Kayla leaned forward in her seat and propped her chin onto her hands as she waited for the soon to be ex-Minister to have his say. She didn't like the way the man ran the Ministry, Belle and Cooper's was a fine example of his ridiculous views of the way things should be run.

She let her eyes rest on Ms. Taylor and even though she had only heard a few things about the woman, her whole aura gave Kayla the impression she at least knew what she was doing.

Minister of Magic Brennan Cooper stood and held up his hands as if to ward off the immense applause. Well, they had smaller hands, which was obviously why the clapping wasn't as loud. He turned to give a short bow to Regan, along with a playful wink for being such a good sport, before giving a bow to Bontecou. Highly preferable to the former leadership!

"Thank you Headmaster Bontecou. It is, of course, my goal to keep this speech short and sweet so you all can go about the business of education,” he began, looking out over the students with a merry look. They were commiserating over the long winded, obviously. “Let me begin by saying ‘wow’. Upon arriving at Hogwarts today, I was greeted by the warmest and most well mannered students I have had the pleasure of meeting for many, many years. You are truly a credit to the current administration."

"It is you,” he continued, with a gesture to the crowd of eager faces before him, “who are the foundations upon which the future of our Wizarding Community shall be built. As Minister for Magic, I would like nothing more than to continue to be the one who can be there to construct and improve the Wizarding World, arm in arm with the future leaders in this room!”

“At this time, you can rest easy in the knowledge that we have a secure and strong Ministry. But we cannot rest on our successes, which is why I would like, with sufficient help from myself and my co-workers, to be able to continue to demonstrate our power internationally and to start the journey towards educational reform. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a national treasure. With additional oversight and input from the Ministry, I believe it can be improved even more! With the ever watchful eye of our renowned Headmaster,” he nodded again towards Bontecou with a polite smile. "Under our mutual care, Hogwarts can continue to develop in leaps and bounds until it becomes, not only the best school in Europe, but also the most prestigious Wizarding school in the world. Together, we can make this happen.”


Cooper paused and gave them a charming, easy grin. "Now, I'm sure many of you are worrying about what will happen once you leave this place. The world is often uneasy, and your futures may seem to rely out of your own control. Let me assure you... the Wizarding community, which is ever improving and growing in strength, has a secure future for each of you, one that will take the best you have to offer to benefit the whole community. I believe that with the strength of mind and character you all possess, we can create something incredible. Wizards and witches know they can put their trust in the Ministry, knowing that each day we come closer to solving every social and political issue on the map."

"As I draw to a close, let me say this... I wish to continue as your Minister for Magic for your own sake, for the sake of this community we are creating, and for the sake of my future children and their children. I can say truthfully that I have the determination and ability to achieve the goals we have set as a nation. So please, do pick up a leaflet, a button, or a sticker, and make the right choice.” He smiled again, raising his hand to acknowledge any applause, before taking his seat.

Rachel raised her eyebrows as the Minister gave his speech. Well, he might be a little weird - to put it blatantly - but at giving speeches he was pretty good. Hmph! If he's so sure of himself, why is he along with Reagan Taylor, giving speeches here? Do they really think that we have so much power that we can change our par- guardians' decisions? Rachel thought with resentment, her distaste for propaganda showing through. Yes, she knew that it was a necessary part of any sort of election, but that certainly didn't mean that she had to like it.

She examined Brennan Cooper as he sat back down, wondering why her uncle was so against the fellow. Sure, he might have made some mistakes but he couldn't be that bad. Based upon this speech, he might actually be quite good. She bit her lip as she shifted her gaze towards his opposition, Undersecretary Taylor. She smiled slightly as she remembered the time she had spent in the woman's office; how nice she had been, how kind. Somehow I doubt Cooper would have acted the same way. He seems too... eccentric, too absorbed in something to really show an interest towards a young school girl. Wriggling a little in her chair, she tried to get into a more comfortable position as she prepared herself to listen to Reagan voice her opinions.

Qaz listened to the Ministers speech. Pontifficating old poop, I hope that the other one is better, Qaz thought. She wasn't overfond of politians to begin with, so sitting through their speeches was a bit of a bore, but she knew that being well-informed was important...no matter how boring it got.

Livvy cocked her head as she listened to Minister Cooper give his speech. Interesting man this one. A tad bit weird.. maybe over confident.. but he had a nice way of putting things... that made you like to believe the things he said and believe there is hope.. or.. yeah.. something like that. So.. Minister Cooper's goal was to make Hogwarts more.. "prestigious"? But he truly did seem like he wanted to make the community a better one. He was very sincere.

