Percy Weasly

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 105221



I, Del, wrote :
> > We don't know how much he was told of what really happened. My guess
> > would be not much. As I said in another post, if Percy had been
> > presented with the whole truth beforehand, he would have been able to
> > see Fudge's manoeuver for what it was *himself*. He's not stupid.

Mel replied :
> I'm not sure I agree.  Who was present in the hospital wing when all 
> of this was discussed and explained?  Ron, Bill and Molly Weasley.   
> I think it an extreme long shot that they didn't tell Percy what 
> they had witnessed and what Fudge admitted to (including giving 
> Crouch Junior the Kiss, Snape's tattoo coming back, etc.)prior to 
> his leaving the house (which we know was the first week after the 
> break, but not the first day).  Maybe Percy is stupid.  

Del answers :
You expect Percy to just take Bill and Molly's words of what has
happened and turn his life around in a day. But it's not that simple !
1. The Weasleys don't have all the details. They haven't heard Harry's
story, they only have DD's word that LV has returned. They witnessed
many things, but we don't know how much they understood. So when they
gave their account to Percy, it must not have sounded very coherent.
2. Percy was having a very tough time in his personal life at that
moment (the enquiry), he most probably wasn't ready to take so much
information in in one go.
3. Percy did not have time to digest what he was told. Unlike his
father, who already had the measure of Fudge, Percy believed in Fudge,
and he had to entirely reconsider his opinion of him. He had already
received a great shock by learning the truth about Mr Crouch's
condition, I wouldn't be surprised that he was quite simply unable to
process that new shocking information.
4. Percy is still a very young man, who has quite a naive conception
of the world. Everything was going according to his beliefs, and then
suddenly everything crumbled under his feet in a matter of weeks :
Crouch, Fudge, LV. I wouldn't be surprised if Percy went into shock
and denial, and not into acceptance. Then when his father crushed his
pride, he chose the only way that would keep him from going insane :
deny everything.

Most people don't accept such shocking news so rapidly : they need
time. Percy needed time to sort out the facts, discard his old beliefs
and construct new ones. But he wasn't given any time. In less than a
week, he was forced to choose : accept our new terrifying order where
nothing goes according to the rules you've respected all your life, or
keep the old familiar one where things make sense to you. I believe
most people would make the same choice as he did.

Del