Percy

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 166070

Eggplant wrote:  Oh I think I can find a thing or two to suggest Harry
was on the razor's edge of being sent to Azkaban. <snip>
> >
> > "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."
> >
> > Or perhaps you'd like this quote:
> >
> > "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."
> 
> Kemper now:
> That is a great quote of Harry's barely 15-year-old perspective.  At
this point in time he is only personally aware of Sirius and Hagrid
stint in Azkaban. <snip>

Carol responds:
Exactly. Harry has no clear idea of what he's really facing (although
Mafalda Hopkirk's note mentioned expulsion and having his wand broken,
which ought to indicate the full extent of the contemplated
penalties). Azkaban comes into Harry's distorted mental picture when
he thinks of fighting the Aurors and stays there, but it's an
exaggerated fear. 

It's exactly like the time when he disobeyed Madam Hooch and went
after Draco Malfoy (except that this time he's not going to be
rewarded for his rule-breaking). McGonagall comes after him, looking
fierce. He's been threatened with expulsion if he gets on his broom.
McGonagall asks Flitwick for Wood and Harry wonders if Wood is a cane
that she's going to beat him with. And in PoA, he also fears that
he'll be sent to Azkaban: "He had broken the Decree for the
Restriction of Underage Magic so badly, he was surprised Ministry of
Magic representatives weren't swooping down on him where he sat" (PoA
Am. ed. 31). Instead, of course, Fudge meets him in person to be sure
he's all right and gets him a room at the Leaky Cauldron.

Circumstances have changed--Harry is no longer, in the view of the
Ministry, an innocent boy in danger of being murdered by a Voldemort
supporter. He's now, in their view, a deluded liar who has broken two
laws. (Only Umbridge knows about the Dementors at this point.) There
is, however, no question of Azkaban, which is not mentioned at either
the hearing itself or in the notes to Harry in "A Peck of Owls.")

As for Percy, he, like Fudge, is under the delusion that Dumbledore is
trying to take over the Ministry, using Harry's "lies" as part of his
plan. But "deluded" and "evil" are not synonymous.

eggplant: 
And then there is the fact that Harry was judged by the FULL
Wizardmon, something that has not happened in many years, something I
> do no believe a overdue library book would merit, something Author
Weasley was flabbergasted to discover.
> 
> Kemper now:
> I can see where a FULL court could lead one to believe that Harry
was in jeopardy of Azkaban.  But my impression of the scene, is that
Fudge is trying to get Harry expelled from attending Hogwarts, to shut
him up from telling tales of Voldemort's return. <snip>

Carol responds:
Yes, that's my impression as well. He's tried before the entire
Wizengamot, but Fudge is not in charge of sentencing, Madam Bones is.
And Madam Bones, as Tonks states earlier, is strict but fair. Once she
understands that real Dementors are involved, there's no chance for
Harry's conviction. The law still allows minors to perform magic in
front of Muggles in self-defense. The charges are dropped because the
law itself still provides an escape clause.

As for Azkaban, that idea exists only in Harry's mind. Fudge doesn't
mention it, and it's unlikely to have occurred to Percy, who would
have been happy to see Harry expelled and wandless, but only because
he doesn't believe that Voldemort is really back. A wandless Harry
facing Voldemort is another matter altogether. Lucius Malfoy would
enjoy it, but I doubt that Percy would.

Carol, who thinks that Fudge has learned his lesson and that Percy
will do so as well