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Tribes in Tension
by Ellura Hardwicke

DIAGON ALLEY -
Increased grindylow attacks, unpredictable tides, and extra seaweed washed ashore? It seems the usually cooperative tribes of merfolk in the North Sea and the Celtic Sea are having a dispute and tensions may soon be reaching a boiling point.

According to underwater sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the suspected source of this dispute is the behavior of the merpeople of Hogwarts’ Lake at their last visit to the oceans. Oceanic disturbances began sometime in November 2105 and former Department of Ecological Regulation and Protection, Isabel Marshall, has confirmed that the timeline of events does seem to correlation with the hazardous infestation of Pharaoh's Triumph that was planted on the Hogwarts grounds by former Board of Governors vice president, Randall Bitterwood. With their home in jeopardy, the merpeople colony at Hogwarts sought temporary refuge and were taken in by their Northern brethren. The merpeople of Hogwarts’ Lake deny any wrongdoing, but the source claims they have broken the rules of hospitality when they were guests of the other tribes from November 2105 until the summer of 2106.

Minister for Magic, Charles Hollingberry, assures that both the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Ecological Regulation and Protection are handling the present situation delicately and that the possibility of these tensions pose no risk to the students and staff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hollingberry seems very optimistic that the underwater gala set at the end of this month, hosted by a neutral Atlantis, will help smooth tensions over and aid the continued effort to unify our waters once again.

The Daily Prophet is following this story.