Delcacour and William Weasley, a Cursebreaker for Gringott's on Saturday was marred by inexplicable tragedy. One attendee, who requested anonymity, described the event as "catastrophic", and "clear proof that the Weasleys long association with Albus Dumbledore has been a negative influence."

The Weasley family have long had associations of dubious nature, but The Weasley-Delacour wedding seem to have brought to light associations with known criminals whose presence at the event led to violence and, by some reports, fatalities. The Ministry, where Weasley patriarch Arthur Weasley holds a position with the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department, has yet to comment. Inside sources claim that the Ministry's silence on the topic is one more attempt by a struggling Minister of Magic to strengthen his position, despite the flagging support of a large portion of the Wizengamot and upstanding members of the Wizarding Community.

The ceremony itself, a small and hasty affair some believe to have been an attempt to see the affair taken care of before the factors that inspired the union became apparently, was uninterrupted. It was at the reception that some of the family's less savory associates were said to have entered an altercation of unknown causes. Our inside source tells us, though it can't be verified, that the argument begin with those loyal to the wizarding Ministry and traditions questionings some family members' alleged association with Albus Dumbledore's group of vigilante students and graduates that the now-retired Headmaster began during his tenure at Hogwarts.*

William Weasley, Bill to family and friends, has been employed by Gringotts' for several years, and was formerly employed in their Egyptian location. While the Goblins have been reticent on the topic, rumors concerning Weasley's transfer were easily found. From reports of incompetence to allegations of illicit sales of dark arts objects found in the tomb, his future with Gringotts, even in the relatively unimportant desk job he was allocated to, seems dubious at best.

The bride is also an employee of Gringott's, though has little record of merit aside from graduation from Beauxbaton, the French Wizarding school whose Headmistress was unavailable for comment on her former student's marriage debacle, and a lackluster performance in the TriWizard tournament where Cedric Diggory lost his life under suspicious circumstances for which Albus Dumbledore never truly accounted, though he and Harry Potter were quick to lay blame on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

While the names of those attacked have yet to be officially released, the Ministry's lack of comment on or reaction to the event seems to be indicative of a Ministry unwilling to admit its own weakness in the face of the betrayal by even the families of its own employees. A highly-placed source at the Ministry laments "it's a shame that those in power continually fail to uphold either the laws, or wizarding traditions. It's proof that we need a change, and a return to older, more tested values and principles."

The Weasley family declined formal comment on our story.

* For further information on this, see The Daily Prophet's archives for Rita Skeeter's in-depth interview with Dolores Umbridge and former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge!