Undercover Percy

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 80999

Hermione Gallo (hg:" As I've read the series, the simplest explanation
is not usually the truest. And as far as I've read most of the
discussion surrounding Percy, I don't recall anyone using the argument
that "Percy is a Weasley, ergo he can't be a git."

I disagree on two counts – about simple explanations not being true,
and that no one's used the argument that "Percy's a Weasley, so he
can't be a git."

I've done it.

I cheerfully admit that the Weasley-as-mole theory is possible and
would even make sense if Percy would do it, but I doubt it. I think
Percy was a disgusting apparatchik toady sycophant this year.

I think this was/is Percy's rebellion. I'm guessing he was stung by
his family's relative poverty and blames his father for it, whose
career and status at the Ministry suffered because Arthur went his own
way. Percy was determined not to do that, so he decided to get along
by going along.

We've seen Percy go further and further down that road. As Hermione
became more and more her own person and no longer a slave to rules and
conformity (although rules still matter to her), Percy became more and
more a slave. He turned his thinking and conscience over to his bosses.

I think Percy will come back to his family, probably with the help of
an intermediary, perhaps even Dumbledore. He knows which way the wind
is blowing, and he might be having a crisis of conscience now he's
seen his boss disgraced.

Kelly, as quoted by hg:" Kelly said that "it all comes down to DD's
statement about the choices we make rather than birth being the
deciding factor in our lives (CoS)."

Hg in reply:"I totally agree. Percy could have been faced with making
a very difficult choice: hiding something important from his family
and pretending to disown them, for the sake of a greater cause."

Dumbledore's `choices we make' speech was in a very different context.
 The "Weasleys can't be bad" argument is neither provable nor
absolute, but it matters.  Few people who grow up in a loving family
like that go astray, and I believe Percy will eventually turn around.
 Hg's argument that Percy might have made the choice to alienate his
family to keep a secret vital to the good side is plausible.  I'd
prefer it to Percy being the idiot he appears.  We'll just have to
wait and see.

Jim Ferer