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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