[HPforGrownups] Re: FUDGE IS A DE!!!!

[jazmyn]

No: HPFGUIDX 78879



KathyK wrote:
> 
> Firstly, it's entirely possible that someone other than Fudge could
> have let in the Death Eaters.  Unless you believe that "Death Eater"
> Fudge is the only one Voldemort has on his side at the Ministry.  The
> Order has Ministry employees, and they find this important as they
> are certain Voldemort has his own spies in the ministry (OOP, US 95).
> 

I would put my bets on McNair as he works for the MOM and could lead the 
other DEs in. Note however that LV never entered the Dept of Mysteries, 
but was lurking outside near the fountain.  Maybe there were too many 
magical alarms or defenses against LV to allow him to enter the Dept of 
Mysteries itsself, but he could enter the courtyard area?


> Plus, we know Death Eaters at least have access to the Ministry: 
> Lucius Malfoy, who has the Ministry in his pocket and therefore
> probably access to anything he wants, and Macnair who works for the
> Ministry.  Surely there are more that we don't know of, and they
> could have helped the Death Eaters and Harry gain entry.

Maybe Harry's entrance left a trail the DEs could 'magically follow' to 
get to the right part of the Dept, knowing that Harry would find the 
prophecy?

> 
> I can see Fudge waiting around to see who's going to win to secure
> his position of power.  He's not a good guy.  But I believe that he
> doesn't think Voldemort will help him out at all in this respect.  At
> the end of GoF, he appeared truly frightened of the prospect of
> Voldemort's return.  Hence his inability to entertain the notion that
> he had indeed risen.

Plus being he is in charge, he would get the blame for LV's return and 
would be expected to 'do something about it'.  He has not the foggiest 
idea of what to do to stop LV.  He has not the leadership abilities to 
lead a war against the DEs and can't even begin to know who to trust in 
his own ranks.  He is foolish to believe that donations of money to 
'good causes' makes someone (like Malfoy) good. He is no judge of 
character and is paranoid about Dumbledore taking his position, because 
he knows DD is a better leader then he will ever be.

> 
> This also led directly to his trying to discredit Dumbledore and
> Harry.  He not only refused to believe their story, but the idea so
> strongly contradicted everything he knows (His power, his position,
> the stability of the WW for the last decade or so), that he turned
> the story around so that it was not Voldemort who was out to ruin the
> WW but power-hungry Dumbledore and his mad student Harry Potter.
> 

People in nice comfy jobs tend to fall apart when their comfy positions 
are threatened.


> So he does a lot of not-so-nice things in OoP, most particularly
> allowing Dolores Umbridge free reign over Hogwarts.  Even at the end
> when he is reluctant to accept the truth of Voldemort's return, it is
> because Fudge has just spent the last year insisting Dumbledore was
> wrong and now has to eat his words. 

He simply doesn't want to admit he was wrong. It makes him look bad and 
reinforces the idea that people will demand that Dumbledore take over 
his job.

> 
> Fudge's actions makes him a bad guy.  It also makes him a pawn in
> Voldemort's plan as he is actively working to hide all rumors that
> Voldemort has returned.  But it does not make him a Death Eater.
> 

Fudge would be too high risk to LV as a DE as he is too easily 
manipulated by either side.  He would slip up too easily and ruin LV's 
plans through his incompetence or sell out the DEs for a sack of gold.. 
He is a fool in a position of power, the worst kind of person to confide 
  your plans to, but a good person to manipulate from behind the scenes 
by playing on his paranoia.  Bet Malfoy's gold bought him Fudge's ear 
long enough to fill him with the idea that Dumbledore was after his job. 
  He could just claim Draco overheard Harry saying that Dumbledore 
wanted to be Minister of Magic.  That might set Fudge against both Harry 
and Dumbledore.  Or the whole school..

> KathyK (who will not be persuaded that Fudge is a Death Eater until
> JKR herself explicitly makes it so)
> 

I don't buy the idea either unless JKR makes it clear..

Jazmyn