Moody's death/In Defense of Scrimgeour

[lizzyben04]

No: HPFGUIDX 179530

> Pippin:
> The Ministry had made it an imprisonable offense to transport Harry
> from Privet Drive by apparation, portkey or Floo powder. I 
speculate
> Scrimgeour's motive for wanting Harry trapped was to force him to
> endorse his regime. <snip>
> a_svirn:
> This is the whole conspiracy theory you spin. Don't you think you 
are 
> casting slurs on the memory of a brave man, who wanted the same 
thing 
> as Harry had, and died heroically without betraying Harry's 
> whereabouts even under torture? 

lizzyben:

And honestly, I'm trying to remember what was so awful about 
Scrimgeour. Didn't he want Harry to be involved in the Ministry's 
fight against Voldemort? IIRC, in HBP, he said that Harry the hero's 
involvement would lift people's spirits & give them hope. And of 
course, Harry self-righteouly rejects this offer cause Scrimgeour 
won't release Stan Shunpike. After DD's funeral, Scrimgeour again 
attempts to plea for Harry's support, & Harry cuts him off 
repeatedly, rejects the offer & again asks him to release Stan 
Shunpike. At the time, I was self-righteously nodding along w/Harry -
 you tell that Scrimgeour! Stand up to authority! 

Except Harry was really just submitting to another authority all 
along - Dumbledore's authority. Looking back at HBP, Harry is just 
mouthing DD's own opinions - "DD doesn't think Stunpike should be in 
prison! I'm DD's man, not the Ministry's!" Scrimgeour mentions that 
he's wanted to meet Harry since becoming MOM, but Dumbledore has 
prevented this. He also says that DD's been "very protective" & 
hasn't allowed Harry to meet w/anyone after the OOTP fiasco. 
Srimgeour implies that DD has kept Harry from any other officials 
who might want his support or might want to gather more information 
about LV.

And the end of the chapter is now chilling to me  - "Well, it is 
clear to me that he has done a very good job on you," said 
Scrimgeour, his eyes cold and hard behind his wire-rimmed 
glasses. "Dumbledore's man through & through, aren't you, Potter?" 
"Yeah I am," said Harry, "Glad we straightened that out." 
And turning his back on the Minister of Magic, he strode back toward 
the house.' I think old Scrimmy had Dumbledore's number all along. 

After the funeral, he again asks Harry to help to raise people's 
morale, & offers Aurors as protection for Harry. And Harry rudely 
cuts him off & repeats that he's "DD's man." Oh, oh, he also repeats 
DD's sickening slogan from COS about showing personal loyalty to 
Him. Scrimgeour glares at Harry & turns on his heel to limp away. I 
now totally identify w/Scrimgeour in these scenes. They're fighting 
a dangerous wizard, and people need hope & promise that the MOM can 
succeed. And here's Harry Potter, so brainwashed by DD that he'll 
repeat everything DD says, allow DD to isolate him from the MOM, & 
even refuse to assist in the fight against LV in favor of following 
DD's orders only. DD did indeed do a good number on Harry Potter, & 
Scrimmy knows it.

Then, in DH, what's the first thing we see? Bam - there's Stan 
Shunpike, that poor martyr, participating in a Death Eater attack. 
There's the MOM falling easily to the Death Eaters because people 
don't have the courage, hope or morale to fight. There's Harry w/o 
any protection or contacts at all. There's Scimgeour, tortured to 
death for refusing to reveal Harry's whereabouts. I think Scrimgeour 
was a good guy who was looking for Harry's assistance in the battle 
against LV. And DD's attempts to isolate & control Harry prevented 
the MOM from getting that assistance - thereby allowing the MOM to 
quickly fall, & leaving Harry w/o any protection or assistance in 
his own fight. 


lizzyben