COS Chapter Fourteen: "Cornelius Fudge"

[for-diddled.livejournal.com]

* The WW seems to have a really inconsistent attitude towards criminal justice. On the one hand, their punishments are often extremely excessive (yes, let’s lock people up surrounded by depression-inducing, soul-devouring monsters for petty theft); on the other, they can be ridiculously weak when the plot demands it (murder? Well, you won’t be able to come to Hogwarts anymore. Although we will give you a job for life as Gamekeeper in the very same school which you terrorised with your monster).

* “Riddle does sound like Percy – who asked him to grass on Hagrid, anyway?” Apologies in advance for this little rant-ette, but WTF? Seriously, W – T – F? As far as Ron knows, Hagrid’s just killed someone, and he thinks Tom shouldn’t tell anyone? I’ll freely admit that I never got this whole “no snitching” rule in school stories, but this just seems ridiculous. So it’s better to let people die than tell a teacher? Really? Ron’s being really hypocritical, too, unless he’d been planning to sit on his arse and do nothing once he got proof that Draco was the Heir of Slytherin.

* Also, note how Harry says that he doesn’t blame Tom “for wanting to stay here”, rather than, I don’t know, wanting to save someone’s life.

* Choosing the subjects that “could affect [their] whole future” at the age of twelve seems a bit early, really.

* Jolly nice of Percy to offer to help Harry like that. If I were in his situation, I’d be quite grateful.

* Note how Percy says “non-magical community”, instead of using some demeaning slur like “muggle” or “mudblood”. Bloody pinko! It’s no wonder he ended up going bad!

* For all that wizards think of Muggle Studies (Christ, what a patronising name) as a “soft option”, they seem to have real difficulty learning anything about Muggles. Apart from the Malfoys, for some reason, who seem to know loads.

* “But the only thing Harry felt he was really good at was Quidditch.” I’m sort of half-tempted to give JKR a bit of credit for acknowledging Harry’s general uselessness, but she blows it for me by avoiding making Harry ever have to work hard and improve. Having difficulty? Don’t worry, Hermione will sort it out for you!

* Did Ginny really need to go so far as to rip Harry’s books apart in her quest to find the diary? What, was she worried that he might have hidden it somewhere inside one of the pages? Oh well, I suppose property damage is OK if it’s in service of a higher cause, like keeping your crush on someone secret.

* No, Hermione, you clearly have a lot of learning to do. It’s not true that only a Gryffindor could do it. Gryffindors never do anything wrong, and, if it seems like they have done, it’s because they were possessed and made to do it by a Slytherin. Don’t worry, though, you’ll learn soon enough.

* Pity Hermione doesn’t feel the need to tell Harry and Ron about her suspicions. Still, this secrecy is quite consistent for her character, so I forgive JKR for it.

* “Yes, perhaps you’d better come too, Weasley.” Even when his best(-ish) friend has just been attacked, Ron’s still an afterthought behind Harry Potter.

* I’m surprised Fred and George don’t slip laxatives into the Hogwarts water supply, thereby ensuring that teachers are constantly rushed off their feet escorting students to the bathrooms.

* Erm, Lee, given that only four people have been attacked so far, the fact that the Slytherins are all fine isn’t exactly that surprising.

* Trust George to try and spin the worst possible interpretation on Percy’s behaviour.

* Yeah, that’s right, all this stuff’s coming from a Slytherin, so it’s OK to chuck them out. Just like a lot of international terrorism is carried out by Islamic groups, so it’s OK to throw every Muslim in prison. Sure, the vast majority will be innocent, but you’ll also get the guilty ones, and retribution’s the most important function of the justice system, right?

* Harry and Ron are so busy plotting, they don’t notice Lee Jordan taking out his copy of The Protocols of the Elders of Slytherin, which conclusively demonstrates that Severus Snape is trying to take over the wizarding world using his control of the international media.

* Does Hagrid not realise that pointing his crossbow at anyone who comes knocking just makes him look like the sort of violent person who would set a monster on the school?

* Cornelius Fudge is indeed wearing “a strange mixture of clothes”. Does the gene that gives them magical powers also give them appalling dress sense or something?

