The Kissing of Barty Crouch (was: Fudge and the Longbottoms)

[snazzzybird]

No: HPFGUIDX 40971

--- Eloise wrote:
> 
> Various people have been blamed for the admistration of the 
Dementor's Kiss 
> on Crouch Jr., or at least for not preventing it - McGonagall, 
Snape and 
> Fudge have all been either found wanting or accused of deliberately 
allowing 
> it.
> 
> What I find interesting is that we are never told that Fudge 
ordered it; we 
> *are*, however told  in POA that the Dementors had *permission* to 
administer 
> the Kiss directly to Sirius, if he were captured, implying that was 
not their 
> automatic right.
> 
> Which implies either that they had been given prior permission to 
*Kiss* 
> Barty Crouch Jr. (implying that that Fudge or someone in authority 
in the MoM 
> *did* know he was still alive), or that Fudge gave the Dementor in 
question 
> instructions on the way up to the castle (again implying that Fudge 
knew, or 
> accepted what was going on, somewhat surprising, if we are to 
believe his 
> performance in 'the Parting of The Ways'), or, perhaps even more 
worryingly, 
> that the Dementors are out of Fudge's control.
<snip>
> 
> Eloise
> who still thinks there is plenty of scope for Fudge to have been 
actively 
> evil *before* Voldemort's fall, just in case anyone thinks she's 
deserted 
> Camp Evil!Fudge.
> And who also wonders why Fudge isn't affected by the Dementor. 
> And won't ask why Snape isn't (having already heard Cindy's part-
Dementor 
> theory).
> 

I've wondered about The Kiss too, but a different aspect of it: to 
wit, *why* were McGonagall and Snape unable to stop the Dementor from 
administering the kiss?  I have a hard time believing neither one of 
them is capable of the Patronus charm.  They don't seem like the type 
to lose their heads in a crisis and "forget" how to control 
Dementors.  So... did they have reason to believe the Dementor was 
acting on Fudge's orders?

Snazzzybird, who wonders what McGonagall's Patronus would look like --
 possibly a mountain-lion version of her sweet little tabby cat.