Trelawney, Polyjuice Potion, house elves and Fudge

[hogsheadbarmaid]

No: HPFGUIDX 113196

> sad1199 here:
> > 4. I still think Fudge is a bad guy. He always seems to do the 
> > wrong thing at the right time for the bad guys. <snip> Anyway, 
> > my point is I believe Fudge is a.) one of the evil ones or
> > b.) under an Imperious Curse or some other curse (by whom?).

> Alshain:
> Or c. what Lenin used to call "a useful idiot". Oh, Fudge is a 
> bad guy all right, but you don't have to be a Death Eater in 
> disguise or under the Imperius curse to be a bad guy. I consider
> Fudge as a politico on a post he isn't suited for <snip>. He's 
> second choice, and he knows it very well. Unfortunately his talent
> is smaller than his love for power, so he gets desperate when 
> something happens that rocks his precious status quo and it's 
> demanded that he actually do something that might risk his position.
> <snip>
> Fudge's essential characteristics haven't changed at all -- he still
> thinks first and foremost of himself and about how he's going to stay
> in power. Only the situation has changed.


I agree with Alshain.  One of my favorite things about these books is 
that while there is certainly a big arch in the story that is (or 
seems to be) a clearcut battle of Good and Evil -- our side and their 
side -- it is clear at the same time that every one on "our side" is 
not completely good (Fudge) and everyone on "their side" may not be 
completely bad -- sorta like RL!

When Dumbledore (or is it Mr. Weasley?) is explaining to Harry about 
the time right after the last fall of Valdemort he says something 
like -- some on 'our side' did things to make people feel safe again, 
like locking some people up without trial and the like -- and he 
makes it clear that he does not agree with these actions.  He does 
not indicate any belief that these people are in league with 
Voldemort however.  In fact, they are doing what they believe to be 
fighting the good fight against the big V.  But they are wrong, and 
are in fact doing evil -- they are just not on The Side of Evil.  

(I just spent lots of time looking for the citation, but can't find 
it right now -- I'll keep looking)

       -- AJ