Percy (yes, again :-)

[zanelupin]

No: HPFGUIDX 69041

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Doriane" <delwynmarch at y...> 
wrote:
> 
> I read a magazine about coding secret messages the other day. And 
> yesterday, while I was re-reading Percy's letter to Ron, it struck 
me 
> hard : this letter feels fake. It feels to me like Percy is 
> desperately trying to say something to Ron. I don't have my book 
with 
> me right now, so I'll have to work from memory, so bear with me :-) 
> Oh, and in order to understand my reasoning, you have to assume 
that 
> Percy is working as an insider for DD. I'm not saying that's my 
> opinion, I'm just saying it's the basic hypothesis here.
> 
KathyK:
I've always been inclined to believe that Percy is sincere in his 
actions and that he truly believes he is doing what is right.  Mainly 
this is because of all the debate over which character is a spy and 
which one is evil.  As we know, characters in the Potterverse are 
rarely who they appear to be.  But I think Percy's story is much more 
interesting as one of a well intentioned young man who makes stupid 
decisions and will hopefully live to correct his mistakes.  But 
you're message does cause me to reconsider that view.  I do want to 
add a few counters, though.

In the interest of keeping this as short as possible I will be 
snipping quite a bit out of here.


> In the first paragraph of his letter, Percy mentions that he's 
> writing to Ron because he learned from Umbridge through Fudge that 
> Ron had been made a prefect. Sounds odd to me : would the Minister 
of 
> Magic and the freshly-appointed High Inquisitor care about 
informing 
> a junior assistant that his little brother was made prefect ? Seems 
> to me like they would have tons of much more important things to 
> discuss. On the other hand, Percy, having just learned that 
Umbridge 
> had been made HI, might be desperate to inform Ron, because he 
knows 
> what a devil the lady is, and he wants to make sure Ron and Harry 
and 
> Hermione know what's going on.

KathyK:
Fudge's main concern is keeping Dumbledore in check.  He places 
Umbridge at Hogwarts to make sure that he can do that.  As part of 
her duties to the Minister, she reports everything that goes on at 
the school, including to which students Dumbledore has handed 
responsibility.  In passing, the Minister mentions to Percy that Ron 
became prefect.  Possibly, Percy was simply with the Minister when he 
learned from Umbridge who the prefects are.  

> In the second paragraph, he congratulates Ron on becoming a 
prefect. 
> Specifically, he says how happy he is that Ron didn't follow Fred 
and 
> George's route, but rather his (Percy's), and that he's now taking 
on 
> responsibilities. Well, this could be genuine, but it could also be 
a 
> warning to Ron : being a prefect is going to be tough on you in the 
> present circumstances, stick with F&G. Note that he doesn't mention 
> Bill and Charlie, even though we know that Bill at least was 
prefect 
> and Head Boy too.

KathyK: 
I could see this, but I don't know how Percy could think Ron would 
understand that he was trying to convey the exact opposite of what he 
was saying. I also think Percy has quite a high opinion of himself 
for accomplishing as much as he has in so short a time when Fred and 
George just want to open a joke shop. 
   
<Snipping out quite a good bit of evidence that the letter may indeed 
be code to warn Ron about what Fudge is up to because I have nothing 
to contribute except some nodding of the head and the occasional, Oh 
yeah!>
  
> And we know he can lie, since he says in the letter that Umbridge 
is 
> not getting much help in her work at school, while he is quoted as 
> saying that she is immensely successfull the next day in the DP !!

KathyK:
I took this differently.  He says in the letter that the other 
teachers are not cooperating with Umbridge.  In the newspaper 
article, he says "she's been an immediate success, totally 
revolutionizing the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts and 
providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's 
really happening at Hogwarts." (that's on p 307 of the US edition). 
He wouldn't want to report to the paper that the staff doesn't like 
Umbridge, but he can say that she's been successful in her teaching 
methods in DADA (how would he know any different?) and she is able to 
report the goings-on to Fudge, which was a goal of placing her at 
Hogwarts.

<One more Snip, Snip>

> Okay, I might be way off, but I felt I had to say it. And I'm re-
> reading GoF for clues on his real position there, and already 
things 
> are starting to look suspicious : how could bright, ambitious Percy 
> accept to work on *cauldron bottoms* ??? For all we know, he could 
> have become an Auror, but instead he seems happy to work on 
cauldron 
> bottoms... Odd. Unless he's trying to remain unsconpicuous within 
the 
> Ministry...
> 
> But if he's really simulating, he's an amazing actor...
> 
> Del

I would have said you were way off before I read your post that I 
have just chopped, cutting out all the good, convincing parts in an 
attempt to not be entirely swayed by this letter.  But now I don't 
know...No, you know, It is quite convincing, but I can't bring myself 
to believe that Percy is working for DD undercover.  I will now keep 
an eye open for that sort of slant on the books as I reread them.

Have an action-packed, fun-filled day,
KathyK