[HPforGrownups] Fudge is a Death Eater

[Richard Thorp]

No: HPFGUIDX 51973

Monday, February 10, 2003, 7:49:21 PM, rctower_lv, wrote:

Just to play Devil's Advocate here (since I tend to think the same way
about Fudge..)

rrtwan> Fudge knew Sirus was innocent, (being close to you-know-who)

Obviously based entirely on the assumption that he's a DE - but it
could just be that he believes what the rest of the wizard world does
(including Remus, one of Sirius' childhood friends) about Sirius -
that he's a maddened, unhinged criminal who has been repeating the
'he's at Hogwarts' mantra for some time in captivity. Anyone would be
slightly worried about the possibility that he was after Harry.

rrtwan> In book four he brings a dementor to take care of the only person who 
rrtwan> can prove you-know-who is alive and that he was working for him, 
rrtwan> Barty Crouch Jr.  Not to mention the only proof of the Ministry 
rrtwan> mistakes of Bertha Jorgins Barty Crouch's disappearances were linked 
rrtwan> to you know who.  Permanent solution he can then blame on the 
rrtwan> dementors.

This (IMO) is the most damning piece of evidence against Fudge, that
he tried to cover up... But you could still attribute it to a desire
or belief that if he ignores the problem it will go away... Who has
seen LV apart from Harry, so far? Lots of DE's, who're unlikely to
happily tell people that he's back, and um.. Lots of dead people,
really. Fudge could just believe its all in Harry's head (A pretty
thin defense, but one that could be used nonetheless)

rrtwan> Lastly also in book four he refuses to accept the proof of the 
rrtwan> rebirth of you-know-who, blocking any effective action.  Being a 
rrtwan> politician he could have used the fact that Dumbledore said to do it, 
rrtwan> don't blame me if anything went wrong excuse.  You know they love it 
rrtwan> when they can appear to take action and cover the south 40 at the 
rrtwan> same time.

This is the action of someone overwhelmed by circumstances -- Fudge
may be a good peacetime leader, but he seems too scared to become a
good wartime leader, a similar parallell (but in opposite) could be
draw to Winston Churchill, who was an excellent wartime leader but a
mediocre one in peacetime. Fudge doesn't want to believe that LV is
back, because that would change his job so utterly that he may no
longer be able to cope with it.

On the obverse, though, Fudge is relatively pally with Lucius Malfoy
and seems to allow Malfoy's every whim, so maybe he is a DE :)

-Rich
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