I think that the new minister Rufus Scrimgeour was as useless as Fudge. He was doing such a terrible job that both Dumbledore and Harry refused to work with him. It was really disappointing reading about the ministry, J.K. probabaly doesnt have a very good view on politicians eh? Anybody else have thoughts on the new minister?

Rufus Scrimgeour, IMO is a seasoned Auror who, now as Minister, is using all the assets the Ministry can perform to defeat the reaccuring threat of Lord Voldemort. He is, undoubtedly, much more diligent, intelligent, powerful, and more experienced combating Dark Magic than Cornelius ever has. His itch, however, is that Harry and Dumbledore know the threats' secrets, and Rufus wants to know them.

Meanwhile, Harry and DD are aware that the Ministry, especially in a state of warfare, are glutinous in their mission for control-dominance. If the MOM is given crucial information about Voldemort, they will use it not only to defeat Voldemort, but attain greater power. Remember the Philospher's Stone being held in the Mirror of Erised? Quirrell desired the Stone to revive his master for power, while Harry simply wanted to retrieve the Stone away from Voldemort.
Our actions are more beneficial and more likely to succeed if we intend for success selflessly.

I have a strange feeling we're gonna have another new minister at some point during book 7. And I don't know why but I think it's gonna be Arthur Weasley.

I think the only reason he was picked to be MOM was because he was head Auror and that would give people a sense of security. That's all they care about really, right? They wanted Harry to give the people a sense of security as well.

In the begining of the book, I thought Scrimgour looked promesing, but then we didn't saw him before christmas. Unfortunatly it appeard he was no better than Fudge.
How can anybody think of showing the Wizarding communtity how good they are working and that there is a chosen one and all (Harry walking in and out the minisrterym what is he thinking?!?!) in these dark and troubled times. How can he be so pathetic, so blind and so obsessed of what all think of him rather than concearning what is best protection and how to fight Voldemort the best.
The two last ministers did really piss me off sometimes.
They're just stupid. I wished I could understand their thinking.
Good moral for the wizard people.. yeah right..

I still can't think that all the lion references in his appearance mean nothing. Obviously everybody got very excited about them when JKR used the passage as a teaser. Everybody thinking half blood prince, heir of Gryffindor etc, but I don't think JkR would have written that just to produce a good teaser. I have this fealing that he is going to turn out to be really important in the battle in book 7. Perhaps he is even Regulus Black a.k.a. R.A.B. who evaded death by a change of identity. (OK so maybe that is going a bit far)

I think one of the things Harry is going to have to do in his journey to manhood is learn that people and issues are not black and white but shades of grey. He is going to have to work with a range of people who cannot match up to the saintly standards of Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore etc. Minister for Magic is one, others I suspect will be Snape or even Draco Malfoy.

I personally didn't like the new Minster of Magic. I have a funny feeling that something is not right about him, or he is not what he seems. And the fact that he lied to the weasleys and harry about Percy wanting to see them just made me cringe.

I think that Rufus is a better Minister than Fudge was, but I think that he was not very kind to Harry by asking him to be the Ministry's "spokesperson" and by making the smart remark being "Dumbledore's man through and through".

I don't really know if I like or don't like him much yet seeing as we barely got to see him.We will probably have a better feel for him by the next book.

I don't think Rufus is much better than Fudge. And Why did Rufus Lie to Harry. Plus he wants Harry to be the Ministry spokesperson. I don't think he's a very good Minister Of Magic.

I think that we are all like the wizarding world, we don't like them if they aren't always doing a good job. In war the good side is loseing for a little bit but that is what war is about. Rufus Scrimgeour is an Auror and as I said in the pre-HBP fourm, the new MoM would be one. I think that when he approched Harry on both occasions was desprate. I think that he was looking at this situation this way, is the enemy of my enemy my friend or enemy. Rufus took the job when everybody found out that Voldermort came back (well, when EVERYBODY believed he was back) so if you were in his shoes then you wouldn't be winning a fight against the 2nd greatest wizard of all time on your first day of the job.

Even though he is a suitable Minister, I think that he made one major mistake, questioning DD's motives and interfering in his actions, the same mistake Fudge made.

