[HPforGrownups] Re: PERCY: DD's Personal Spy or Ministry's Puppet? (Long)

[Magda Grantwich]

No: HPFGUIDX 111395

> I said this before, but I think it was in a different Percy thread
> (not even sure anymore). I think that Percy's loyalty is not to DD,
> or Fudge, or Crouch, but to the Ministry itself as an institution. 
> He sees DD not necessarily as a threat to Fudge himself, but as a
> threat to "the way things work" at the Ministry. If he were to 
> stage a coup,the entire basis of how the Ministry works would be 
> thrown into confusion. I think Percy would just as easily have 
> followed Dumbledore if he had been elected MoM, but he wasn't, so 
> he follows Fudge. Same
> for his admiration of Umbridge - she is carrying the party line,
> therefore she is good (in Percy's view).
> 
> -Brandy

Poor misunderstood Percy.  Even prats have feelings, you know. 

I don't believe that Percy is evil or overly-ambitious, or even
really ambitious actually.  He's no 007-Percy spying on Dumbledore's
behalf and he's not under imperius either.  He's just....Percy.  And
right now that's bad enough.  

Let's look at Percy's younger years for some clues as to his
behaviour now.  All through his school years he was "perfect Percy",
him mom's golden child who was held up as an example for the twins
and Ron to emulate.  And Percy did all the appropriate
good-school-boy stuff, studied hard (12 OWLS!), gathered honours
(Prefect AND Head Boy!), lived up to Molly's expectations (watch how
she pets him in front of the other kids and then turns a much less
friendly aspect on the twins) and in general did everything the way
he was supposed to. 

Percy has it hard-wired into his brain that if you do the appropriate
things and please your elders (first Molly, then your boss) you'll be
amply rewarded with the recognition you deserve.  This isn't always
easy to accomplish: studying for all those OWLS while you're doing
your prefect duties is a stress and Percy is a much more dutiful
prefect than Ron was.  And for the twins it's always open season on
pranking Percy.  But he's lived his life by the rules and he's
benefited accordingly.  He's the perfect Mama's boy.

And then he gets his new job - a really wonderful opportunity - and
his parents openly doubt that he earned it!  What a betrayal!  In
mid-stream, with no warning, they've changed the rules on him.  Darn
right he's in a temper.  His feelings are incredibly hurt.  And he
lashes out in an immature manner and hurts his parents badly.  

Because Percy doesn't want power - he wouldn't recognize real power
if it danced in front of him wearing Dobby's teacozy, to paraphrase
Ron.  What Percy wants is recognition - he wants praise, acclaim, he
wants to be looked up to.  Lucius Malfoy and Umbridge understand that
power is different from recognition - they don't want to be
recognized, they just want to call the shots.  That's why they find
it easy to manipulate Percy and Fudge (another head-boy type who
finds it stressful to actually do his job rather than just be known
as the Minister) by fawning on them and praising them lavishly.  Guys
like Percy and Fudge are duck soup for those who REALLY understand
power.  And when the Percy's and Fudge's of the world do feel that
they're being treated unfairly or think they're being disrespected,
they lash out nastily - Percy at his family, Fudge at Dumbledore.  

As Brandy says, Percy has elevated the institution of the Ministry
into something that deserves his entire and unthinking loyalty.  I
would go so far as to say that it's become his new family.  And he's
making that point to his old family every way he can.

As for the letter to Ron: no secret codes or hidden meanings,
basically it's the first opportunity he's had to spell out the terms
on which he'll graciously forgive his family for their treatment of
him and return to their bosom.  He was probably in a quandary about
how to get this message across before since he wasn't on speaking
terms with Molly and Arthur.  Ron's appointment - with the suggestion
of Percy imitation it implied on Ron's part - was the perfect
opportunity.

Magda



	
		
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