Traitors - Analysis of Percy

[purple_801999]

No: HPFGUIDX 87102

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Kathryn Cawte" <kcawte at n...> 
wrote:
> 
> >
> > 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.  ....  And those traits wouldn't have put him in 
Slytherin, either.
> 

K said- 
 
> Uh, yes they would. Ambition is one of the main traits listed for
> Slytherins, along with being a pure-blood. So actually he'd fit 
right in.
> 

But, wouldn't it take courage to split from the rest of the 
Weasleys? I know that Percy is being a little sycophant prig, but he 
doesn't. He has always put his work, be it reports on thin bottomed 
cauldrons or being Fudge's butt monkey, ahead of pretty much 
everything. So to cut himself off from everything he's known and his 
main support (Molly) to live on his own (on a lackey's salary?)could 
have take a lot more gumption thsn we make give him credit for.

Just as the twins take off from Hogwarts early to start their joke 
shop (Under normal circumstances I think Molly would have had their 
identical heads on a platter), Percy has different priorities. Percy 
has as much heart as any of his family,he just put it in the wrong 
place this time. He may have courage aplenty, but no one said 
courage and wisdom came hand in hand. Or empathy for that matter.

Does that make what he's done okay? No friggin' way! Rejecting his 
family? Wrong. Denouncing Harry? Wrong. Not visiting his father in 
the hospital after he nearly died? Very wrong.

But to get what they want the Weasleys can get carried away. The 
twins gamble all their money to get seed money, Arthur stalls his 
career with his love of Muggle artifacts, Molly can be a 
bit...overbearing,Ron has been suspected on this very list of one 
day betraying Harry for honor, riches, and the love of a frizzy 
haired girl, Ginny broke into the shed to fly the boys' brooms while 
they were at school. Percy wants respect, he wants power. He's just 
backed the wrong horse to get it.

I suspect that much of Percy's diet in Book Six will be crow. And 
he'll have to prove himself big time to be redeemed in everyone's 
eyes, including ours.

Olivia Grey