Why Does Lucius Still Have Influence After the Diary!Riddle Incident?

[greg_a126]

No: HPFGUIDX 42952

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "erisedstraeh2002" <bdmorrp at b...> wrote:
> I was hoping to get the input of the group on a question I have 
> regarding Lucius Malfoy.  At the end of CoS, Harry tells Lucius 
> Malfoy that Ginny got the diary because Lucius gave it to her at 
> Flourish and Blotts.  Lucius responds by hissing "Prove it" (CoS, 
US 
> paperback ed., p. 336).  Dumbledore then says "Oh, no one will be 
> able to do that...Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book.  
On 
> the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out 
any 
> more of Lord Voldemort's old school things.  If any more of them 
find 
> their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, 
will 
> make sure they are traced back to you" (pgs. 336-337).
> 
> This implies that only Dumbledore and Harry know the truth about 
how 
> Ginny got Riddle's diary.  However, this must have been 
communicated 
> to others, for on p. 340 we learn that "Lucius Malfoy had been 
sacked 
> as a school governor." 
> 
> OK, so good, so far.  The news was broadcast that Lucius was 
behind 
> the diary, and he got what was coming to him (although I think 
> Azkaban would have been more appropriate, but I digress).  But 
here's 
> where I get confused - how, after being sacked as a school 
governor, 
> and presuming that his "sacking" was due to others learning about 
his 
> role in the Diary!Riddle incident, did Lucius still have the 
> influence needed to order Buckbeak's execution?  
> ~Phyllis
> hoping this hasn't been endlessly discussed before

Here's how I always read it.  No one likes being bullied into 
something you don't really want do do, not once, but especially not 
twice.  Further, if you find out that you were actually right, you'd 
be especially ticked at doing something you didn't want to do.  
Malfoy convinced them to not only sac Dumbledore, but send Hagrid 
off to Azkaban.  I always saw this as the reason that the rest of 
the school governors chose to get rid of him.  But just b/c the 
school governors are ticked at him, I see no reason why the Ministry 
would feel the same way.  Plus, as of right now we don't really know 
what it is that Lucius does.  He could be providing some vital 
service to the wizards on that committee that he could threaten to 
with hold if he didn't get his way.  

Greg