[HPforGrownups] Re: Jo's Squib error?

[Vivamus]

No: HPFGUIDX 123763

> Tonks <tonks_op at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Vivamus" <Vivamus at T...> wrote:
> > When Fudge asks her directly if that is what she saw, she doesn't
> answer his question, instead saying "That is what happened."   I 
> take this to mean that she saw Harry and Dudley and what they 
> did, but not the dementors, although she felt them.  DD would 
> have questioned her about it, and figured out what the 
> dementors were doing, and coached her on it.
> > 
> 
> Tonks here:
> 
> I don't think that DD coached her, or if he did he didn't 
> tell her to lie. DD has a thing about lying, he doesn't 
> believe in doing it himself so I don't think that he would 
> ask her to. I think she rehearsed it like many of us would in 
> a situation like that. We would go over and over again in our 
> mind what we would say. And she was embarrased about being a 
> Squib and on her own came up with a bit of a lie. Course, she 
> was under oath and that was not good, but she was trying to 
> help Harry so one could understand why she would do it. It 
> was good that she said "that is what happened" instead of 
> "that is what I saw". Because if she had said the second then 
> her whole testimony would probably have been thrown out. 
> 
> Tonks_op
> 
> Luckdragon:
> 
> I just find it hard to believe Dumbledore would take such a 
> risk. If they were desperate enough to make Harry stand 
> before the whole Wizengamot, they could have just as easily 
> ordered Figg to take Veritaserum and if her lie was detected 
> it would have been all over for Harry. 

Vivamus:
I think it would be a far greater risk to NOT lie, because there are really
only two possibilities for the source of those dementors.  They either came
from LV, or they came from someone at the Ministry.  Either way, there MUST
be acknowledgement of that for Harry's protection, lest it happen again when
he is unable to defend himself.

If no one but Harry saw the dementors, and you have only "crazy" Harry for
support, then two very bad things happen.  1. Harry is left unprotected
against further attacks, and 2. he is in deep trouble for the Patronus
charm, because it was obviously unjustified if the dementors weren't there.
In addition to those two things, attention is diverted away from who
actually sent the dementors, regardless of whether it was LV or someone at
the Ministry.

If Arabella also can say she saw the dementors, however, there is
corroboration, and Harry is off the hook.  The only actual lie she said was
that squibs could see dementors.  (In fact, we don't know for sure that was
a lie.  It may be that SOME squibs can see them, even though she cannot.)
What she claimed happened was, in fact, exactly what did happen. 

We now know that Harry is far more important than it seemed before.  DD is
faced with an attempt to soul-suck Harry, either by LV or Fudge (or Fudge's
minions.)  DD can't protect Harry if the presence of dementors cannot be
established.  

My earlier comment on the ethics of DD coaching Arabella to lie was snipped,
but it was basically saying that the particular situation gave rise to a
ethically higher order of need (i.e., save the WW from LV), and that
necessitated DD (the epitome of goodness) encouraging Arabella to lie.   

(Let me be quick to point out that this is NOT advocating either situational
or teleological [=the end justifies the means] ethics.  This was a situation
in which action was necessary for the good of all involved, including Fudge
and DU, which on the surface might be considered unethical.)

Vivamus