How did Fudge know?

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 47483

Andi wrote:

> The only person 
> who knows about the whole thing is Harry, and we know he hasn't 
told 
> Fudge anything. So, how did Fudge find out? The only theory I can 
> come up with is that he is indeed evil and that he was the one who 
> ordered the Dementors to kiss Harry in the first place. Any other 
> ideas? Or am I missing something obvious?
> 
> This is my first post, by the way, so I hope I did everything 
> right. :)

Not only did you do everything right, you posed a question I don't 
remember anyone posing in my 2 years here, though I could well have 
missed it during the recent period in which I was Having a Life.

I suppose one possibility is that the Dementors told him.  They just 
might--they seem such conscienceless creatures, one can imagine them 
calmly reporting to Fudge their evening activities as if there were 
nothing at all wrong with them.  "Ate a few squirrels . . . swung by 
the Three Broomsticks and killed business right off for the 
night . . . found Sirius Black . . . nearly got to suck the soul out 
of three kids and two adults and were robbed . . . Fudge, if you 
don't crack down on amateur Patronus production around here, we're 
going to quit this gig."  (Of course, how they communicate is another 
open question, but they must do it *somehow.*  Dumbledore knows how 
to talk to them.)

Seriously, Fudge is just a fool if he thinks the Dementors are under 
his control.  They already came swarming into a school Quidditch 
match because they got hungry.  Clearly, if the MOM has spelled out 
to them that they must guard the gates and not go roving around 
attacking anyone (aside from Black of course), they have been 
flouting that order, and yet he still thinks they are servants in his 
power.

Amy Z
who gets the distinct feeling that the Dementors are going to get 
hungry for some chocolate walnut Fudge before the series is done