Percy and the Ministry

[stickbook41]

No: HPFGUIDX 55316

Siriuskase:
>I belive that most of the characters that we know very well to be 
>good will not intentionally cooperate with the forcers of evil. 
>Remember the remark that good people are so easy to use? We will see 
>a lot of good people being used and this will include Percy.

Me:
I think this is an excellent point--baddies will be habitually 
using "decent people" as tools to further their own nasty ends.  

However, I don't think this will include Percy, and here's why: it's 
already happened.  When the story gets to Percy that he's been 
following Voldemort's orders via Imperioed!Crouch Sr, it's bound to 
cause some self-reflection on Percy's part--how easy it is to fall 
into Voldemort's web.  Not only that, but it also puts Percy in a 
position to identify with (what we know of) Ludo Bagman, someone whom 
he does *not* respect.  Percy's pride is going to be hurt badly, on 
top of all the other stressors involved in his particular situation.

Me from before:
> >I can imagine that now Percy is also unemployed, which is always
> >stressful.  

Ffred:
> I'm not sure why it would leave him unemployed. One of the things 
about the
> MoM is that even if you take an individual out, the department and 
its
> functions still have to carry on.

Me:
Just on speculation, I assumed he had lost his position as Crouch's 
personal assistant because there was no more Crouch!  Maybe he'll be 
shuffled into some other temporary position somewhere within the 
Ministry, but the whole affair is bound to be a major bump in the 
career path Percy had projected for himself.  I can slightly identify 
with his frustration here--I was all gung-ho to enter my field and 
the instant I finally got my degree was the same instant the economy 
(and therefore, the job market) went south.  Needless to say, my 
ambitions and my upstart career took a sharp turn.

Ffred:
It could be that Percy would get promotion
> as a result of his boss's death - something which could leave him 
having not
> only to have the ability to play a more important role in WW 
politics (and
> to temper whatever strength of character he's developed) but also 
one step
> closer to his ambition of the Minister's post.

Me:
After all the self-projecting I'm doing (apologies!), I think you 
could be right, Ffred.  I had the impression that Percy's department, 
International Magical Cooperation, would be in shambles.  Crouch 
seemed like he was deeply involved with the department's affairs, 
rather than being just a figurehead (Bagman-style).  Therefore taking 
Crouch out of the equation would leave a hole in the department so 
big it becomes a logistical nightmare.  The department in its 
entirety needs reorganisation, and Percy finds himself in a position 
that turns out even better than being "Weatherby".

Ffred:
> Obviously the DE faction within the MoM would try to block him 
> getting advancement (his family connection would count against him) 
> but it would also be an interesting test of the strengths of the 
> various factions in the MoM...if my thoughts above are true, then 
> it suggests that the MoM is a factionalised organisation where WW 
> politics are played out within the bureaucracy. How factionalised I 
> wonder? How strong was the DE faction in Voldemort's time? How 
> strong are they now?

Me:
I'm not sure that DE moles in the Ministry are the ones to worry 
about this time around.  It's the Fudge-ists, non-believers of 
Voldemort's return, who (based on my own interpretation), are the 
majority of the bureaucracy.  This is the faction that is most 
vulnerable to manipulation by the Dark Order, as per BCJ's comment.  

It's going to be harder for the Dumbledorians in VWII because now 
they are going to have to mole into the Ministry (using Arthur as a 
hub?) and fight to make sure Voldemort doesn't get a strong hold 
there.  Not only that, but they have to do all this with the utmost 
subtlety.  Since the Ministry seems to be both legislative and 
executive, and organised from the top down, personal politics are 
bound to play a role in one's placement there--I can imagine that 
black sheep would be weeded out.

Cheers!

-stickbook
...who hopes Percy moves up through the Ministry like a wrecking ball 
and becomes the best and most effective Minister of Magic ever