Lawbreaking Among HP Adult Characters

[Cindy C.]

No: HPFGUIDX 28328

Dave, thanks for the input.  Here are a few reactions, and I hope 
this doesn't get too unwieldy to understand.

 
Cindy wrote:> 
Dumbledore:  aiding and abetting Black's escape; thwarting Buckbeak's 
> execution; encouraging breaking rules on time turner use; use of 
> Veritaserum; spreading word of Voldemort's return at MoM and 
Hogwarts 
> (which may break the Code of Wizarding Secrecy); maybe sending 
envoys 
> to the giants.
> 

Dave added:  > Haboring a mad and probably dangerous parselmouth 
(from MoM's POV).

> 
Cindy wrote:

 Snape: Provided the Veritaserum.  Failed to blow the whistle on 
 Black.
> 
> Dave added:
Threatened a student with Veritaserum.

Cindy wrote:

> McGonagal: ... Also obtained the Time Turner
> for a student, promising only to allow her to use it for her 
studies.
> 
Dave wrote:

> This was authorized by the MoM, not criminal act.
> 

McGonagal had to write all kinds of letters to get the time-turner, 
explaining how Hermione would use it.  I would assume from those 
statements that McGonagal is responsible for supervising Hermione's 
use of the time-turner, and is also vulnerable to the false 
accusations that McGonagal was aware of Hermione's and Dumbledore's 
plan to misuse it.

BTW, Dumbledore seems to have acted to keep McGonagal untainted by 
his activities.  He dismissed her before Black transformed in GoF, so 
she isn't part of the conspiracy to help Black stay in hiding.


Cindy wrote:
> Molly, Arthur and Bill Weasley: Undermining Fudge at MoM with news 
of 
> Voldemort.
> 
Dave wrote:
> If any of the above is sent to Azakaban for *that*, then Fudge is as
> evil as V.

You know, you have a point there.  I think Fudge's reaction is a real 
wild-card.  He changed his loyalty to and opinion of Harry pretty 
quickly.  We know Fudge already isn't fond of Arthur and hasn't 
promoted Arthur.  Maybe Fudge would be willing to scapegoat Arthur to 
save his own political hide.

Oh, and let's not forget that Molly and Arthur are also on the hook 
for bewitching a Ford Anglia, and lots of people know they did it 
because Ron flew the tree into the Whomping Willow.

> 
Cindy C wrote:

> Hagrid:  Illegal dragon breeding.
> 
Dave added:

> Illegal magical cross-breeding (i.e. the Skrewts).

Yes, and I forgot apparating without a license.  I assume one must be 
a fully qualified wizard to get a license to apparate.  Hagrid 
appears to apparate when he leaves Harry after they visit Diagon 
Alley.

> 
> That said, I see two other possible scenarios that might bring Harry
> to Azkaban:
> 
> 1. Dumbledore and McGonnegal (and Snape?) are sent to A as part of a
> "Saturday Night Massacure" when they fail to follow some Ministry
> command from on high (maybe to expel that "mad and possibly 
dangerous"
> parselmouth named Harry Potter).
> 
> Or:
> 
> 2. Voldy releases all his old supporters, and, seeing what a pity it
> is to let that nice, big fort go to waste, he uses it to lock up the
> good guys (!!!)
> 
> Comments?
> 
>

On No. 2, I don't see Voldemort locking up members of the 
opposition.  I think they'd be dispatched right away, not 
imprisoned.  But then again, Voldemort doesn't always follow the Evil 
Overlord Manual, does he?

Cindy (noting that Flitwick and Sprout appear to have clean records)