The Fudge Factor

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 52006

Cornelius Fudge makes a good debate subject. Not the least because Rowling 
has managed to keep it quite unclear as to just where he really stands, and 
what his background may be.

Various things which we do know are;

1. He is almost certainly the man who actually oversaw the arrest of Sirius 
Black. 
    Fourteen years ago, as Junior Minister in charge of the Magical 
Catastrophes Department, he was the first on the scene after Pettigrew's 
explosion. He was with the Aurors who actually took Black into custody, 
questioned (and may have ben the one to obliviate) the Muggle witnesses, 
oversaw the search of the site and Made the official judgement that nothing 
was left of Pettigrew except for one finger. It was largely on evidence that 
Fudge provided that Black was sent to Azkaban by Crouch Sr without trial.

(Note; If Pettigrew's wand was discovered at the site, either no Priorii 
Incantum(?) was performed, or Fudge concealed the findings. All certainly 
possible, buit the theory I am now tending for is that Pettigrew did indeed 
have his wand, concealed, with him in the Shrieking Shack. to go down 
fighting, or to use one of the kids as a shield would have been his last 
resort. Harry's judgement to send him to Azkaban -- from which he might have 
managed to escape, even as Black had -- saved him the effort.)

2. For the past fourteen years, Dumbledore has actively supported Fudge's 
position in office. Very actively. Dumbledore was offered the position and 
did not want it "so we got Fudge". Had Dumbledore suggested Fudge? After the 
Longbottom affair, had Fudge looked like the best of a poor choice, or had he 
some background in Dumbledore's organization? Certainly up to the parting of 
the ways chapter it is clear that Dumbledore had *trusted* Fudge. 

3. All Fudge's personal values appear to be those of hard-line established 
purebloods.

4. Just about every time he shows up, he is either flanked by Dementors or 
mouthing off on what he has just been discussing with Lucius Malfoy. 

5. When told that there was a suspect to be questioned/arrested at the end of 
GoF, he brought a Dementor onto the school grounds, into the building and 
allowed it to Kiss the suspect before official questioning could take place. 
Where did the Dementor come from? Was this simply his habitual guard who had 
been left outside the Hogwarts gates in deference to Dumbledore's refusal to 
have them on the school grounds?

6. There is no question that the tendency of Fudge's policies and his 
decisions made as MoM, all support Voldemort's adgenda. The Question is not; 
is he a colaborator, or even is he a willing collaborator, but, is he a 
*knowing* collaborator? Rowling has managed to keep this issue unclear. I 
would say that the very murkiness of this uncertainty is itself a clue. 

Given the surprising rapidity with which questions are answered and problems 
solved within the framework of the Potterverse, I am going to go out on a 
limb and say that I do not believe that Rowling intends to sustain the break 
between the Ministry and Dumbledore's supporters beyond one book. If this is 
the case, then the unmasking of Fudge is scheduled as a pivotal event for 
Phoenix. That is when we will find out whether he has always been in 
Voldemort's pocket, or whether he once supported Dumbledore, but that over 
the peacetime interval Lucius Malfoy and his cohorts has managed to "get to" 
him. If this second is the case, then Fudge cannot be officially a Death 
Eater, since he turned after Voldemort's fall. But it is very likely that he 
will be one of the firtst of his new initiates.

As to how Fudge got the job in the first place? We don't have the information 
to make a clear judgement on this one yet. The WW appears to operate more as 
an oligarchy than a republic. I seriously doubt that there was any sort of a 
general election. More likely the MoM has a number of internal factions each 
proposing thir own choice of leader, and the "election" is limited to those 
who are already insiders.

-JOdel