[HPforGrownups] More Percy (was: Possible Weasley Death Eaters)

[Amber ?]

No: HPFGUIDX 27259


>From: "Christina Davis" <sweet_brunette27 at hotmail.com>
>
>Percy: He wasn't someone I would orginally pick as a possible defector
>but I've been reading the posts about his lust for power with great 
>interest and I have to admit they've swayed me.  If he gets fustrated 
>enough with Dumbledore's rule breaking and is approached by the right 
>person in the right way then I can see the possibility of him being lured 
>into Voldemort's camp

As someone who rather likes Percy, I do wonder at how people jump to him 
being a choice to join Voldie's camp.

There are always two instances people cite: 1)the scene where Percy is 
reading the "Prefects Who Gained Power: a study of Hogwarts Prefects and 
their later careers" book in COS and 2) the scene where Ron muses that Percy 
might join Voldie's camp in GOF.

The first instance, I can see where people are coming from. But let me say 
that the title of the book isn't "Prefects Who Gained Power And Then Went On 
To Be Evil, Traitor Wizards". Power can be gained through perfectly 
acceptable means. Furthermore, it's a study of graduated Prefects and their 
later CAREERS. Are we surprised that Percy is looking towards his future? 
Certainly not, he's two years away from graduating from Hogwarts. Just 
because the word "power" is used doesn't mean that Percy is so power-hungry 
that he is willing to throw over family ties. Heck, I'd love to have power 
but that doesn't mean I would kill people or break rules to get it. The word 
"power" seems to have a bad rap...

The second instance has more weight, IMO. Here's the scene:

"Wonder if Percy knows all that stuff about Crouch?" Ron said as they walked 
up the drive to the castle. "But maybe he doesn't care...it'd probably just 
make him admire Crouch even more. Yeah, Percy loves rules. He'd just say 
Crouch was refusing to break them for his own son."

"Percy would never throw any of his family to the dementors," said Hermione 
severely.

"I don't know," said Ron. "If he thought we were standing in the way of his 
career...Percy's really ambitious, you know..."
- GOF, Am Ed. pg 534

So we see Ron saying that Percy is ambitious and loves rules, perhaps to the 
obsession point. And since Ron is Percy's brother, we assume that it holds 
weight. After all, his own brother would know such things, would he?

Maybe yes, maybe no. If you look through the books, Ron and Percy don't have 
the best relationship. In fact, Ron has scorn for Percy; he clearly doesn't 
hold him in the highest regard. In my opinion, this colors his view of Percy 
and it invalidates this scene a bit.

I will concede that there is the possibility that Percy will join 
Voldemort's forces. However, I would also argue that EVERYONE in the Harry 
Potter world has the possibility to join Voldemort's forces. Is Percy more 
susceptible? I'm sure everyone has a different opinion.

I happen to think that while Percy does love rules and is ambitious, it's 
not to the obsession point. We haven't seen any clear evidence that Percy is 
ambitious enough to gain power through ill-gotten means. Everything he has 
acheived is through fair means and hard work. As for following rules, well, 
what is wrong with following rules? A lot of the time, rules are there for 
very good reasons. Following rules blindly can be detrimental, agreed. But 
can you really believe that Percy would be so blind as to break the unspoken 
rule "Don't Become A Death Eater"?

Ergh, this is way too long. Needless to say, I don't think Percy will become 
part of Voldemort's camp UNLESS he is tricked. And when he finds out he was 
tricked, he will do everything in his power to set things to rights. And I 
don't think it's any more possible for Percy to be tricked than for any 
other character in the Harry Potter universe.

~Amber
(Who likes Percy more than just a little bit, can't you tell?)

********
http://www.the-tabula-rasa.com

"I want never to have to stay in one place and never to have to move. I want 
total freedom and total irresponsibility and total dedication. I want 
everything and nothing, all at the same time. I know it doesn't make any 
sense, but this isn't sense, this is desire."
- Piers Anthony, "Virtual Mode"


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