OOP Percy is Not Evil

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 65224

Jenny: 

> I am not in any way blaming Percy's family for what happened.  I 
think Percy has handled things very badly.  However, I don't think he 
is evil, either.  I don't think he is under Imperius, or secretly 
> training to be a DE.  I also don't think he's a spy for 
Dumbledore.  I really just think Percy thinks that he is valued at 
the MoM and because he admires government bureaucrats like Fudge, 
he'll go to  great lengths to impress them.  He doesn't have to 
support what his> parents do, but he should respect them more instead 
of behaving so  badly (really, not visiting his father in the 
hospital was inexcusable).  Maybe they should respect him more, too.
> 

Now me:

If Percy had been the voice of dissent about Harry, saying he didn't 
believe him, I think the Weasleys would have understood. Disagree, 
but there wouldn't be this ... anger.

If Percy had begged his father not to get involved, that would be, 
again, a disagreement, but it wouldn't be so bitter.

Percy crossed the line when he got in Arthur's face about not 
providing for the family because of his views.

And he did that. Fred and George picking on him didn't make him do 
that. Ron and Ginny not respecting him didn't do that. Bill and 
Charlie getting better grades and being better at Quidditch didn't do 
that.

Percy did that. He crossed the line no Weasley is supposed to cross. 
It's one thing for Ron to get upset in front of Harry and Hermione, 
and Fred and George to plot get-rich schemes, and Ginny to tell her 
diary she hates how her clothes look. 

It's even another thing for Molly to tell D-Dore that Arthur knows he 
isn't getting promoted because of his views. She's his wife and has 
earned that right.

But Percy threw it at Arthur. He crossed the line.

And Percy himself is the one who needs to take the first step to 
cross it back. 

I don't know where he will go. He's going to have to watch Fred and 
George, the brothers he never thought would amount to much, make more 
money than him and Ron and Ginny be respected by full-fledged Aurors 
for holding their own in the Dept. of Mysteries.

I don't hold Jenny's confidence that Percy won't be turned to V-
Mort's side. He has turned his back on his family and now found the 
reason he did -- he thought Fudge was right -- was wrong.

Percy is more vulnerable than at any point in his life. And it will 
be his choice, and his alone.

And Fred and George changing his badge from Head Boy to Bighead Boy 
won't be the reason he does it if he goes to the evil side. It'll be 
because he chose to go.

Darrin