Something wrong with this Fudge

[Matt]

No: HPFGUIDX 107344

I wrote:
>> If Rowling chose to reveal [Fudge] as capital-E Evil, 
>> she would be doing more than surprising her readers; 
>> she would also be undermining one of the major themes 
>> that she has developed through the novels to 
>> date.

HunterGreen replies: 
> Why exactly? Forget about his actions in OotP for a 
> moment, focus just PoA and GoF, what about then? ...
> Fudge's character *greatly* points to him being the 
> type of person who would be sympathisizing with 
> Voldemort's aim....  However, just because he agrees 
> with Voldemort's aim, doesn't mean that Fudge is a 
> death eater, or that he's *directly* working for him.
> 
> You spoke of shades of gray in the HP universe, and 
> that's exactly what Fudge is, a shade of gray. He can 
> still be everything we see on the surface: bumbling, 
> nervous, in love with power, and still have other 
> motivations that we don't see. They are clues from the 
> books supporting that, where are the *clues* (not 
> rhetoric) that go against it?

Well, if you are just trying to say Fudge is walking the gray line, it
may be that we agree more than we disagree.  Certainly, I agree that
he is calculating, corrupt and unprincipled.  He makes no effort to
combat the WW's prejudices, whether or not he agrees with them.  

But I thought you were going farther than that -- in your first post
you implied that Fudge was consciously trying to put Harry at risk of
being killed in PA; you have called him "evil" and said you think he
sympathizes with Voldemort's aims.  Do you mean that he *wants*
Voldemort to return to power?  I think he surely does not -- Fudge
knows that a powerful Voldemort = a new Minister of Magic.

Do you really think he has ever wished Harry dead, as opposed to
discredited?  Again, I think not.  Even by OP, when Fudge was becoming
desperate, his only goal according to Umbridge was to "silence" Harry
by discrediting him (OP ch. 32).  It was Umbridge who was willing to
resort to illegal methods ("What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt
him") such as orchestrating the dementor attack (id.).

I agree that Fudge is some shade of gray, but, again, I don't think he
is Evil.  I don't think he is prepared to ally himself with Voldemort.
And the fact that I'm arguing based on theme and principle rather than
some anecdotal "clue" doesn't make my argument rhetorical.

-- Matt