Though he is taking the neccessary precautions such as protecting the Muggle Minister and as usless as it may be the pamphlet to all of the home in case of an attack.

I think it is too early to be judgemental to Rufus on his actions so far.

Yes, Rufus is a bad Minister but he ws elected and he is better than Fudge.

Rufus Scrimgeour, the new Minister for magic - what do people think of him, a force for good, bad or simply the power that is?

I wasn't sure what to make of him at first but I think he's essentially a good guy with a lot on his plate. I was finding Fudge's fudges a little tiresome by OOTP, I'm glad he's gone.

Fudge was a politician, as is Scrimgeour. Fudge was too caught up with his power as Minister. Scrimgeour is asking Harry to be a "Poster Boy" for the Ministry, asking him to "pop in to the Ministry from time to time to raise everyone's morale". He may have been the Head of the Auror's department but he's just as bad as Fudge.

I can see why he's doing it though - if it's going to raise morale then I suppose he's got to ask but after Umbridge affair you can hardly blame Harry for sticking up two fingers!

Well like he told Scrimgeour at Christmas:

"I don't remember you rushing to my defense when I was trying to tell everybody Voldemort was back. The Ministry wasn't so keen to be pals last year."

Harry's too close to Dumbledore and to loyal to him to let the ministry use him. He shouldn't be used, just because he's the "Chosen One".

He truly is "Dumbledore's man through and through"...

To be honest, I think he's going to be a lot like Fudge, but not as senseless - he's realised that Voldys back and is going to try stop him... but also try keep the wizarding world together

Its all well trying to ill voldy, but if theres no wizarding comunity when your finished, whats the point?

I agree with Nick, I don't see Scrimgeor as being a whole lot different than Fudge. He may be better in that he's not ignoring the situation, but he is holding people in Azkaban "for effect."

I dunno... I rather hated Fudge, so I think that Scrimgour is at least a step up, but he's not terrific either. The major thing is that Scrimgour intends to actually do something and is willing to ask for help, as opposed to just attacking Dumbledore like Fudge did.

The first time I heard about Scrimgour was in OotP when Tonks was talking to Lupin and she said something about "he's asking strange questions". I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can't fully trust him, which is kind of obivious, but what if he's also a DE? I mean asking Harry to come over most of the time, out in the open as a trap. I'd say something's fishy about him. Don't you agree?

If we assume that we are all correct in R.A.B. being Regulus Black, consider the following:

Dumbledore tells Draco: “[Voldemort] cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine” (HBP 591). Based on this, it is possible that Regulus Black could have likewise effectively been hidden and still be alive and in a sort of wizarding witness protection program.

Regulus is the main star in the constellation of Leo (lion). This fact can take use two places:
1. Regulus is, like his brother, an unregistered animagus, a cat (Crookshanks?)
2. Regulus is the new Minister of Magic, who is described as an “old lion” (HBP 16). (We like this theory better.)

If Regulus is in fact Rufus Scrimgeour, consider this:
“Rufus” means “red.”
Scrimgeour: “Scrim” is a thin curtain or a veil (perhaps the veil in the Ministry of Magic?), “-geour” could mean “goer”, all adding up to “one who goes through the veil”, i.e., he died (or at least faked it.)

If Regulus is in fact Scrimgeour, this could explain his eagerness to get closer to Harry--to reveal his true identity, to help Harry find the remaining Horcruxes, whatever. Further weight is added to this theory by the fact that on JKR’s site, the description of Scrimgeour was revealed, indicating that he is more important than just the new Minister.

The only flaw in this is that if Regulus is Scrimgeour, Dumbledore would most likely know this (he probably being the one that helped Regulus into hiding), and would seemingly be eager for Harry to get closer to him in order to use him as a resource in his searching and destroying of the Horcruxes. Unless Dumbledore had his own unfathomable reasons for keeping the two apart (highly likely).

