Why didn't Dumbledore listen to Steve?

[smilingator4915]

No: HPFGUIDX 131939

"quigonginger" wrote:

does anyone have any idea of why DD *didn't* do the very things Steve
suggested?[examine the Riddle house etc]

"eggplant107" wrote:

I have no doubt that Dumbledore *did* take a look at the old Riddle
house after Harry's experience, but that but there was no point
mentioning it because the results of his investigation were
inconclusive. This was partially because Voldemort covered his tracks
very well but mostly because the Ministry just was not interested in
hearing evidence that the dark lord was alive. Fudge did not want to
learn the truth, he wanted to be comfortable and believing Voldemort
was dead accomplished that. 



smilingator:

First of all, I would just like to say that I love reading Steve's
posts... he always makes me think!

I don't think DD doubted Harry's story of what happened at the
graveyard for a second. In fact, DD knew that something was up around
the Riddle House because he had heard about the mysterious murder of
Frank the Gardener. If DD did investigate the Riddle House and the
graveyard and found clues, I think he is giving the information to the
Order and NOT to the MoM because of Fudge.

Fudge's lack of a back bone was apparent to me in CoS, when he put
Hagrid in Azkaban with no evidence and only the "pressure" from the
school governors. In PoA, Fudge did not bother to listen to Harry and
Hermione's tale of what happened the evening Sirius exposed himself to
his Godson. In GoF, Fudge allowed the Dementors to *Kiss* Barty Jr.
before the escaped prisoner had a chance to tell Fudge his story (and
the circumstances around this still bother me, but that is another
post). 

All in all, I think Fudge is more terrified of losing his position
(which is going to happen somehow anyway) than the fact that the LV
may be back. Not to blame EVERYTHING on Fudge, but if only he had
listened to Harry and Hermione in PoA, then perhaps things could have
been different. Fudge is just so sure that DD is after his job, a
position that DD turned down in order to remain at Hogwarts. In
Fudge's mind, the story of LV returning was an elaborate conspiracy to
have him kicked out of office. The poor paranoid man.

So, I agree with eggplant, I doubt Fudge was interested in
investigating the Riddle property because he was afraid that he would
find out that LV had indeed come back. As the saying goes, "De Nial"
is not just a river in Egypt...

Just my thoughts