* Of course, Dumbledore could probably come up with quite a good defence of Hagrid if he tried. For some reason, though, he again chooses to frame his defence by assuming that Dumbledore’s trust should be good enough proof of innocence for anyone, without bothering to explain just why it is he thinks he’s innocent.

* “‘Yeh can’ take Dumbledore away!’ yelled Hagrid… ‘Take him away, an’ the Muggle-borns won’ stand a chance! There’ll be killin’s next!’” Erm, Hagrid, what exactly has DD done so far to prevent the attacks? Or is he saying that the Heir of Slytherin must be so in awe of the headmaster that he’s holding back from killing people? Because there’s actually no evidence than Dumbledore’s presence is doing anything to prevent the attacks or keep the students safe. If anything, Lord V probably knows that DD won’t do anything to stop the attacks – after all, he didn’t do anything last time…

 

Comments

[oryx_leucoryx]

* “Riddle does sound like Percy – who asked him to grass on Hagrid, anyway?” Apologies in advance for this little rant-ette, but WTF? Seriously, W – T – F? As far as Ron knows, Hagrid’s just killed someone, and he thinks Tom shouldn’t tell anyone?

Ron compares the most lawful good character in the series to Tom Riddle. Reflecting Rowling's view of lawfulness.

* Choosing the subjects that “could affect [their] whole future” at the age of twelve seems a bit early, really.

Considering how unimportant learning seems to be in the Potterverse I think there is more propaganda than truth in the importance of choosing the right electives. How many adult wizards apply Divination in their lives in any way? Yet it seems a popular subject (at least for Gryffindors).

* Note how Percy says “non-magical community”, instead of using some demeaning slur like “muggle” or “mudblood”.

Thanks for the pointer. Percy, the true egalitarian.

* Did Ginny really need to go so far as to rip Harry’s books apart in her quest to find the diary? What, was she worried that he might have hidden it somewhere inside one of the pages?

She was testing in case Harry had transfigured the diary into an innocuous book (or disguised it, as he would do with the Prince's Potions book). The diary was invulnerable to most forms of damage, and she knew it.

* No, Hermione, you clearly have a lot of learning to do. It’s not true that only a Gryffindor could do it.

Is that why nobody suspected Sirius must have had a Gryffindor collaborator that got him Neville's password note?

* Does Hagrid not realise that pointing his crossbow at anyone who comes knocking just makes him look like the sort of violent person who would set a monster on the school?

Since he wasn't going to shoot Fudge what was the point in the first place?

* Cornelius Fudge is indeed wearing “a strange mixture of clothes”. Does the gene that gives them magical powers also give them appalling dress sense or something?

Is this supposed to imply Fudge had been to somewhere Muggle on the way to Hogwarts? Or is he even badly dressed for a wizard among wizards?

[sharaz-jek.livejournal.com]

* For all that wizards think of Muggle Studies (Christ, what a patronising name) as a “soft option”, they seem to have real difficulty learning anything about Muggles.

I wonder how different Charity Burbage's classes actually were from Alecto's? All we know for certain is that she sees us as admirable breeding stock.

Apart from the Malfoys, for some reason, who seem to know loads.

Based on how he was apparently able to slip the diary into Ginny's book whilst being the centre of attention and physically fighting Arthur, I suspect the Malfoy money in fact comes from his career as a world-famous stage magician.

* Does Hagrid not realise that pointing his crossbow at anyone who comes knocking just makes him look like the sort of violent person who would set a monster on the school?

Of course not! Instant recourse to violence proves you're too slow-witted noble to come up with any sort of cunning plan, which as we all know is the only way to be a villain.

[harpsi-fizz.livejournal.com]

Damn you...! Stop making me adore Percy so hard! I don't need yet another reason to hate everything about the fandom!

