Ludo Bagman

[grace701]

No: HPFGUIDX 53293

Stacy wrote:
>I don't know if this has been discussed before, but I am just into 
>my third read of the series and something about Ludo Bagman stuck 
>out at me in GoF.  Earlier in the book after the Quidditch match, 
>in the midst of the confusion when the muggles are being tormented, 
>but before the dark mark is released, the trio are in the woods 
>hiding per Mr. Weasley's instructions.  It's on pages 126-127 in 
>the hardcover American version:  
 
> "...Ludo Bagman emerged from behind a tree right ahead of them.  
>Even by the feeble light of the two wands, Harry could see that a 
>great change had come over Bagman.  He no longer looked buoyant and 
>rosy-faced; there was no more spring in his step.  He looked very 
>white and strained.  "Who's that?" he said, blinking down at them, 
>trying to make out their faces.  "What are you doing in here, all 
>alone?"  
>They looked at one another, surprised.  "Well - there's a sort of 
>riot going on," said Ron.  Bagman stared at him.  "What?"  "At the 
>campsite... some people have got hold of a family of muggles..."  
>Bagman swore loudly.  "Damn them!" he said, looking quite 
>distracted, and without another word, he Disapparated witha small 
>pop!  "Not exactly on top of things, Mr. Bagman, is he?" said 
>Hermione, frowning."
 
>To my recollection, this bizarre behavior was never accounted for 
>was it?  Why did Bagman emerge appearing haggard and disoriented if 
>he didn't know that anything was wrong?  For that matter, why was 
>he in the woods at all if he didn't know what was wrong?  (at this 
>point the trio are in the woods, not near the tents)  Who is he 
>referring to when he says "Damn them!"?  If he were just frustrated 
>that random unknown people were tormenting muggles, he would have 
>said "Damn it" in frustration, not "Damn them" almost as if he knew 
>who it was.  
>Then JKR makes a point again to say he still looks quite distracted 
>and Hermione goes on to point this out too.  It gets even more 
>interesting because after a decent amount of time has passed (the 
>dark mark has been displayed, Diggory is already questioning 
>Winky), Bagman appears again, out of breath, and in the same exact 
>spot he had Disapparated from while talking to the trio some time 
>before.  He is completely unaware of the mark.  Had he been tending 
>to the muggle situation, he would have seen the mark.  So where was 
>he and why is he still clueless?  

>"Just then there was another pop, and Ludo Bagman Apparated right 
>next to Mr. Weasley.  Looking breathless and disoriented, he spun 
>on the spot, goggling upward at the emerald-green skull.  "The Dark 
>Mark!" he panted, almost trampling Winky as he turned inquiringly 
>to his colleagues.  "Who did it?  Did you get them?  Barty!  What's 
>going on?..."  (pages 132-133 of hardcover GoF)
 
>He goes on to ask Crouch why he never showed up to his box - an odd 
>question considering THE DARK MARK IS ABOVE HIS HEAD.  I can't 
>believe none of this struck me as odd on my first two read-
>throughs, but for some reason this really stands out as bizarre 
>behavior to me and I don't recall it ever being explained (though i 
>could be wrong, I haven't finished GoF this time yet and it's been 
>awhile since my last readthrough).  Anyone have any thoughts to 
>what Bagman was up to?  Has this been discussed before?  



I don't trust Bagamn.  If I'm not mistaken, Bagman was accused of 
being a DE, right?  He got off because he was a famous Quidditch 
player and because he supposedly wasn't involved.  He may have not 
gone back to Voldemort when the dark mark appeared on his forearm 
because he's afraid of him now.  It goes back to the whole who are 
the three missing people Voldemort speaks of.  Is he the coward?  He 
sure looks like a coward to me.  

I sometimes picture Bagman as being like Lockhart, totally blinded 
by his fame to not notice anything else that is happening around 
him, or simply clueless.  If Bagman is not a DE and/or blinded by 
his "fame", he is most definitely clueless and hopeless at that for 
taking advantage of teenagers (the twins).

Greicy