When did Fudge change his mind?

[Ali]

No: HPFGUIDX 92561

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Elihu Falk <falkelihu at y...> 
wrote:
 
>>> 18 months later, when Dumbledore mentions LV's return to power, 
and Black still out, he says "You-Know-Who returns? Preposterous. 
Come now, Dumbledore..."[GF36] And when Umbridge brings Harry to 
Dumbledore after the DA was almost caught, Fudge says "Or is there 
the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead 
man [Voldemort] coming back to life, and a couple of invisible 
dementors?", each of those being considered impossible.
  
 When did Fudge change his mind?<<<

Ali:

When I read that passage, I understood the dead man to be Peter 
Pettigrew, not Voldemort. So Fudge didn't actually have to change 
his mind. He was talking about a different person.

I do believe though, that Fudge was aware that Voldemort could 
return, but that he believed it to be only a vague theoretical 
possibility. He just prepared to face up to the mounting evidence 
about Voldemort's return. Quite simply, the return of Voldemort 
meant the end of his cosy little existence, it was much better to 
convince himself that nothing was happening than try to confront 
unpleasant reality. Afterall, there's none so blind as them that 
cannot see.

Ali,

in a posting frame of mind as she's supposed to be writing an 
assignment!