[HPforGrownups] Cornelius Fudge - Character Study

[Amanda Lewanski]

No: HPFGUIDX 3172

stevekimmel at yahoo.com wrote:

> Question 1: Who are they? Is this some variation on a Voldemort plot
> to move Dumbledore away from Hogwarts?

Nah, I think it's more along the lines of letting us as readers know that
Fudge is not an outstanding warrior of light appointed to his post by
popular acclaim after his heroic actions. He's a second choice, a
fill-the-desk guy.

> Question 2: How does someone get to be the Minister of Magic?
> Apparently not because of your abilities.

We've never been treated to a demonstration of Fudge's abilities, except
perhaps at organization. And I don't care what you're minister of, minister
of anything must be a politician and an organizer. Fudge is an outstanding
bureaucrat, and that's probably what they needed, rebuilding after
Voldemort. And has anyone done any analysis on the governing form of the
wizarding world? Is there a council, or elected body, or do we know anything
at all?

> Hagrid describes Fudge as being a bungler who sends owls everyday
> asking Dumbledore for advice.

Hagrid has a certain talent for overstatement in making his points.

> Although Fudge is not explicitly identified as the sender, there is an owl
> sent from the Ministry of Magic calling Dumbledore away at the critical
> moment when Quirrell is going to make his attempt on the stone. Had Fudge
> been identified as the sender, then perhaps I would be more willing to
> accept Fudge's
> "flip" to Voldemort's side.

I don't see how he's clearly on Voldemort's side, at least from what we've
seen thus far. He's just unwilling to the point of idiocy to admit Voldemort
might be back, but you can hardly call that a flip in position.

> Question 3: If it was Fudge who called Dumbledore away, how did he
> know Quirrell was going to make his attempt that night? Voldemort was
> so weak that it is doubtful he could have informed Fudge by magic.

I don't think it was. I think Quirrell arranged the owl.

> Question 4: In retrospect, why did Fudge seek to send Hagrid away

To keep his critics happy. "Look at it from my point of view....I'm under a
lot of pressure."

> and the same time Voldemort's other follower, Lucious Malfoy, is trying
> to rid Hogwarts of Dumbledore?  Is Hagrid more important than we have
> previously thought?

Malfoy wants anyone and everyone who disagrees with him and his pureblood
theories out of Hogwarts.

> Our most extensive contact with Fudge comes in Prisoner of Azkaban.
> It is Fudge who meets Harry when he steps off the knight bus and sets
> him up at the Inn. Presumably he knew the truth about Sirius Black
> and knew that Sirius was actually not a threat to Harry.

Why do you presume this?

> Presumably his actions were consistent toward eliminating another foe of
> Voldemort's.

How so?

> By the end of Prisoner of Azkaban, Fudge has grown from being a
> bungler to an officious twit.

He was *always* an officious twit, that's why Hagrid thought he was a
bungler.

> At the beginning of Goblet of Fire he is still the friendly, fatherly
> type toward Harry though prone to officious prissiness. At the end
> though, we see him defending everyone Harry mentions as a Deatheater,
> casting aspersions on Harry's reliability and refusing to go along
> with Dumbledore's plans to thwart Voldemort.

He's choosing to hear what he wants to hear, and see what he wants to see (a
la The Point, any other old Nilsson fans out there?). I'm not denying he may
be under the influence of Voldemort, especially since Voldemort is now
around to exert that influence personally, but I think up to the point of
the book 4 confrontation, he's easily explainable as an officious twit.

> Question 6: Is there an explanation of Fudge's actions other than his
> being a follower of Voldemort?

Yep.

--Amanda