“And the big bad man and his big bad clan, Their hands are stained with red... Oh, how quickly they forget... They aren't gonna help us -- Too busy helping themselves! They aren't gonna change this: We gotta do it ourselves... They think that it's over, but it's just begun!”
~“Only the Young” by Taylor Swift
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“And so…esteemed members of the Wizengamot…based on the overwhelming evidence – the factually bankrupt, inflammatory anti-Muggle and Muggle-born leaflets sent out by the defendant’s Commission and promoted by the defendant herself; the transcripts of trials overseen by the defendant that spell out blatant corruption and unsanctioned cross-examination techniques, including having Dementors present during all trials and actively refusing to give any defendant proper legal representation; the testimony of over fifty Ministry employees, speaking to the defendant’s close working relationships with known Death Eaters and to her own willingness to overlook Wizarding Law to advance herself and her Commission’s political aims; the countless memos written in the defendant’s own hand condemning nearly a thousand people, including over a hundred children, to unjust captivity; and the defendant’s well-known reputation among her ex-students, her coworkers, and even her own family for enjoying the suffering of others and persecuting fellow wizards and witches not just for their blood, but also for suffering from medical conditions like lycanthropy and blood maledictions – all of which the defense has offered no suitable defense for, aside from incorrectly asserting that the defendant was ‘simply following orders’ from her superiors…I think there is no question as to her guilt, or to what justice would be appropriate.
Although I – as a private citizen of the Wizarding World – agree with Minister Shacklebolt’s measure to remove the Dementors from Azkaban prison…I must acknowledge that if there were ever a case for a criminal from our world deserving the Dementor’s Kiss…it would be Dolores Jane Umbridge. But because we – unlike the defendant – have a code of honor before us that we will not break just to achieve a political objective…I believe it’s our solemn duty to ensure this basilisk in human skin never walks free again.”
~Carewyn Cromwell, prosecutor for the trial of Dolores Umbridge // January 1999
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About two-and-a-half years ago, I drew a concept for Carewyn as a lawyer for the Ministry of Magic, and...yeah, looking back at that concept, I knew I could improve on its visual, if I tried it again!
Carewyn Cromwell was still a fresh-faced, idealistic young lawyer of twenty-five when she became the Chief Prosecutor behind the Ministry of Magic’s trials of ex-Death Eaters after the end of the Second Wizarding War in 1998. That very same year Carewyn also became the legal guardian of one of the Muggle-born children she defended in court (a drawing of whom is also coming soon!), even while unmarried and only living in a small flat in London. Despite her relatively short time with the Ministry, however, the fashionable young prosecutor left a strong impression, not only taking charge and putting Dolores Umbridge under citizens’ arrest when the Death-Eater-controlled Ministry fell, but also in fiercely advocating for those who had been most hurt during the War. The Daily Prophet was eager to spotlight the young Cromwell in their articles, both flatteringly and otherwise, simply because of how much fascination such a pretty and paragon, and yet stoic and ruthless woman evoked in both reporters and the paper’s readership. There were even several points, both during and after the trials, when Carewyn’s name was floated by the Prophet as some possible future replacement for Minister Shacklebolt, or even just as a permanent member of the Minister for Magic’s support staff -- but Carewyn, thoroughly disinterested in working directly in politics, instead remained steadfast in her pursuit of legal justice.
