Percy

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 166083

---> 
> Carol:
> > 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.
> .
> 
Ceridwen:
> 
> So, did Dumbledore fail to sort things out because there was a full 
> hearing of the Wizengamot?  Or was he successful?  It worked out 
> well, and Madam Bones being "strict but fair" was a large part of 
> that.  Since it's the Wizengamot, Fudge is not in charge.  It seems 
> to me that a full court was the best and fairest thing for Harry.  


Errrm...Madam Bones in charge, of sentencing or anything else in the 
Wizengamot session?  It seemed quite apparent that it was FUDGE who 
WAS in charge, as much as anyone was, both bringing the charges and 
acting as chairman of the gathering.  Madam Bones seemed only one 
member of the Wizengamot ... albeit a witch of very strong 
personality.  And it may well be that DD used the full Wizengamot as 
a way of countering Fudge, hoping that his influence with Madam Bones 
and his few remaining friends on the tribunal would sway the day.

But it seems much more likely that Fudge was inflating the charges to 
a full trial situation in order to pack in as many supporters as 
possible and bring the full weight of official power squarely down on 
Harry, and by extension Dumbledore.  We certainly have evidence of 
such an escalation in DD's own words.  He reminds Fudge that when the 
Minister (or his flunkies) had summarily expelled Harry that he "had 
to remind you that the Ministry does not expel students from 
Hogwarts" (paraphrase).  Given that Fudge had been balked in 
using "administrative" measures, it is likely that his next move was 
to bump everything up to the Wizengamot, where he felt he could sway 
matters his way.  And he almost succeeded, as well, were it not for 
some rehearsed and risky perjury on the part of Mrs. Figg (pretending 
she could see dementors when we are told later she cannot) and the 
timely defiance of Fudge by Madam Bones.


Lupinlore, thinking DD would be taking an awfully dumb risk if it was 
his idea to go to a full trial -- what if there was somebody on the 
panel (maybe one of the new members since DD's expulsion) who had 
more knowledge of squibs than he realized?  Also pointing out that we 
have another gap in logic, here, as both DD and Mrs. Figg have handed 
Fudge a legal and political broadsword he could use against them (and 
Harry) were Fudge or his supporters ever to find out that squibs 
actually CAN'T see dementors.