black | sirius black

After 12 Years

1993

"Minister Selwyn, may I begin by congratulating you on your appointment as the youngest Minister of Magic in recent history?"

Rita Skeeter's voice dripped with honeyed sarcasm.

Evan smiled politely. "Thank you, Rita. I'm honored to serve the wizarding community."

Skeeter's smile widened as she leaned in. "But Minister, there's one question that's on everyone's mind. Is it true that you're married to Jayce Selwyn?"

Evan expected this question, and he answered with a calm and measured tone, "I do not believe that me answering that certain question will help anybody but yourself."

Rita Skeeter's quick pen scribbled notes. "But isn't it a bit of a coincidence that you have the last name of such a celebrated figure in the wizarding world? Jayce Selwyn has won the Quidditch World Cup twice with the Falmouth Falcons and has a legion of adoring fans. Some speculate that this might be a strategic move to win over the Quidditch community. Care to comment?"

"I am actually quite a huge fan of Quidditch myself." Evan chuckled. "As a student at Hogwarts, I played for my house team under the captainship of Lucinda Talkalot and later on, believe it or not, Jayce Selwyn herself."

Of course, his answer didn't satisfy Rita.

She didn't care.

She wanted to know what she wanted to know.

She couldn't care less about his plans on how he plans on improving the wizarding world and his time as a Hogwarts student. She wanted to know if he was married to Jayce Selwyn or not.

"Your last name is still a mystery to the wizarding world. Are you perhaps hiding yourself behind a well-known witch's last name or are you just protecting your potential marriage with her?"

Evan maintained his composure. "Jayce Selwyn is a talented Quidditch player, and I admire her skills. My focus as Minister is on the betterment of our society, not leveraging my name for popularity."

"So, are you married?"

"Since it does nothing to the betterment of our world, I will refrain from answering that."

The room buzzed with more questions and whispers, but Evan fielded them all with grace.

"Minister Selwyn, may we ask about what happened to you to cause your arm amputation?"

Another question.

"The war in 1981."

"Which side were you on, sire?"

"Does it matter?"

"I believe it does. You are the minister of magic."

Evan forced a sickeningly sweet smile on his face as his eyes narrowed at Rita Skeeter.

"I agree with her."

Another.

"You were chosen to be the minister with little to no details about your past revealed." A reporter said.

"I believe that says a lot about my character."

"What does it convey? That you are a man of few words or that you have an undiscovered past?"

Evan's demeanor did not falter.

"It means that my ways of life before the war have no influence on what I am doing now. My twelve years of work for the betterment of the wizarding world has helped me gather more than enough support and here I am, standing in front of all of you as the minister of magic." Evan stated.