Fudge: DE or not? (was Re: 50 Questions I would like answered..)

[Tom Wall]

No: HPFGUIDX 55140

Starting with a quote from 
Debbie's last post, but my 
comments are meant to be 
general.

Debbie wrote:
Because of Fudge, Voldemort will 
rise again, possibly even more 
powerful, since MOM isn't doing 
anything to prepare for it/prevent 
it.

So it's not Harry's fault for 
letting Pettigrew go, it's Fudge's 
fault.


I reply:
Let's not go too crazy here. Even if Fudge would have acquiesced to 
Dumbledore's suggestions, which are definitely unorthodox, none of 
this would have been necessary if Harry hadn't let Pettigrew escape 
in the first place. Although to be frank, I bet that Voldemort would 
have found a way to return sans Pettigrew eventually. 

Altogether, this doesn't seem like the kind of situation where real 
blame can be assigned to anyone but Voldemort, and perhaps some of 
the Death Eaters. Let there be no mistake - this is Voldemort's 
fault, and IMO, just because his enemies (our good-guys) don't agree 
on how to deal with Voldemort doesn't make any of them accountable 
for his return. That's like the faulty reasoning people like John 
Ashcroft are using over the current "war on terrorism": if you don't 
agree with the president, then you're supporting 
terrorism. `Disagreement with each other' isn't the same thing 
as `support for the enemy,' and not for an instant do I think that 
Fudge actually supports Voldemort. Disagree with Dumbledore? Yes. 
Loyal to the Dark Lord? Nope.

What we see with Fudge is naught but different thinking than 
Dumbledore. 

First of all, Dumbledore has more information than Fudge, via the 
Veritaserum used on Crouch Jr., and the interview with Harry. That 
interview, I might add, that Dumbledore won't allow Fudge to 
have. "I cannot permit you to question Harry tonight." (GoF, US 
paperback, Ch.36, 704) So, it's easier for him to make suggestions 
like `get rid of the dementors' and `contact the giants,' because he 
knows what's going on (and *we* know that he knows what's going on,) 
but Fudge doesn't. 

Second, information aside, Dumbledore believes Harry, whereas Fudge 
isn't so sure, because from an *outside* perspective (which 
Dumbledore and the readership do NOT have, but which still exists 
ala Fudge and WW public opinion, and to which we, the readership are 
*not* privy), frankly, Harry really isn't always that believable or 
reliable, and has a history of telling crazy (but often true) 
stories, not to mention a history of frequently lying and getting 
into trouble. Again, *we* know why this is the case. But the WW at 
large doesn't.

Third, it doesn't help that Rita Skeeter is so incredibly 
influential in the WW. Despite the fact that everyone seems to know 
she's a troublemaker, people still believe her, people like Mrs. 
Weasley, who chide Mr. Diggory one minute, and then snub Hermione 
the next. I'll tell you that I got very angry at Mrs. Weasley when 
she sent Hermione that dinky little chocolate egg. I was almost more 
mad at Molly than I was at Snape for commenting on Hermione's teeth. 
Mrs. Weasley should know better. But it's not Mrs. Weasley's fault. 
It's Skeeter's. Rita has been telling slanderous stories about Harry 
and his friends, and this means that our hero's reputation isn't as 
squeaky as *we* think it is.

Fourth, Dumbledore has kept secrets from Fudge, which is, IMO, a 
*major* error on Dumbledore's part. "If I have discovered that 
you've been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet? A 
Parselmouth, eh? And having funny turns all over the place?" (GoF, 
US paperback, Ch.36, 705) How would you like it if you found out 
that the headmaster was keeping you in the dark? You're the Minister 
of Magic, for Merlin's sake! If *anyone* should know these things, 
you should!

Fifth, just because Fudge doesn't agree with Dumbledore doesn't make 
him evil. Dumbledore has made decisions that are questionable in the 
eyes of the WW, such as hiring Lupin and Hagrid. *We* think that 
those decisions are great and fair, because *we* know the whole 
story. Fudge doesn't.

Sixth, Dumbledore accuses Fudge of being blinded by the office that 
he holds, which I accept as only partially true in the "selfish" 
sense that we read it, but as also true in the sense that Fudge 
believes that he has to act according to public opinion... and 
public opinion isn't necessarily in the favor of what Dumbledore 
suggests.

"The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the 
control of the dementors –"
"Preposterous!" shouted Fudge again. "Remove the dementors? I'd be 
kicked out of office for suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in 
our beds at night because we know the dementors are standing guard 
at Azkaban!" (GoF, US paperback, Ch.36, 707)

"Envoys to the giants?" Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue 
again. "What madness is this?" <snip>
"You – you cannot be serious!" Fudge gasped, shaking his head and 
retreating further from Dumbledore. "If the magical community got 
wind that I had approached the giants – people hate them, 
Dumbledore – end of my career –" (GoF, US paperback, Ch.36, 708)

"Now, see here, Dumbledore," he said, waving a threatening finger. 
I've given you free reign, always. I've had a lot of respect for 
you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've 
kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves, or 
keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without reference 
to the Ministry." (GoF, US paperback, Ch.36, 709)

See? Fudge isn't just being selfish here. He isn't just being 
sneaky. He disagrees with Dumbledore, partially because he has been 
misled by Albus, partially because he doesn't have the facts, and 
partially because just because Dumbledore's Dumbledore doesn't make 
Dumbledore necessarily right. I bet that Fudge even feels betrayed. 

And as I mentioned earlier, Fudge is *still* being kept in the dark 
by Dumbledore, `cause he still doesn't know about Sirius Black, and 
he doesn't know that Dumbledore *IS* interfering at the Ministry.

So, when we judge Fudge (heh-heh) we should be fair and try to 
remove ourselves a little from the Dumbledore/Harry/readership axis 
of things. If you take a slightly more removed perspective, you see 
that although Fudge is being disagreeable, he has very good reasons 
for being so. I personally believe that Fudge's behavior is 
partially the *result* of our heroes' actions, and not just in spite 
of them.

Which, IMHO, is part of what makes all of this so interesting. 
Again, JKR isn't presenting us with an easy black and white 
situation. We have lots of grey, though. ;-) Again, just my humble 
opinion. 

-Tom