Traitors - Analysis of Percy

[Diana]

No: HPFGUIDX 87065

> <bookworm5252 at y...> wrote:
> > I read here that maybe Bill is a would-be traitor. I felt quite 
> > desmayed about that possibility and I hope it won't prove true. 
As 
> > for Percy, and considering his attitudes in Phoenix, he might 
just 
> as 
> > well be, but I also read in the HP Lexicon that he is probably 
> > working undecover for the Order and that sounds much more 
> interesting 
> > and "twisty". I don't see a reason for the compulsory existence 
of 
> a 
> > traitor in the Weasley family!> <snip>
> 
> Sophierom replied:
> 
> I also hope that Bill and Percy are not traitors. I've been 
> wondering how we could possibly predict who the next traitor will 
> be, if there is one.  And here's what I've come up with (if 
> someone's already said this before, sorry for the repeat): 

Diana L. writes:
  I actually don't see Percy as ESE or as a spy working for 
Dumbledore.  I see him as an extremely ambitious, power-hungry fool 
willing to lick Fudge's boots for the chance of advancement in his 
work.  Those traits don't make him ESE, just a person who's made 
foolish choices - and there are plenty of them in the real world, 
too.  And those traits wouldn't have put him in Slytherin, either.  
As another poster pointed out (sorry, don't remember who or the post 
number), Percy stuck to his beliefs, however misguided, moved out of 
his parents house and cut ties with his parents and siblings to 
pursue what he really wanted.  That took bravery, just not the kind 
of bravery we're used to seeing or respecting in other characters.  
   Percy strives to *be* someone *important* with a respected 
office, fancy title and salary to go with it.  Like Ron, all his 
school things were probably second-hand, except for Hermes and some 
rewards from Mum for becoming school prefect and head boy.  But 
unlike his brothers and parents, somewhere along the way or maybe 
even from the beginning, Percy's sense of what true success and 
achievement were became skewed.  He became convinced that he could 
only find his worth in outward achievements and acted accordingly.  
If his status at the MoM would be adversely affected by being a 
Weasley, he simply ceased to be a Weasley.  This disturbing attitude 
was evidenced as already in progress by his allowing Crouch Sr. to 
call him Weatherby throughout GoF.    
    Percy is not a very deep person.  He is very shallow and finds 
his worth by examining other's opinions of him.  He let his mom's 
lavish attention go to his head, which wasn't Molly's fault as I'm 
sure she did the same for Bill & Charlie, but they didn't end up 
like Percy.  The descriptions for his actions in GoF speak volumes 
with words like "pompous", "formal", "importantly", "puffed-up".  
Percy is just the way he is, with no nifty back history likely to be 
put forth by JKR detailing what exactly made him that way.  He 
probably just *is* that way.  
    As for how Percy handles the revelation of Dumbledore, Harry and 
his family being right all along and Fudge being the fool will be a 
test of how shallow he is or how much he is capable of learning.  
Percy could learn from his errors and grow into a better person.  He 
could also not learn a thing and continue to chase after power 
(remember the book "Prefects Who Gained Power"?) until he ends up 
alone and unwanted by the Weasleys (except for Molly, probably). 
Where and when Rowling decides to end the lesson that is Percy is 
anyone's guess at this point.  
    I can't see Bill or Charlie as traitors and/or ESE because I 
don't think the Wealeys would survive another split ala Percy 
without some serious heartbreak for Molly and Arthur.  

Diana L.