Official Discussion Questions for the next Few Months: Question #1

[m.bockermann at t-online.de]

No: HPFGUIDX 37274

Hi Penny! Hi everyone else!

Wow, you asked a lot of questions about Percy. I'll try to answer them.



<<<In GoF, Ron remarks, 'Percy loves rules,' and he wonders whether his
brother would send a family member to Azkaban if it would advance his career
(GoF, pg 463).  Reflect on the role of bureaucracy in the novels.  Does his
tendency to side with bureaucracy make Percy susceptible to the same sorts
of errors made by Cornelius Fudge and Barty Crouch, Sr., errors that
ultimately (if unintentionally) help Lord Voldemort?  Might we expect him -
albeit unwillingly - to aid Voldemort by following the letter of the law
instead of its spirit?  Will he side with Crouch or with his family?

I believe, that ultimately Percy will stand with his family. But until then,
I'm sure he will be the cause of misery and suffering for those he loves.
I admit, I have nothing much to proove this, except for the (admittedly
subjectiv) way I percieve the characters and their situation. Maybe that'll
get clearer if I try to answer the opther questions.



<<<So, is Percy's ambition highlighted more or about the same as some of the
flaws of the other characters?  If you believe it's been stressed even
slightly more, is this in your judgment a red flag or a red herring?  In
other words, are we the readers meant to believe that it would be Percy who
would be an unwitting pawn of the Dark Side or is Rowling perhaps
misdirecting us?  Are Ron's statements about Percy and his familial
relationships perhaps too heavy-handed?  Hermione seems to think so.  What
do you think of Hermione's judgment in this matter?

I don't think that Percy is more flawed than the other characters. But he is
in a powerfull position. Even though Ron and the twins are amused by his
reports about dripping cauldrons, he *is* working in the wizarding
equivalent of the foreign ministry. Even though the Crouch disaster will
delay his rise, he is ambitious and competent (otherwise, he'd hardly would
have been made prefect). I see him becoming estranged with his father for a
while. Arthur will use his position in the MoM to help the defenders. Percy
will be annoyed that he'll likely have to bent or break some rules. DD has
given Fudge a proverbial slap in his face with his announcements before the
holidays.
So Percy must choose between DD, Arthur and the other defenders or Fudge.
And he will side with Fudge. Not because he doesn't like or trust the
others. But because he will believe Fudge and his "I don't believe there is
a threat so there isn't a threat" policy. Percy was just old enough to
remember the time of Voldemorts reign but neither old or mature enough to
cope with it. I think he will refuse to accept that it happens again. He
doesn't dare to relieve this terror. The fact that his ambition and his stay
with the rules attitude only enforces his perception.
Percy is as blind to reality as Fudge. But for different reasons. Fudge
doesn't want to risk his position - his main motivation is truly ambition.
Percy refuses to deal with reality because of fear of what would happen if
DD and his father are right. Which means that Percy will have serious
arguements with his family at the beginning of OoP, in the likes of:
Percy: "I can't believe that you actually believe this nonsense!"
Arthur: "You don't believe Harry?"
Percy: "Have you read what Rita Skeeter wrote about him? I believe Fudge!"
Arthur: "You believe Skeeter?"
Percy: "Well Mom believes what she writes about Hermione and Harry."... and
so on.
So in a way I agree with Ron that Percy will mean trouble. But it is less
ambition, more the refusal to accept proof that will cause the desaster.
Hermione and Percy have gotten along well, for the most time, but they also
have been known to disagree. So while she might know him better than Ron, I
think she doesn't know him well enough that she can't be wrong. I think she
will be right in the end - that he'll stick to the family. But he will mean
trouble first, here I agree with Ron.



<<<Percy certainly adheres to the "rules" in this series.  But, under what
circumstances has he or would he abandon the rules in favor of some greater
good?
 Has Percy learned his lesson about blind adherence to rules?

I think that Percy would abandon rules *if* he believed it is necessary: for
the greater good or for his family. But since I assume he will refuse to
accept the crisis until it has hurt our friends, he doesn't have the choice
to break them in order to prevent the desaster.



>>>Will Percy be willing to listen to his family members or will his
ambitions even temporarily override familial loyalties and trust?  Ron
mentioned at one point that Percy wants to eventually become the Minister of
Magic.  If a permanent career within the MoM is his stated goal, how likely
is it that he will easily make the decision to follow his family to
Dumbledore's side?

Not his loyalties and trust, but his common sense and his wits.



Do you accordingly see Percy becoming amore important character overall in
one or more of the next HP books?  Is he really the same type of person as
Crouch or Fudge?  How would you distinguish Percy from these characters?

Yes, I think so. Besides Arthur, he is the second Weasley in the MoM. And
Arthur might not stay there for long. Either he will be thrown out because
he doesn't adhere to the official "nothing is wrong" policy, in which case
he might be reactivated later. Or he might be hurt or killed, in which case
Percy is the only Weasley connecting us to the pulse of wizarding politics.
Since I'm certain that one of this events is going to take place, Percy
*will* play an important role later.
What distinguishes him from Fudge or Crouch. When he finally has to choose,
he *will* side with his family and the good side. Even though that means
crawling back to them. However the Weasleys, with their huge hearts, will
take him back.

Why do I believe that he will be trouble? I don't think that all the hints
JKR left are simply in vain. He is in a perfect place to create havoc.
Judging from his characters, he would persue his ambitions... when he feels
it doesn't hurt his family. His mistake will be an mistake in judgement -
that his family is endangered by his actions. So what could that be?
He might uncover some of Arthur's actions for DD and the defenders and cause
his father's expellations. He might find out about Ron's, Hermione's and
Harry's secret regarding Sirius. It might be something else. But in any case
one of the defenders will be hurt or killed, most likely a member of his
family. I can't offer proof for this (though I'd be delightened if somebody
found some). But look at the situation of the family and JKR's hints that
people have to decide on which side they'll be on. There are too many
Weasleys for all of them to do the right thing from the start and none of
them to get hurt. And putting the pressure on this family (and thus
mirroring the situation of the WW in a whole)... I'd say this is just to
good a plot to get lost. Especially, if you have characters that, from their
faults and strength, are poised for tragedy.

Greetings,
Barbara Jebenstreit