Money On Bagman

[KLMF at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 61098

I haven't seen this explored in the past month or so, when I joined the 
group, haven't found it yet on Archives (though it may be there, just haven't found 
it yet) so please forgive me if this is old news...

A couple digests ago someone brought up the possibility of Ludo Bagman as 
actually still being a DE and I have to say that has stuck in my mind ever since 
the QWC incident.   I suppose he really is just put in there as bait to pull 
us off the scent but there just is too much to the contrary, I think,  despite 
the Trial in the Pensieve and Dumbledore's comment that he has never been 
accused since....."never been accused" doesn't mean he's innocent.

At the QWC when HRH told Bagman about the riot, he exclaimed "Damn them!" 
which, to me, implied some kind of familarity....the kind of familiarity that 
suggested he had personal dealings with "them" and might have been expecting 
something like this. It seemed to me that the more appropriate response would be 
surprise, fear, and anger.  Ok, that's a bit tenuous....The Husband said he got 
no such implication from Bagman's comment, so maybe it's just me.  

But then there's the statement that, according to George (Am.GoF HC pg. 732), 
Bagman "ran for it" from the goblins because he lost the bet on Harry's 
winning (outright). But can we be sure that was the entire reason he fled? What if 
he hadn't fled?  What if he had been called by V?  Or what if he indeed fled 
because of V as Karkaroff (we are led to believe) had? What if his interest in 
seeing Harry win the TWT wasn't about the bet with the goblins at all??  After 
all, Hermione made the observation that Bagman never seemed to be at the 
office----he was always hanging around Hogsmead or up at the school, it seemed.  
Could Barty Crouch Jr. just been a cover to take us all in the wrong direction? 
 Maybe Barty Jr.  was under the Imperious curse himself to believe and 
confess that whole story to keep Bagman from suspicion? (indeed, he did give the 
impression of a V-worshipping trance-like state during the interrogation)  Can 
the Imperious Curse overpower the effects of Veritas Serum?

It also seems to make sense, too, now that I think of it, that Bagman would 
be in no hurry to find Bertha Jorkins if Bagman wanted V to know he was a 
willing servant and knowing BJ was going to Albania---in fact, wasn't it Bagman 
that said that she was visiting her cousin?  What if that was just a story to 
explain her purpose for being there?  

The comment by Rita Skeeter "I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make 
your hair curl....not that it needs it--"..(Am. GoF HC pg. 451) very probably 
means she knows a lot more than what was revealed in the trial (rather 
obvious, actually, especially now that we know how she gets about). It was clear that 
the jury had no intention of convicting him of being a DE.  What a perfect 
cover!  Quidditch Hero....British Wizarding celebrity.  Just a dim but 
good-natured retired jock who had taken a few too many bludgers to the head and got 
addicted to gambling.
It seems that the public is going to be just as hard to convince of his guilt 
as getting Fudge to face reality.  

Any thoughts on this?

Karen F


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