Rufus Scrimgeour, the new Minister of Magic taking over for good old Fudge, suddenly makes an appearance in the sixth book. JK has a way of introducing new characters in each book, but if Scrimgeour is important, why did she wait until the second to last to book to introduce him? I'm sure she has a good reason... what exactly is it though?
My first reactions to Rufus were cold, I disliked him because he was so sudden and so intrucive to the happy family of characters we love. What was worse, he seemed familiar with them. I liked how Harry put a cold shoulder, even though, as the book closed, I began to realize that Rufus seemed like a nice enough wizard, maybe a little quiet, but he started to form in my mind like a "lion" (I think he was described like a lion), and brave, and somewhat knowledgable, a little bit like Doubledor (just in the quiet knowledgable part ) .
But now I'm curious why he's even in the books. Sure, he represents the ministry and personifies Harry's difficulties with media. He might also be the much needed and refreshing new Ministry "mascot" since, I think, everyone seemed to be tired of Fudge. But he can't just be a new ministe, can he? If anything, his personality and decisions MUST have an important effect on the ending in someway, or else, I can't see why JK needed him... the minister change just seems too small, and his personality too big, too quite, too knowledgable. Do you think maybe Rufus will try to stand in as Harry's "knowledge giver?" ... that is, now Dumbledor is gone? Who's going to push Harry along now that Dumbledor's gone? Did the headmaster leave behind enough of himself in Harry to still be present in the last book? I hope Rufus isn't a "new Dumbledor" but that's what it began to feel like. It would be logical for Harry to dislike a "stand-in" Dumbledor, but what if Rufus tries to fight along side Harry? Tries to help?
Of course, because we know how urgent he is to make the ministry look "good," his helping Harry might seem like an angled plan. but I sensed something deeper in Rufus, like the ministry wasn't everything he cared about even though it was very important; I almost felt like he might use his "angled plan" to convince the ministry to let him help harry, to let him fight, to bring Harry through now that Dumbledor is gone. Like he might take it on... because he cared....

any thoughts??? (sorry for the long post )

Wasnt he introduced in the 5th book... as head of the Auror Department. I feel JKR wanted to show that the wizarding world is a democracy... and when the leader is incompetent the people have the right to choose a new one... hence Scrimgeour... It makes sense that they would lean towards the head of the Auror Department in times of war... Fudge was an idiot... and while Scrimgeour needs to learn when to butt out... he is better than the previous administration.

~Albus

Oh. sorry about that mistake Thanks Albus!

You're probably right about JK wanting to show the wizards weren't stupid (they could kick out a really bad minister) but I was still impressed by Scrimgeour, he still seems like a deeper character... did anyone feel this? Read my last paragraph above.

I was somewhat curious as to why JK brought in a new character as well. I was one of those who believed Madam Bones would get the position, because she seemed like the strongest candidate from amongst the Heads of Department which we knew. Instead JK decided to kill her off and have a complete unknown take the position. This was surprising to me because it deviates from her style of mentioning characters before introducing them.

I don't recall her mentioning Rufus Scrimgeour as head of the Auror office in OotP, Albus. If you or someone could post a quote to jog my memory, that would be great. If so, then it does sort of fit with the mentioning characters early (such as she did with Sirius) but not to the extent that M. Bones would have.

I think the reason JK may have made the new minister an unknown is because that is sort of how politics work . . . I mean, we dont really know who we're voting for. All we have is their public persona. We have to watch their policies and their actions to get any idea of what sort of person they are.

That said, I for one don't like Scrimgeor. I thought I would, because he was Head Auror, but after we see his policies and that he is willing to sacrifice innocents in order to give the illusion of competance and action we see that he is really no different from Fudge. Where Fudge attempted to cover up the truth by hiding everything, Scrim covers up the truth by creating a fiction to hide it. They are two sides of the same coin.

well this just relates the wizarding world to ours. it shows that when in war a democratic country will elect a leader who understands war, who knows what goes on there on the battlefield and who better than the head of the auror , if not the dumbledore, to lead them in those dire times. its just like after the world war 2 dwite eishenhower was elected president of the USA because he was the guy who lead the normandy invasion and since USSR (now Russia) was posing problems to the US with the nuclear weapons it was logically to elect him as the president.

I think scrimgeour is a death eater he is taking over the ministry and is going to set up distractions so that Voldemort can have his way in whatever he wants to do without haing to deal with the ministry

Well ah dont think he was a death eater or else he would have been dere in book 4 wen voldemort rose again tho tis an interesting theory.

And also as he was previously Head of the Auror Office as book 6 HBP states and ah quote, "Rufus Scrimgeour, previously Head of the Auror Office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, has succeeded Cornelius fudge as Minister for Magic." (look at chapter 3 page 43 at the bottom). Ah doubt that he would be a Death Eater as Aurors are dark wizard catchers. Plus he wouldn't be a very popular death eater if he was catching his own co-workers.

As for wether he is a courageous character, well ah dont know....... ah would like to see a bit more of wot he's like before ah make up ma mind.

but dis is only wot ah think.

Rufus was definitely a bid odd in book 6. I agree it is a little weird that Rowling only mentions him now but same goes with characters like Romilda Vane and Luna Lovegood. Luna is so weird and hard to forget she should’ve been put in the second book! I loved how Harry loathed Rufus and those scenes with eachother which caused Dumbldore to realize that Harry really WAS his man through and through.

I'm not going to look up the page right now, but in OOTP there is a conversation between Shaklebot and Tonks about Scrungeour asking them strange questions that seemingly were about the order. During this coversation they say he is the Head Auror.

As for my Personal opinion on him. I've been leading towards the "Scrimgeour is a death eater" theory. Although I actually think he is under the imperius curse. Between him trying to find out about the order and his attitude towards Harry, I've just got the impression that he is desperately trying to get information... and in turn feed it to LV.
~J.V.

Yeah he def. was mentioned in book 5 so we had a slight introduction to him. As to madam bones becoming ministress?/minister of magic i think it was necessary for her to die cause she was known as a powerful witch so it helped the reality of fear.

I could get the angle that he is either a death eater or under the imperious curse. It would fit well with the fact that all the "death eaters" that they have caught are really not death eaters. But I can argue the other way also. The reason that he wants so much information on what Dumbledore is doing is because he saw Dumbledore a a leader in the fight, and he wanted to be leader. He was used to being the leader (head Auror). That goes along with him asking Harry to be their poster boy. It would make it seem as though he was the one in charge, not Dumbeldore.
Personally, I don't like him, but I love how JKR uses him to show the loyalty that Harry has for Dumbledore, even after Dumbledore's death. In my opinion that is why he has been put into the books. To show his loyalty to Dumbledore and his teachings, and also to show that Harry has acknowledged that he is on his own in this one (we plus Ron and Hermione, Neville, Luna, the Order, etc.). Since the beginning of the books we have seen Harry's support strucures taken away. The Ministry can be thought of as just one more structure that has been removed. Think about it. With Scrimgeour as minister, Harry will get NO support there as long as he is "uncooperative".

In an effort to clean up the forums before the release of the final Harry Potter book, this thread is going to be locked and archived. Please do not open another thread on this topic; you will have plenty of places to discuss all aspects of the books after the forums reopen.

If there are any questions, please let me know via PM! Thanks!

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