The Fudge/Malfoy show

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 55196

This is one that has suddenly come roaring back to center stage. It comes up 
every few months, anyway and we've all got our pet theories. I'll have to say 
that mine have undergone a bit of a shift since the last time we went round 
the track on this one.

On a first reading of the series, I was absolutely convinced that Fudge had 
been the DE's candidate for his job. I am no longer so sure of that. For 
while it is no mystery to any reader as to just whose pocket Fudge lives in, 
now, or whose purposes his official actions or policies serve, there are 
clues scattered throughout the books which suggest that this was not always 
the case. It is quite possible that Fudge may be neither "ever-so-evil" nor 
even "ever-so-stupid". It may be merely that he is 
"ever-so-gullible-and-unlucky".

At the time of the Longbottom affair Fudge was largely an unknown to the 
wizarding public. His position within the Ministry was high enough for people 
to have some idea of who he was, but not enough for many to really "know" 
him. Consequently, his "patrons" were able to install him without any real 
opposition from within, and his presence at the arrest of S. Black was a 
useful item to throw to the wizarding public through the Prophet.  But the 
question of who actually backed him is not obvious.

In rereading the Three Broomsticks passage of PoA in regards to what other 
people had to say of Peter Pettigrew, something struck me.

Cornelius Fudge speaks with a remarkable degree of authority about James and 
Lily's *private* life and friendships. Things which do not make much sense 
comming from a casual observer. (How would *he* know *that*?)

I think that unless Rowling is simply putting words into Fudge's mouth 
because someone needed to say it, and he happened to be there, (and the 
private lives of the poor, tragic, young Potters was tabloid news long enough 
for everyone to know these details - which doesn't seem to be the case, since 
it is apparently NOT widely known that Black was supposed to have been their 
Secret Keeper) we may have been ovelooking a fairly important clue. 

And that is that Fudge was evidently a *lot* deeper into Dumbledore's 
organization in VoldWar I than we've otherwise been led to believe. And if 
this is the case, that bit about "suddenly looking at him as if he had not 
seen him before" of Dumbledore's response to Fudge in the Parting of the Ways 
chapter of GoF has a lot more context than a surface reading would give us. 
It is possible that Dumbledore has just realized that he has lost another 
ally to subversion and he is seeing ghosts of the past. In particular the 
ghost of Peter Pettigrew.

As to the steps leading down; If you've been rereading the series in 
preparation for the release of OotP,

In the first book we heard only that Fudge is a bumbler, deeply dependent 
upon Dumbledore's guidance.

In Chamber of Secrets, he half-heartedly tries to oppose Malfoy, although he 
soon knuckles under to Malfoy's pressure. 

He was still playing pig-in-the-middle in PoA. But he was in close contact 
with Dementors throughout that book and was beginning to act with a good deal 
more confidence in his personal authority while he was on stage.

In the fourth book he is popping out with "Lucius Malfoy says" on just about 
every conceivable occasion, voluntarily running around in the company of 
Dementors, and opposing Dumbledore directly. 

It is clear that Fudge has been gotten at, and I think that this may have 
been very recent. 
 
Because it is beginning to look to me as if it was the Dumbledore crowd who 
originally put Fudge into office with little or no opposition from Malfoy & 
Co, who saw little to object to, and much that they might ultimately be able 
to work with. (Fudge's background is compatible with that of the pureblood 
faction. His being proposed for the position may even have been a sop to 
wizarding unity.) And Malfoy's faction has evidently seen no reason to 
displace him, when subverting him is just as easy.

And if Fudge is something that has fallen through the cracks while Dumbledore 
was occupied with Harry and Sirius Black, at least Dumbledore realizes that 
now.

At the very least, Fudge *knows* who Dumbledore's "old crowd" is. 

The major question still unanswered is; Why did it take the Death Eaters so 
long to get around to suborning Fudge? And I think the answer to this may lie 
in the events of PS/SS. I have already suggested in earlier posts that at 
some point during the events of Harry's first year, QuirrellMort made contact 
with Lucius Malfoy. And I suspect that Lucius was given other instructions 
than merely to deploy the Riddle diary. Malfoy was to make preparations for 
Voldemort's return. And, Malfoy, who, until that point had been living the 
peaceful life of a prominent pureblood, has complied.

We heard almost nothing, and that primarily from Draco, regarding Lucius 
Malfoy prior to CoS. But since then, when he hasn't been right under our 
noses, he has been hovering about on the edges of every single book and there 
has been no avoiding him. Now we know why.

The only thing we don't know, is whether, after the fiasco of the Chamber of 
Secrets, Malfoy's efforts were on behalf of his absent Master, or intended 
for his own future benefit.

As for Fudge, clearly he knew nothing of Voldemort's return. How could he, if 
his loyalties have only recently been undermined by Malfoy? He does not bear 
the Dark Mark. And I do not think that Malfoy has filled him in on just what 
their "mutual" objectives are. But it is pretty obvious that Malfoy or one of 
his associates managed has to make contact and give Fudge the warning that 
the situation has turned extremely dangerous and that he had best take steps 
to protect himself. Hence the Dementor, who seems to have had other 
instructions of its own. We are limited by Harry's reading of the situation. 
But the news of Voldemort's return seems to have genunely stunned Fudge. 

It is just barely possible that much of his current bluster and denial may be 
to cover up the horror of realizing how just how thoroughly he has been 
gulled.  For if he realizes that he signed a contract without reading the 
fine print, he also realizes that he isn't going to be let out of it. And he 
could be denying the whole situation exists as a last-ditch manner to save 
his own skin.

But that "strange smile" that Harry noted once Fudge realized that Dumbledore 
was serious about Voldemort's return is highly disturbing. And by the end of 
the confrontation Fudge is actively and consiously opposing Dumbledore with 
everything he's got. 

But Tom's reading of the situation is right. Dumbledore's actions regarding 
Fudge have NOT been above reproach. He has been treating him very much like a 
puppet.

I think that it is pretty clear that Fudge has thrown in his lot with 
*Malfoy*, at any rate. Whether he has suddenly decided that he might actually 
be in a position to *proffit* from supporting Voldemort, is less certain. 

But he has clearly chosen to cut himself loose from Dumbledore. 

With prejudice.

This could get very ugly.

-JOdel