Just like a lot of international terrorism is carried out by Islamic groups, so it’s OK to throw every Muslim in prison.
*Is strongly reminded of Japanese internment camps*
And wasn't the terrible Mr. Dursley making a maybe-racist joke about a Japanese golfer earlier in the year? Oh, Jo, u so clevar! I see what you did there (even though you don't)!
(Seriously, though, you should be her editor. Point that out to her)

[madderbrad.livejournal.com]

“Yes, perhaps you’d better come too, Weasley.” Even when his best(-ish) friend has just been attacked, Ron’s still an afterthought behind Harry Potter.

Yes, this line was pointed out to me recently as canon evidence that McGonagall (along with everyone else) ships Harry with Hermione. :-)

The whole "faith in Dumbledore ... because he's Dumbledore" thing got rather wearying in the early books, didn't it? Because he didn't lift a finger to protect his students, especially Harry.

As an aside ... I think one of the many errors in DH is where Dumbledore says this:

"We have protected him because it has been essential to teach him, to raise him, to let him try his strength," said Dumbledore, his eyes still tight shut.

I take this as an attempt by Rowling to justify putting us through seven books of Harry Potter adventures when he was destined all along to be sacrificial fodder. "So, uhm, why have we been reading about Harry's years at Hogwarts when he apparently should have been destroyed as a Harrycrux?". Answer - because Dumbledore says it was 'essential' that he 'try his strength'.

Okay, on the face of it I think that's nonsensical to the extreme - there's no reason, 'essential' or otherwise, to have let Harry live and 'try his strength', given that Dumbledore intended for him to die. But that fact aside, does that line in DH exonerate Dumbledore from all of his mistakes and dereliction of his duty of care towards his charges in the early books? Dumbledore does nothing to prevent the basilisk attacks - because he's letting Harry 'try his strength'? He lets Quirrell run around the school because he's letting Harry 'try his strength'? He winks at Harry and Hermione going back in time to face a hundred dementors because he's letting Harry 'try his strength'?

My incredulity is straining beyond its limits, but I'm curious as to whether those fans who feel the need to defend Rowling and the books seized on that quote of Dumbledore's to explain the headmaster's seeming incompetence, such as what has been noted in this chapter. Did Rowling intend that line to explain, to pardon, all of Dumbledore's 'mistakes'?

[charlottehywd.livejournal.com]

Poor Percy! This proves to me more than ever that the true heroes of the story ought to have been him and Neville. And possibly Luna Lovegood.

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

/The WW seems to have a really inconsistent attitude towards criminal justice. On the one hand, their punishments are often extremely excessive (yes, let’s lock people up surrounded by depression-inducing, soul-devouring monsters for petty theft);/

Who thought that was a good idea? Again, why didn't the Ministry just come up with a way to temporarily strip convicted wizards and witches of magic and then toss them into a regular prison? It wouldn't be any worse than what they have to deal with in Azkaban.

/As far as Ron knows, Hagrid’s just killed someone, and he thinks Tom shouldn’t tell anyone? I’ll freely admit that I never got this whole “no snitching” rule in school stories, but this just seems ridiculous. So it’s better to let people die than tell a teacher?/

Not only that, but it's better to suffer in silence while you're being abused than tell a teacher. Harry didn't tell any of the staff about Umbridge's detentions, remember? I don't know if the whole "no snitching" rule is supposed to be about personal pride and independence (and the idea that if you confide in a teacher, you're automatically a cowardly crybaby), but you're right; there comes a time when those two things are meaningless when lives are at stake.

/Ron’s being really hypocritical, too, unless he’d been planning to sit on his arse and do nothing once he got proof that Draco was the Heir of Slytherin./

Unless Houses make all the difference. Sure, Ron doesn't know anything about Tom Riddle at this point, but he does know that Tom was in Slytherin (if Harry told him that much about the memory). Draco is also in Slytherin. Ron and Hagrid are not. So, it doesn't really matter if Hagrid actually was responsible for Myrtle's death instead of Tom. According to Ron, because Tom was a prefect and reported Hagrid's behavior to the authorities, he was being a nosy killjoy. Whereas Ron and Harry are righteous for trying to find out who the Heir is, so they can stop him/her.

