Pointless Azkaban quotes & Small points on Percy (Was Re: Percy)

[Goddlefrood]

No: HPFGUIDX 166055

> > Eggplant (unless something like e. e. cummings in which 
> > case apologies;)) quoting from canon :

> > "How was he supposed to refuse to surrender his wand without 
> > doing magic? He'd have to duel with the Ministry 
> > representatives, and if he did that, he'd be lucky to escape 
> > Azkaban, let alone expulsion."

> > "Would the matter of where he went next be decided for him? 
> > Had his breach of the International Statute of Secrecy been 
> > severe enough to land him in a cell in Azkaban? Whenever 
> > this thought occurred, Harry invariably slid off his bed 
> > and began pacing again."

<SNIP> -Kemper's comments and balance of post

Goddlefrood Comments:

The first of these quotes is a thought that runs through Harry's 
mind, nothing more, nothing less. Any possibility of following
it through was negated by the fact that NO ONE from the Ministry 
arrived and the later arrival of the advance guard.

It is, in any event, out of CONtext as Private Eye might say ;).

A fuller look at the text will clarify what I mean. Eggplant's 
first quote is (in the edition I have) on page 31 OotP, A Peck 
of Owls. (All my quotes from Bloomsbury Hardback Edition). It 
follows on from this:

'Harry -
Dumbledore's just arrived at the Ministry and he's trying to 
sort it all out. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE'S HOUSE. DO 
NOT DO ANY MORE MAGIC. DO NOT SURRENDER YOUR WAND.
   Arthur Weasley

Dumbledore was trying to sort it all out ... what did that mean?
How much power did Dumbledore have to override the Ministry of 
Magic? Was there a chance that he might be allowed back to 
Hogwarts, then? A small shoot of hope burgeoned in Harry's chest, 
almost immediately strangled by panic -'

At this point the first of the above quotes by Eggplant comes in.
Quite different when you read it all.

Something like a film review saying:

"I hated this film it was the most pointless, dull, feckless one 
I have seen for a long time, not recommended."

And then seeing on the marquee

"This film ... Recommended" - Reviewer ;)

Still, it was a good point though :)

Regarding the second quote, here's what precedes it, this time
from p. 45, Chapter The Advance Guard:

'What if they ruled against him? What if he *was* expelled and 
his wand was snapped in half? What would he do, where would he
go? He could not return to living full-time with the Dursleys,
not now he knew the other world, the one to which he really 
belonged. Might he be able to move into Sirius's house, as 
Sirius had suggested a year ago, before he had been forced to
flee from the Ministry? Would Harry be allowed to live there 
alone, given that he was still underage? Or'

And then the second portion of what Eggplant quoted. Even more 
out of context than the first quote IMO.

What it shows is a typical thought process of a worried young 
man. JKR helps me here, back to p. 31 again:

"His mind was racing ... he could run for it and risk being 
captured by the Ministry, or stay put and wait for them to find 
him here. He was much more tempted by the former course, but he
knew Mr. Weasley had his best interests at heart ... and after
all, Dumbledore had sorted out much worse than this before."

Which, coincidentally follows Eggplant's first quote.

Even if we took it to its logical conclusion it would not mean 
that he would actually end up in Azkaban. On that matter I agree
with and commend what Kemper said in reply to Eggplant's post.

> In a later post (166053) Eggplant said, in response to 
> Kemper:

> Let me ask again a question that I received no answer to, 
> would anyone bother to mount such a ferocious defense of 
> Percy if he had a different last name?

Goddlefrood:

You'll see my view on this matter most clearly from the sign out
to this post. I, for one do think that Percy would have a right
to a defence, no matter what his background or what he had done. 
Anticipating the obvious comeback to this I have to mention that
I am well aware of how WW law does not operate similarly to our 
own, either under a Common Law system or a Codified system, such 
as in France or Germany, particularly if someone of the ilk of 
Barty Crouch Snr. was supervising it. A quote from Voltaire in 
his *Essay on Tolerance* that is quite apposite is this:

"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do 
so too."

Which has been paraphrased or morphed, if you like, into this:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death 
your right to say it."

Which I would apply to Percy, even if he were a Malfoy, by 
further paraphrasing:

"I disapprove of what you do, but I will defend to the death 
your right to do it."

Goddlefrood, not trying to be pedantic, merely trying to place 
matters in their proper context and perspective. Still also
believing that the Weasley referred will turn out to feel like 
a right Percy, but is not evil, just misguided. Here I'm 
thinking of his following orders blindly, particularly 
throughout a good part of GoF.

BTW: I felt like a right percy for walking into my work singing, 
"You've got a breadstick on you."

-=#:-)