Could Fudge fire Dumbledore?
Tom Wall
thomasmwall at yahoo.com
Thu May 1 22:33:23 UTC 2003
No: HPFGUIDX 56753
bowlwoman wrote:
However, does Fudge really have the power to make good on his threats?
In GoF (US hardback, page 709):
"Now, see here, Dumbledore," he said, waving a threatening
finger. "I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of
respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your
decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you
hire werewolves, or keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your
students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to
work against me --"
And GoF (US hardback, page 710):
"I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but
I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with
you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I
must return to the Ministry."
I reply:
Well, I think that what Malfoy says in CoS is what's really the case –
the appointment and/or suspension of the headmaster is a decision
for the governors – but that's simply about who gets the job, and do
they keep it?
I think that what Fudge is talking about is how the headmaster
behaves, and what kind of decisions the headmaster is making, at
least, as far as WW legalities go.
For instance, in GoF, Crouch!Moody tells the class that *Dumbledore*
wants them all to undergo the Imperius Curse, which is illegal. So,
this is the kind of thing that Dumbledore probably didn't consult
Fudge on, and this is the kind of thing that Fudge could do something
about, since it involves the law, and not just some school rules.
Think of comparing it to our legal system. Dumbledore could be
brought up on some ridiculous charges like '48 counts of casting
Imperius Curse on students,' or such.
Bowlwoman wrote:
I see 4 reasons for Fudge's attitude change between CoS and GoF:
1) He's in denial and saying the first thing he can think of to try
and shut Dumbledore up
2) He's in possession of some evil mojo and knows he'll be able to
influence the governors
3) The rules have changed in the two years between the two scenarios
and he CAN make the decision instead of the governors
4) There's a discrepancy in the narrative between the 2 books
I feel that he's got some evil mojo going on and he thinks he'll be
able to influence the current governors in a decision to curtail
Dumbledore's authority or remove him altogether.
I reply:
This (2) is also very likely, except I don't think that Fudge is
Evil. But I think he could get pissed off if Albus doesn't watch his
step, and could act on that emotion without any hesitation.
For instance, we seen in GoF that Fudge offers Lucius Malfoy seats in
the Top Box at the Quidditch World Cup as a result of Lucius'
generous donations to St. Mungo's. Now, ostensibly these three
entities, Hogwarts, Ministry, and St. Mungo's, aren't connected, but
IMHO, Fudge is building political relationships, here. So, it could
be the case that Fudge is just acquiring and sustaining his
influence. He doesn't have the ability to simply remove Dumbledore,
since that's a decision for the governors, but I think that as
Minister of Magic, he can certainly make Dumbledore's life more
difficult.
For instance, with Hagrid. The giants are outcasts, and were hunted
down by Aurors, who are an arm of the MoM. There are many people who
don't (and, to be fair, that do) like Hagrid. He could be affected by
internal Ministry maneuverings, like, say, his illegal breeding of
Blast-Ended Skrewts in GoF.
Or Lupin. There's indication that Dumbledore's going to involve Lupin
in the events we'll see in OotP. In such a case, someone could find
out that he's allowing the werewolf back onto the school grounds.
I'd say that, in the cases of Lupin and Hagrid, what we're dealing
with is not simply a matter of Hogwarts policy or Dumbledore's
decisions – there's probably some existing legislation in the WW to
handle stuff like this, and it seems that Dumbledore should tread
very carefully – governments are good at getting people on
*technicalities.*
There's always Sirius Black and the case of the runaway hippogriff.
If it turns out that Dumbledore is harboring an *escaped convict*
(since that is, after all, what Sirius really is,) then Fudge could
definitely make Albus' life a lot more difficult. IMHO, this is the
biggest problem Dumbledore has going for him right now.
And unfortunately, Rita Skeeter knows about it, which is neat,
because (although I'm out on this issue) I've heard some really
compelling arguments about the pros and cons of Rita acting on what
she knows. Sure, she's an animagus. Big whoop. She's also sitting on
the story of the century. Maybe Hermione's threats won't be enough to
contain her. Maybe Hermione will have upped the ante by pulling what
she did.
Speaking of Rita, we have the influence of the Daily Prophet in the
WW. And as such, stories about 'Harry the Parselmouth, with his
fits.' Here's a quote from the Daily Prophet in GoF:
"A member of the Dark Force Defense League, who wished to remain
unnamed, stated that he would regard any wizard who could speak
Parseltongue `as worthy of investigation. Personally, I would be
highly suspicious of anybody who could converse with snakes, as
serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic, and are
historically associated with evildoers.'" (GoF, US paperback, Ch.31,
612-3)
So, there's another situation where the Ministry might potentially
get involved with Dumbledore's activities, not as far as the school
*itself* goes, but with reference to other enforcement groups in the
WW, and the 'investigation of a known Parseltongue.'
And then, we have in `The Parting of the Ways,' Dumbledore's
statements to Molly and Bill Weasley:
"All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified
immediately, and [Arthur] is well placed to contact those at the
Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius.
<snip Bill's reply>
"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "Tell him what has happened. Tell him I
will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be
discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry –"
(GoF, US paperback, Ch.36, 711)
In other words, Dumbledore *is* going to interfere at the Ministry.
He knows that that's what he's going to do, and he doesn't want Fudge
to know about it. I'd hate to see what could happen to him if Fudge
find out that he's undermining the Ministry. That, too, is beyond
simply operations at Hogwarts – here, we get into tampering with the
actual government.
So, I'd say that Dumbledore's been forced into a rather precarious
position for OotP – he's got a great many Achilles' Heels (that,
unfortunately, Rita Skeeter now knows about,) and even estimating
conservatively, at least one of them is bound to be exploited,
thereby making Dumbledore's job that much harder.
I don't think that Fudge will simply have him removed, although he
could, if he's squeaky clean and in-good with the governors.
But if Dumbledore tampers with Fudge or tries to undermine him, then
I can see Albus getting taken to task on a technicality for something
really lame.
-Tom
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