Let the cat out of the Bag(man)

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 91649

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "annemehr" <annemehr at y...> wrote:
> Bagman as fall guy works for me, but it would probably be temporary.  Bagman,
> if ever questioned, would reveal that it was Moody (as he thought) who carried
> the Cup into the maze.  However, I don't believe Crouch was intended to try to
> remain at Hogwarts; the teaching job was only for the one year, after all.  If all
> had gone as planned, I don't think suspicion would have fallen on Crouch until
> he had rejoined Voldemort.
> 
> It is interesting to speculate on why Bagman made his sudden departure.
> The possibilities I can think up:
> 1. He was a DE, had no idea LV was back until his Mark burned, went to the graveyard.
> 2. When Harry disappeared, thought his bet was lost, fled from Goblins immediately.
> 3. He was a DE and in on the plans, went to the graveyard.
> 4. He got scared at the sight of Cedric's body, fled to escape responsibility for a 
> champion's death.  Maybe afraid he'd been set up, maybe just plain scared.
> 5. Gred and Forge thought Bagman ran for it right after the third task for fear of the 
goblins.
> For that to be true, it would have to have been after Harry returned, and Bagman would
> have to have thought he won and then had his conversation with the goblins who said
> Harry didn't win, he'd only tied.  Was so afraid of goblins he ran.
> 
> Actually, many of these can be true at the same time.
>

Kneasy:
It's difficult to get a grip on Bagman in these circumstances - Crouch!Moody keeps
muddying the waters. He is acting like a true fanatic, serving his Master is the only 
thing that matters, nothing is allowed to get in his way and everything is there to be
used and if necessary, discarded; Winky, Crouch Snr, Moody and probably Bagman.
Is Bagman playing his own chosen role or one chosen for him by Crouch!Moody?

Certainly Bagman would be a useful addition to the coterie of Voldy henchwizards; 
everybody likes him and nobody takes him seriously.  He's  regarded as an amiable
fool, but I for one strongly suspect that he was involved in, or possibly instigated
the holiday from hell for Bertha Jorkins. Add in Moody's kidnapping and his odd 
behaviour in the forest at the QWC and he looks further up the food-chain we give
him credit for. Somebody else may think so too -  despite his trial *somebody*
manages to arrange for him to be employed at the Ministry. Can you imagine  
Crouch Snr happily going along with that?

But it's the  scene in the forest that fascinates me, lots of undertones and hints.

It's interesting that it is just before the Trio meet Bagman they run into Winky. 
She rushes out of the undergrowth  and warns them that there are bad 
wizards about. Did she mean at the campsite or right there in the wood?
They then encounter Bagman, in the woods after having a business discussion
with Goblins, or so he says later. 
When told of the trouble at the camp-site his response is "Damn them!" (Hint
that he knows who the participants are?) He then disparates. (Where to?) He
re-appears after  Winky is discovered with Harry's wand. He witters on about the
Dark Mark and slides past Crouch's query about where he has been by himself
asking why Crouch hadn't been in his seat at the Cup. (Hint that he knew who
was in the seat.) Diggory questions Winky as to who conjured the Dark Mark and
Winky's eyes flicker from Diggory *to Bagman* and then to Crouch. (Winky thinks
or knows that Bagman is involved somehow.)
 
Anne:
>  Interesting we've never heard anything of Bagman in OoP except that the *Ministry*
> wouldn't honor his personal debts to the goblins.  If the goblins are going after the 
> Ministry for their money, doesn't that suggest that Bagman himself is now nowhere
> to be found?  If he's still working at his job, they could take part of his wages, couldn't
> they?   Would a large debt to the goblins make a wizard feel the need to
> disappear?  If that's true, I don't know how one could include the goblins among the
> oppressed races of beings.  If Bagman is a DE, would his fear of the goblins and his
> involvement in the disastrous Triwizard Tournament be enough to cause him to flee
> to Voldemort and stay there?  'Course, *Dumbledore* was involved in the TWT, it was
> all his idea as a matter of fact, and he isn't taking any flak about it at all, apparently.
> 

Kneasy:
Don't know about the US but in Britain private gambling debts are not recoverable
in law. If somebody doesn't pay up, you're stuffed. Unless that person was acting as
an agent for a third party, in which case you go after them. Fudge playing with the 
Ministry budget? Sounds silly, but why did the Goblins try to dun the MoM? No
organisation will intervene in a private wager gone bad. 

Personally, I've never thought of Goblins as an oppressed race. 'Barely restrained'
is the phrase I'd go for. Re-read the description of Hagrid and Harry going into 
Gringotts in PS/SS. Hagrid sounds cautious, wary. He knows Goblins are powerful
and touchy. So Bagman in hiding has a plausibility about it, but why should he be
in hiding for only one reason? If he also sees himself in the frame for the TWT fiasco,
then he's got two very good reasons for keeping his head down.