Pressure on Percy

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 93520

As a member of PINE (Percy Is Not Evil) and the originator of PUNIC FAITH
(Percy Undercover, Near Idiotic Cornelius Fudge, Accesses Information That's
Helpful) I have another interpretation of Percy's cutting all ties with his
family.

He could be under a lot of pressure at his job, and breaking with his family
might be one way to ensure that he isn't being badgered night and day to spy
on them for Fudge, as well as to reduce the danger of getting sacked for
something stupid his dad does---and, if he _is_ a deep-cover Dumbledore
agent, if he's caught with his hand in the cookie jar (so to speak) they
can't very easily sack his Dad if Percy-the-Spy is known to be on very bad
terms with him.  Cornelius Fudge, to give him his (limited!) due, is not
exactly the second coming of Josef Stalin.

His letter to Ron could be read as an attempt to give Ron a heads-up that
Trouble Is On The Way, written in such a way that anybody intercepting it
would think that Percy was just being a pompous prat.  If he _is_ a
deep-cover agent, his survival depends absolutely on keeping that cover at
_all_ times, and not doing anything inconsistent with it, even when he can
be fairly sure that he isn't being watched.  Remember Harry's letter to
"Snuffles?"  It wasn't _Percy's_ fault that Ron is about as thick as an
asphalt sandwich, now was it?  (Come to it---has anybody ever analyzed that
letter for a hidden code?  I've seen letters that looked innocuous, but if
you read, say, the third word after every punctuation mark, had a hidden
message.)

As for Dumbledore not wanting him to hurt his mother---are we talking about
the same person?  The Dumbledore who allowed Harry to suffer for ten years
of hell-on-earth at Privet Drive?  (Yes, I _know_ that Things Could Have
Been Worse---but my friends who're experts on child psychology say it's a
miracle Harry didn't turn out a lot worse than he did)  The Dumbledore who
allowed Sirius Black, a man he should have at least trusted, to be thrown
into prison for over ten years of torture _without so much as a lousy,
stinkin' trial?_

Dumbledore is a Great Leader in some ways, but he's also a very
Machiavellian old man---and when weighed against the overarching necessity
of getting rid of Voldemort, Molly's tears don't count for a lot.

I will admit, though, that part of my attraction to PUNIC FAITH is the idea
of Ron finding out---particularly if he finds out that Percy's lifestyle,
away from home, is like James Bond in his more sybaritic moments.  The
expression on his face would be priceless.