Shifting around in her seat, uncomfortably, as Livvy waited for Undersecretary Reegan Taylor to give her speech. She wondered how her speech would be. Better than Cooper's? She'd just have to wait and see. Hopefully she wouldn't fall asleep. Politics got rather dreary.. dull... and ... yeah.. pretty much dull.

Ludo watched the Minister from Ravenclaw House table. He'd been so preoccupied with school he'd forgotten all about the election taking place outside of Hogwarts.

Needless to say...the Minister was on thin ice in Ludo's liking. He was the reason he and the other boys had been sent to that dreadful school two years ago.
Ludo was very curious to hear the Undersecretary's speech. He sat back and waited for her to take her turn.

Paris looked at him hard. He was trying have his say in education! What did her know, just because you went to school didn't make you a educator. It was the same thing her grandmother was trying to do in Africa. She wanted to control absolutely everything and she wanted her say so in every facet of African life. Paris had a huge problem with that. And the man was trying to blow smoke up their tail pipes, why didn't he just spell out the issues. They weren't stupid kids they could understand things.

She folded her arms across her chest and waited for Reagan to speak, thats why she was there in the first place. The Minister was a lame duck and it was time he sat down and let someone take over.

Hugo Woods was sat near the front, gazing up at Minister Cooper idolisingly. The man was a genius! He eyed the people around him, none of which seemed quite enthusiastic as himself, and sighed. People had no taste nowadays. Sure, Reagan was pretty and all, but Coop had been doing this for years! He was the reason their world was so bloomin' brill!

He listened carefully as Minister Cooper made his speech, nodding now and then to acknowledge what he'd said. Wooooow. As the amaaazing man descended from the platform, Hugo stood up in his seat and clapped as loudly as he could, before sitting down again, rather read faced. Phewww. He was getting excited. And he was SO getting a button.

Amanda pretty much had rolled her eyes at the Minister's speech, he was the reason she had to attend that stupid Belle's School for Young Witches back in her first year and despite the fact that he awarded Slytherin 2000 points, she still disliked him a lot. She was waiting for what the Undersecretary had to say, at this point she hoped that it was a lot better than that pointless dribble that Minister Cooper just had said.

Emily wandered into the Great Hall keen to hear what the candidates for the election had to say for themselves.

She was trying to keep an open mind until after she had heard what both of them had to say, though she already had a biased opinion towards Reagan Taylor. Her brother was on her campaign committee; and she wasn't the one who split up the school two years ago when Ems needed her best friend, who happened to be a boy, more than ever; she was a women (duh), a role model for girls like Ems; aaand her dad thought the sun shone out of Minister Brennan Cooper's bottom, so of course Ems was going to rebel against anything he thought.

She listened to Cooper, watching him carefully as he gave his speech, her face gradually developing a deep frown. Pffft. Empty words they were. All hot air and nothing to back it up with. Hopefully Reagan would do better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomasina Riddle

Paris looked at him hard. He was trying have his say in education! What did her know, just because you went to school didn't make you a educator. It was the same thing her grandmother was trying to do in Africa. She wanted to control absolutely everything and she wanted her say so in every facet of African life. Paris had a huge problem with that. And the man was trying to blow smoke up their tail pipes, why didn't he just spell out the issues. They weren't stupid kids they could understand things.

She folded her arms across her chest and waited for Reagan to speak, thats why she was there in the first place. The Minister was a lame duck and it was time he sat down and let someone take over.

She sidled towards her little niece when she spotted her wearing an expression not unlike her own, tapping her on the opposite shoulder to where she was standing so she would look the wrong way, a small mischievous smirk crept up Emily's little pale face.

Oh this Minister was a smarmy,boring.....so and so.Sure he wants to stay in the job to help us! Nothing to do with liking the power he had over everyone?
Wait.Can my parents even vote in this election,being muggles?.....I'll have to ask someone.

Rubbing her eyes as hard as she could,and blinking several times because it made them go fuzzy,Sarah sighed again.
This was the sort of thing she avoided when it was on the TV at home.Getting up and walking out of the Great Hall,though,probably wouldn't go down well with the teachers.
"I wonder when Under Secretary Tayler will start her speech? She looks nice and friendly at least.Anyone other than that pompous...." Sarah cut off when she realised she had said that louder than intended. "God I hope the teachers don't have extendable ears around here."

Blinking again she put her head back on her hand and looked round at her fellow Puffs.Shame we can't talk during this.