/* Note how Percy says “non-magical community”, instead of using some demeaning slur like “muggle” or “mudblood”. Bloody pinko! It’s no wonder he ended up going bad!/

It was probably Penelope's "pernicious" influence on him, which is why she had to be Petrified later on.

/* For all that wizards think of Muggle Studies (Christ, what a patronising name) as a “soft option”, they seem to have real difficulty learning anything about Muggles./

Which doesn't make sense, considering that many of them live right next door to Muggles.

/Apart from the Malfoys, for some reason, who seem to know loads./

Which makes even less sense. It'd be as if Neo-Nazis knew everything about bar mitzvahs and Passover and the like, while the people ostensibly against their ideals and movement were utterly clueless about Jews to the point of treating them like some mysterious, exotic animal and being super-excited at the sight of a menorah.

/* “Yes, perhaps you’d better come too, Weasley.” Even when his best(-ish) friend has just been attacked, Ron’s still an afterthought behind Harry Potter./

Poor Ron. Just for once, can we have a fantasy story in which the best friend *isn't* treated like disposable baggage?

/* Erm, Lee, given that only four people have been attacked so far, the fact that the Slytherins are all fine isn’t exactly that surprising./

And given that the monster seems to be attacking only Muggle-borns, why would people think that Slytherin was exempt? Just because the Heir of Slytherin is responsible for the attacks? Does everybody in school think that Slytherin House is only made up of pureblood students?

/* Does Hagrid not realise that pointing his crossbow at anyone who comes knocking just makes him look like the sort of violent person who would set a monster on the school?/

No, just like he won't realize that putting his students' safety at risk for the sake of indulging his preference for dangerous creatures just makes him look unfit to be a teacher.

[detritius.livejournal.com]

Ron’s being really hypocritical, too, unless he’d been planning to sit on his arse and do nothing once he got proof that Draco was the Heir of Slytherin.

I get the feeling that the Trio never intended to tell anyone if Draco really was the Heir, in favor of handling it themselves. How, I have no idea, but given past and future characterization, I think it's much more likely that they would have done something reckless and irresponsible rather than tell an authority figure.

[oryx_leucoryx]

A note on Lucius Malfoy: If the information Hermione uses in DH, about Penelope being a half-blood is true, then it seems Lucius intervened the first time a non-Muggle-born was attacked. But Fudge says there were 4 attacks on Muggle-borns, so it seems Hermione made a mistake under pressure.

Fudge says the governors had been in touch- so I think coming to arrest Hagrid at exactly this time wasn't entirely his own idea either.

Fudge admits Hagrid's arrest is for the purpose of being seen to be doing something rather than because he actually believes him to be responsible for the attacks. The biggest giveaway of course is when he fears that Albus' absence would make things worse despite the fact that Hagrid won't be there either.

Hagrid asks who can stop the attacks if Dumbles can't - Lucius' reply "that remains to be seen" suggests he was planning on catching Ginny with the diary the next time someone was attacked. Unfortunately for him he did not get the chance.

I notice it is Hagrid who first brings up the possibility that Lucius used threats and blackmail on some of the governors.

And what's with that hint about loyalty to Twinkles - I know he realized Harry was there under the cloak (Rowling explained this as a non-verbal Hominem Revelio charm), and from his brief Legilimency of Harry in chapter 12 he knew the trio was on the case somehow. OK, so he was planning to send Fawkes at a time when Harry would feel up against the wall to a degree that only his faith in Twinkles would be there to sustain him. But wasn't it a bit of a long shot?

[oryx_leucoryx]

Twinkles' plan seems to have been: Let Tom's agent (whoever it was, Twinkles couldn't be bothered to find out) get Harry alone. Condition Harry to express loyalty to Twinkles at a time of great distress. This should somehow alert the Twinkles and Fawkes team. Fawkes can carry Harry away from danger and heal basilisk bites all on his own. I'm not sure whose idea it was to bring the Sorting Hat along. And whatever happened, Fawkes was most likely to survive, though he might have had to revert to chick form. (How much weight can a chick phoenix carry?)

(BTW if Fawkes can Apparate within Hogwarts and all that, why didn't Twinkly come with Fawkes to the Chamber?)