ah the mysteries

[Olivier Fouquet]

No: HPFGUIDX 149925

Allie:
 > I don't have a strong feeling about Arthur one way or the other, but
 > I don't really think he's ESE!  (Incidentally is that a serious
 > assertion, sometimes I can't tell on this list.)  I can't imagine
 > anyone subjecting their child to possession by the evil spirit left
 > in a book in PURPOSE.  What anvil-sized hint are you referring to
 > for the imperius curse, though?  I'm very curious.

Hi Allie,
I don't believe that Arthur is ESE, of course he isn't. I have been  
using him to show that one could build a powerful case for ESE!Anyone  
by selecting odd remarks or events, declaring them "mysteries" or  
"hints". Actually, I was surprised myself how easy it is. I took  
Arthur because ESE!Bill, ESE!McGonagall, ESE!Percy and ESE!Sirius  
already existed.

Now, on to the anvil-sized hint about the Imperius curse, it all goes  
back to GoF. Barty Crouch, posing as Moody, has this incredible  
conversation with Ron.

"my dad told me about one.. . . Is it called the Imperius
Curse, or something?"
"Ah, yes," said Moody appreciatively. "Your father would know that  
one [...]"

Now you have a hardcore DE that is speaking "appreciatively" of  
Arthur's knowledge of the Imperius. Once you have spotted this  
instance, you can of course find other hints in the other books,  
going back to book one, that Arthur does indeed know a lot about the  
Imperius. Then, once you're there, you notice that according to canon  
Sturgis was imperioed the very day when Arthur waited outside Harry's  
hearing room. How convenient that he could spend some times here to  
practise the curse that have gained him the appreciation of Barty  
Crouch Jr. And here you have started ESE!Arthur.

And once you've convinced that it is true, incredible things happen:  
you find that Arthur actually played a key part in LV's plan in GoF.  
By covering up the attack on Moody, he enabled the whole substitution  
business. You notice that if Fake!Moody speaks "appreciatively" of  
Arthur, Arthur has been careful to "speak highly of Moody" to ensure  
that Harry will trust him. You notice that in OoP, Arthur antagonizes  
Malfoy and Shacklebolt. We suppose that one is genuine and one fake,  
but what if it was the contrary? You discover that Arthur's anger is  
very convenient for Lucius to plant the Diary. You remember that it  
was oh so providential that in all those raids, Arthur has never been  
able to find anything at the Malfoys, not in CoS, not in HBP. You  
notice that Arthur is conspicuous only by his absence whenever the  
Order has serious security mission to carry. You ask yourself, how  
come didn't Nagini kill once and for good the mortally wound Arthur  
and then you understand: it was necessary to stage a fake attack just  
to be sure that Harry will be convinced his visions were not only  
real but also very useful. And then you re-read OoP and you realize  
that yes, this is exactly the reason why Harry finally believed  
(against all odds) that Sirius was indeed trapped in the ministry.  
And this was how he managed to convince Ron. You remember that Lucius  
advises his son that "it is not prudent to appear less than fond of  
Harry Potter", and you understand now that Arthur has been much more  
prudent than Malfoy at hiding his DE past.

You then realize that, by your reading, Arthur has played a key role  
in the plot of CoS, GoF and OoP. You discover that he isn't entirely  
clean in PoA, I mean why did he tell Harry that Sirius was after him  
if not for awakening his curiosity? And no, it never ever occurred to  
him that this rat was living a bit longer than usual. And of course  
when his son was to enter Hogwarts in the same year as Harry Potter,  
he insisted that Percy get a new pet so that, eh, you know, we could  
give Peter, I mean Scabber to Ron. So when Pippin asked "who killed  
the unicorn" you answer Arthur Weasley. She thinks it was Lupin, and  
she has exactly as much evidence as you do. You'll also notice that  
your answers makes more sense than hers in answering at least two  
other of her questions: why was JKR mysterious about the Diary and  
why are Order member picked one by one.

And there you have it. ESE!Arthur in full-fledged form.  
Alternatively, you can read the books again and (re-)discover that  
Arthur is a fond father a loving husband, a bit on the eccentric side  
maybe, and that Lupin is a sympathetic man who never managed to  
discipline his friends at school because they were the first persons  
he ever had a good times with.