Percy the Prefect

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 141243

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "ch3ed" <ch3ed at y...> wrote:
>  CH3ed: Percy. I dunno. Seems he should have been a Ravenclaw or a 
> Slytherin rather than a Gryffindor, ay? ... He is
> proud, but doesn't seem to have the courage to face the music when he 
> is wrong. ...
> 
> I think he showed some concerns toward his siblings at times, tho. 
> But he tends to be pompous when he does it. He tried to warn Ron 
> against hanging with Harry in OoP because he thought with Harry's 
> stinky reputation at that point Ron wouldn't look good hanging with 
> him ...

bboyminn:

I have to confess that I have a great deal of sympathy for Percy, and
I refuse to believe he is inherently bad until it is spelled out in
the books in no uncertain terms.

To some extent Percy was perfectly justified in his anger. He came
home with the greatest news of his career. He was just made personal
assistant to the Minister of Magic himself, and that implied that he
was completely clear of any wrong-doing in the Crouch affair. That
should have been cause for celebration and pride, but instead, his
father undermines him. He implies that Percy isn't qualified or able
to perform such a job and that he only got it so the Ministry could
spy on the Order. That really had to hurt.

Although the book had to go the way the book had to go, I think Arthur
could have solved the whole problem by being more diplomatic about it.
In fact, if he had played his card right, he could have used Percy to
spy on the Ministry. All he has to do was congradulate Percy first,
and propose a celebration in his honor, and then later subtly ponder
the Minister's motives while re-enforcing Percy. 

I'm sure if the possibility had been presented in a more subtle way,
Arthur could have gotten Percy around to his way of thinking, and even
enlisted Percy's help. If that didn't work, Arthur could have
suggested that Percy not have anything to do with the Order, just as a
safety precaution, just to make sure something didn't accidently slip
out. If dealt with properly the whole 'blow up' could have been avoided.

Sadly, I think Arthur's negative reaction was the last straw for
Percy. His existance in his own family had never been the best. He has
been treated with simpering adoration by his mother, outright brutal
hostility from the twins, and general indifference by his older
brothers. That couldn't have been a very pleasant life for him; to
never be included, to never be accepted, to always be met with
negative responses. I'm surprised he's in as good a shape as he is.

As far as his letter to Ron, in a sense, Percy is right. Percy is
writing the letter with Ron's future in mind. Even now with a new
Minister, Harry is not much in favor with the government. The Minister
used his knowledge that Harry wanted to be an Auror, first as an
enticement to be the Ministry posterboy, then as the threat. So, even
now, Ron is likely to have trouble getting a job in the Ministry
because of his continued association with Harry; that's a fact. So,
Percy's concerns are justifiable. If he is concerned about Ron's
future, then every thing he says it true and valid. What he
underestimates is Ron's personal loyalty, but personal loyalty won't
pay the rent. It's fine virtue, but not very practical.

I absolutely refuse to accept any theories which present Percy in any
form of 'evil'. Percy is a good guy, though occassionaly not nice, who
stood up for himself. Sadly, he did make a great mistake in aligning
himself with his government, but how many of us are guilty of that?
When the Iraq war began, people here wouldn't here a word against it.
Celebrities lost their careers for making negative comments. You could
get yourself beaten up in a bar for speaking against it. Yet, now that
the war is dragging on, years away from any resolution, people dying
for nothing, how many people have had a change of heart?

My point is that to some extent, standing with your duely elected
government is something that many many people do, and in fact, is
usually the right thing to do when the alternative is to stand with
unfounded rumors. Yes... yes... Harry knows they are true, and
Dumbledore believes him, but where is the proof, where is the evidence?

Percy made a mistake, and he has even made a small, though somewhat
political effort, to begin reconciliation, but he was met with the
overt and agressive hostility of the twins. How can he ever reconcile
himself against a hostile force like that? 

Nothing short of JKR saying it, will convince me that Percy is
anything other than a good guy who is slightly misguided.

Firmly entrenched.

Steve/bboyminn