Wow? Well, yes, they were more than well mannered, they were precious Hogwarts students. And Hufflepuff was the fairest House of all, then...she narrowed her eyes a bit, "the current administration", what was that supposed to mean? Because his reason behind it was obvious. The students haven't changed a bit since Headmistress Rae left, so his credit was overruled.

And he'll probably continue alone, because she wasn't following him, and certainly NOT arm in arm. Now, he was being delusional. Although, there were probably a few people that would want him to continue, but she knew that no one in her house would want such a thing.

Yay! Yes! Hogwarts...wait...what? Noooooo, no additional anything. And especially NOT something from the Ministry. It will ruin us! The Ministry messed our school up a few terms ago, and it shouldn't be let inside ever again. Not while Cooper is the Minister.

Man, Kaika had her mind set, didn't she?

Yeah...No, not really.

Which is why, for our own sake, be better run, far, far away. Run for our lives, because he'll be the reason behind our own destruction. Dramatic much?

Aha! He was now seated, and Kaika didn't move an inch, except, well, there were a few (5) inaudible claps from her hands, but now she wanted to listen to Miss Taylor, because, well, she was the reason they were all here, right?

Blah blah blah blah blah. That was all Cale heard as he sat and listened to Cooper talk. The Minister had pretty much lost all support from the prefect when he forced them to go to those horrible schools in his fifth year, and he didn't gain any cool points in Cale's book when he awarded Miss Perfect Prefect Evangeline Green and her friend Ellie 2000 points. Thinking of this incident, he shot a nasty glance Evangeline's way and sighed. That had been one rough term, that was for certain.

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as Hugo stood up near the front, applauding Cooper like a madman. Ewwwww, did he actually support that slimeball? Well, he was a Slytherin, he was bound to get a lot of support from that house...ok, if Cooper actually WON this election, Cale would blame Evangeline and her silly points. For sureeee.

The Senior Undersecretary sat with her hands folded upon the table, her face bearing a confident and friendly smile. Reagan Taylor listened carefully, acutely aware that the Minister could not have managed to write a speech so eloquent on his own. She recalled all to well the debacle at the International Wizarding Conference, which started with the Minister's self-indulgent and offensive speech. No wonder they were in such dire straits when it came to foreign relations. Sigh. One thing was for sure - he definitely had a good campaign staff writing his speeches.

Once the Minister had concluded his speech, Reagan clapped politely. After allowing enough time for the applause and chatter to die down, Reagan stood from her chair and approached the podium. This wasn't the first time she had given a large public speech and while she was slightly nervous because for the first time she represented herself and not Minister Cooper, she felt confident in her abilities not only to deliver her speech, but to lead the wizarding world into a new era.

Softly clearing her throat, Reagan began, "Good afternoon to you all, students and staff alike. It is such an honor for me to be standing before you today and I thank you sincerely for taking time out of your busy academic schedules to meet with me and my fellow candidate, Minister Brennan Cooper.

"As Headmaster Bontecou mentioned, my name is Reagan Taylor and I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. I realize that there may be some of you who do not yet know me, but I sincerely hope that after today, after you have had a chance to ask questions and gotten to know me and what I would like to bring to our community, that you will have a faith in me like I have in you, the future of our society.

"Because I want each of you to get the opportunity to ask the questions that are individually important to you, I am not going to spend a great deal of time up here grandstanding. I would, however, like to give you a glimpse into who I am and what I stand for. I have held the Undersecretary position for several years, working directly with the Minister to ensure the efficiency of our government. I see, on a day-to-day basis, the decisions that must be made for the advancement of our society and the betterment of our people. I have been intimately involved in the implementation of many policies that have allowed our community to thrive and flourish; however, as of late I find that my vision for our magical people has begun to deviate from that of what Minister Cooper continues to see as the ideal, despite the changing international environment in which we find ourselves.

"From my experience working so closely with Minister Cooper, I believe I know what needs to be done to bring about the change we need, to make us once again a country worthy of the respect of the entire wizarding world. And I would like to make that change with all of you, instead of for you. From your youth springs new growth, new ideas. You are assets to the magical community and deserve to have a say in the world in which you currently live, in the world in which you will soon lead. I hope that you will join me and lead our civilization into prosperity and success.

"Please stop by my table and ask me any questions you'd like. I promise to answer them honestly and to the best of my ability. And while you are there, feel free to pick up buttons, stickers, pamphlets, and t-shirts. Thank you for your time."

SPOILER!!: promotional buttons!

SPOILER!!: promotional stickers!

Avvies:

SPOILER!!: promotional t-shirts!

...riiiight.

