Fudge and the Dementors

[marika_thestral]

No: HPFGUIDX 71887

As we know from OoP, Fudge has finally accepted the truth about 
Voldemort being back, but I can't stop thinking that his interaction 
with the dementors is highly suspicious, and I kind of believe that 
he is either scared of them or that there is something wrong with the 
alliance once made with the dementors. What did he offer them in 
return for guarding Azkaban?

In PoA Fudge actually knows about the dementor's attempt to kiss 
Harry, before anyone could possibly have told him. Let's take a look 
at what happened after the Shrieking Shack: Lupin turns into a 
werewolf, Pettigrew attacks Ron and Crookshanks and takes off. Black 
goes after Pettigrew and Snape is unconscious. Harry and Hermione 
hear Black yelping and run to help him. The dementors are getting 
closer. Black and Hermione have collapsed. Harry is saved from the 
kiss by his own patronus and faints. Snape shows up shortly after 
that, and moves all of them to the castle. When Harry wakes up in the 
hospital wing he hears Fudge saying "What amazes me most is the 
behaviour of the Dementors 
 you've no idea what made them retreat, 
Snape?"  (page 284) and Snape answers "No, Minister. By the time I 
had come round they were heading back to their positions at the 
entrances
" (page 284)

The Harry and Hermione who have traveled back in time can also see 
Snape showing up shortly after Harry has conjured the patronus (page 
301), which must mean that Snape didn't know about the kiss.

Later, Fudge says to Dumbledore "Never dreamed they'd attempt to 
administer the Kiss on an innocent boy
" (page 307). Where could he 
have gotten that information from - but from the dementors 
themselves? 

This episode obviously doesn't teach Fudge anything, because he keeps 
asking for their "help" and at the end of GoF he brings a dementor 
into Hogwarts, even if he knows that Dumbledore doesn't want them 
there. Snape points out that "he (Fudge) seemed to feel his personal 
safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a Dementor to 
accompany him into the castle" and then we know what happened to 
Crouch Jr. Somehow, I don't think that Fudge was worried about Crouch 
attacking him. He must have had his own reason to act the way he did.

Marika 

- who feels a bit silly, because a few days ago she wrote a letter 
mentioning how different Swedish schools are compared to British 
ones, just to find out that somebody had just published a letter with 
almost the exact content. Sorry.