I really have to agree with samsmom on this one; he is a politician and he loves the fact that he is now the minister of magic. I know there are some ideas that Scrimegour may be put under the imperious curse or that he's being blackmailed, but I don't believe that either. He was head of the auror dept. and like Dumbledore said, he does not underestimate Voldemort. However, I don't feel he's doing a good job. I don't think he even knows where to begin, I mean, the fact that he could care less about Harry's saftey just so he can be the poster child for the ministry suggests that. I feel that he is way too busy trying to keep things hidden from the muggles, that it's taking their attention away from the source of the fiasco- the death eaters and Voldemort himself.

I dont think i can say verry much about Rufus after HBP. He was hardly in there.
I do think however that his role will be bigger in book VII. Because he's been used as a teaser by JKR, but also because his lionlike looks.
I think he'll prove a verry tough challenge for the Death-Eaters, especially the werewolf-section. I think its heading for a showdown Rufus-Grayback.
And i know Rufus will win that one!

Wonk, that is the most tenuously preposterously wonderful theory I've read for ages! I don't think it's true to be honest but I see how you get there and applaud the link.

Half of me hopes you're proved right!

i think that he will eb no better than fudge. and i would have thought that Umbridge would have been fired?? after she sent the dementors after harry and the fact that she was about to use an unforgivable curse.

I don't really like him. He would rather lie to the people and give them a false sense of security by making it look like they are doing something, rather then be honest with the people and let them know just how serious the situation is.

...he's a true polititian

I don't know if it's cool to turn this into a literary discussion, but Scrimgeour could be just another symbol for a system of government, which although opposite to a horrible one is still just as damaging. Fudge could be France (in WWII or now, take your pick). Scrimgeour could be an over-zealous America (again, both time periods work for the same extent).

And I will eat the next book whole if Regulus is indeed Rufus. You have my word.

I think it's a typical dominant-conciliator-dominant cycle, very common in politics. Scrimgeour is a typical military type whereas Fudge is a civil servant - all speaks for itself really.

After a weak leader you always look for a strong one; after an overbearing leader you look for someone more passive...

Just wondering, how did Scrimgeous know there were 2 brooms on the astronomy tower?
He claims he "put two and two together," but is it possible he heard it from someone OTHER than the ministry?
Just a thought

Well, someone else could have told him, but I think that the ministry would have definitely performed a thorough investigation following all that happened that night so I honestly think that they would have figured out that Harry was away with DD on the brooms, but it is still a possibility that someone tipped him off or something.

they probably just found it while investigating (remember dumbledore,the worlds most powerful wizard had just died under suspicius circumstances so im sure they would look around at least) and just told scrimgeour.

p.s my name is rufus and i bore a triumphant smile the day i read hbp, shame he's a manipulative git though

That is an interesting idea. I think that Scrimgeor (sp) found out during a ministry investigation, but perhaps he's a Death Eater. That would be unlikely, I guess, because he used to be the Head of the Aurors, but hey, anythings possible, right?

I have a better question...

what the flip was the point of Rufus Scrimgeour in that book at all??

ok, i really didnt like his character either but something jumped of the page i didnt realize before. at the very end of the book when he is trying to get info out of harry after the alleged death of Dumbledore he makes the following statement written exactly this way.



Harry then cuts him off, but im and avid reader in book new clues to harry ptter put out by wizarding world press and one of the cardinal rules of the book says IfJK suddenly interrupts something she is hiding a key clue! so what is Scrimgeour hiding here. Everyone here seems to be saying how they dont like him or was dissappointed in him. I think theres more here than we can see. Scrimgeour knows something that he's not letting anyone onto. but what? thats the question.

I like Rufus. He is trying to reconcile the Weasley family (although his attempt may have been slightly misguided), and as for trying to get Harry to be spokesman - he has just stepped into a new job, where public image plays an important part, and he's just clutching at straws, maybe trying to get some credibility so that people will listen to him, and take his office's advice about self protection.

BTW - when this movie comes out, I think Billy Connely should play Rufus

that was the point of Scrimgeour, a Chroach like figure who will arrest evey one. JKR wants us to know that the mi nisty will not help harry. That is the point of Scrimgeour, to show how bad the ministry is and that ?Harry will have to go without any help
P.S. This new minister also shows how HArry has lost all trust in his ministry and i belive that this will lead tp him not becoming an auror.