Hugo's eyebrows rocketed into his hairline, faster than you could say 'promotional t-shirts'. He frowned, and turned to see if he actually was the ONLY person supporting Cooper. C'mon people! All the Slytherins should be; he gave them poiiiints! Noticing Cale behind him, he gave him the thumbs up and pointed to Cooper. Yes? YES? ...was Cale even a Cooper supporter? Ohhhh pah.

As Reagan finished speaking, Hugo merely sat there. Uhhh? She hadn't said much, had she? Well she had, but a lot of it was just repeating what Cooper had said, but with a pretty smile to top it off. Sure; you wouldn't describe Cooper as pretty, but what was this?! Some kind of VAIN school? *gasp* He simply eyeballed the Undersecretary, ogling at her t-shirts. Hmmm. The Minister didn't have T-SHIRTS; was she attempting a bribe?

WELL! - Cooper certainly had Hugo Woods' vote.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

"Thank you Headmaster Bontecou. It is, of course, my goal to keep this speech short and sweet so you all can go about the business of education,” he began, looking out over the students with a merry look. They were commiserating over the long winded, obviously. “Let me begin by saying ‘wow’. Upon arriving at Hogwarts today, I was greeted by the warmest and most well mannered students I have had the pleasure of meeting for many, many years. You are truly a credit to the current administration."

Sam watched the Minister with a dark look in his eyes. He considered destroying the students 'wonderful reception' right then and there with a louder 'boo'. No, he couldn't. It was a shame. Sam would have liked to wipe that over-joyful look off his face. He could do with a few lessons on looking sincere.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

“At this time, you can rest easy in the knowledge that we have a secure and strong Ministry. "

Sam almost choked. Secure? They all knew about the French Minister's death. How in the world could Cooper stand there and tell them that everything was all good and pretty? They weren't 5 years old. They were almost adults. He was kidding himself. Sam locked his teeth together to stop himself from standing up and walking out. There were better things to come.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

With additional oversight and input from the Ministry, I believe it can be improved even more! With the ever watchful eye of our renowned Headmaster,” he nodded again towards Bontecou with a polite smile. "Under our mutual care, Hogwarts can continue to develop in leaps and bounds until it becomes, not only the best school in Europe, but also the most prestigious Wizarding school in the world. Together, we can make this happen.”

Groan. Not more Ministry interference! Sam frowned deeply as the Minister finished his speech. He didn't clap, instead, he turned towards Reagan Taylor's table with a dissatisfied look on his face.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemondrop13

I see, on a day-to-day basis, the decisions that must be made for the advancement of our society and the betterment of our people. I have been intimately involved in the implementation of many policies that have allowed our community to thrive and flourish; however, as of late I find that my vision for our magical people has begun to deviate from that of what Minister Cooper continues to see as the ideal, despite the changing international environment in which we find ourselves.

Hoorah! Someone who actually knows what she's talking about. Sam grinned, finally interested. It seemed apparent to him that Reagan had once held the Minister's views, but as things changed, she saw the larger picture. She was smart.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemondrop13

"From my experience working so closely with Minister Cooper, I believe I know what needs to be done to bring about the change we need, to make us once again a country worthy of the respect of the entire wizarding world. And I would like to make that change with all of you, instead of for you. From your youth springs new growth, new ideas. You are assets to the magical community and deserve to have a say in the world in which you currently live, in the world in which you will soon lead. I hope that you will join me and lead our civilization into prosperity and success.

Worthy of respect Sam thought, nodding his head gently. That was what Britain needed right now; someone worthy of respect. Sam smiled. She was the right person, he was sure of it now. She was...change...and for the better. As the Senior Undersecretary finished her speech Sam stood and grinned, applauding her. She hadn't said that much, except that the Ministry was far from perfect and that she could fix that. Sam was completely on board. Sam sat down again, wondering when they were allowed to go meet the candidates.

Amanda listened to the other speech carefully, she now had a lot of respect for Reagan Taylor. That speech was short and sweet, it caught her attention and definitely made her understand exactly what the Senior Undersecretary wanted to do. So what if Minister Cooper favoured Slytherin and gave them points, he was a devil in Amanda's books after that horrendous split of the schools in her first term.

Hannah Leigh studied the candidates. Her aunt, (her legal guardian) was definetly for Reagan Taylor, but Hanlie wasn't so sure. Minister Cooper seemed more prepared and-
Well, she would just see. She wandered up to the tables and picked up two pamphlets, a "Cooper Can" and a "Reagan Taylor-Together Triumph." She perused them each for a good ten minutes.