I didn't get the impression that Fudge *summoned* a Dementor in to give Crouch Jr. the Kiss. After all, Minerva was right there, witnessed the whole thing, and yet only accused Fudge of bringing the Dementor with him and letting it get out of control.
Well, both Snape and Minerva give an account, and their words are:
SNAPE: "When we told Mr Fudge we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events, he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a Dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch -"
MINERVA: "The moment that - that thing entered the room, it swooped down on Crouch and -"
Now Snape's tone ("seemed to feel that", "insisted on") sounds more than a little cynical as to Fudge's motives for bringing the Dementor with him. With good reason: why bring a Dementor as a bodyguard when you're already in the company of one or two teachers and the Death Eater in question is already bound and imprisoned? Furthermore, Minerva's words suggest not so much that it got out of control as that it picked its target and swooped instantaneously. Which suggests that it was given orders previously, doesn't it? We know Dementors follow orders, we saw that when Umbridge "sent" Dementors to Harry's home. I think it's fairly clear from that and Dumbledore's reaction ("He was staring hard at Fudge, as if seeing him plainly for the first time") that Fudge fully intended Crouch's mind to be wiped. Whether Fudge did it as a favour to Lucius, or whether he did it from ostensibly public-spirited motives ("mustn't cause a panic! Wipe his mind and the whole thing will go away quietly!") is something we will probably find out later on.
I call highly suspicious, however.
Fudge is admittedly obstructionistic, but that seems to me to be his reaction to Dumbledore's (apparent) attempt to expand his power base, from Fudge's POV.
By sending The Boy Who Lived to Azkaban and ensuring that your spy refuses to teach the kids how to practice magic? Nice one Fudge! :-) He's either evil or so incompetent that he's a gift to the Dark Side.
I'm not happy with the lad either. He doesn't think critically about those with authority. But that seems to be failing in his family, because his parents and brothers are certainly falling right in line with Dumbledore in OotP, with very little critical review of Dumbledore's methods and modes of operation.
Well, when you have a polarization of "Dumbledore versus Umbridge" in your school, you have two very clear choices. If they didn't have to think long and hard about it, it might just be because it was an easy decision to make.
Re: Devil's Advocate Time
Well, both Snape and Minerva give an account, and their words are:
SNAPE: "When we told Mr Fudge we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events, he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a Dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch -"
MINERVA: "The moment that - that thing entered the room, it swooped down on Crouch and -"
Now Snape's tone ("seemed to feel that", "insisted on") sounds more than a little cynical as to Fudge's motives for bringing the Dementor with him. With good reason: why bring a Dementor as a bodyguard when you're already in the company of one or two teachers and the Death Eater in question is already bound and imprisoned? Furthermore, Minerva's words suggest not so much that it got out of control as that it picked its target and swooped instantaneously. Which suggests that it was given orders previously, doesn't it? We know Dementors follow orders, we saw that when Umbridge "sent" Dementors to Harry's home. I think it's fairly clear from that and Dumbledore's reaction ("He was staring hard at Fudge, as if seeing him plainly for the first time") that Fudge fully intended Crouch's mind to be wiped. Whether Fudge did it as a favour to Lucius, or whether he did it from ostensibly public-spirited motives ("mustn't cause a panic! Wipe his mind and the whole thing will go away quietly!") is something we will probably find out later on.
I call highly suspicious, however.
Fudge is admittedly obstructionistic, but that seems to me to be his reaction to Dumbledore's (apparent) attempt to expand his power base, from Fudge's POV.
By sending The Boy Who Lived to Azkaban and ensuring that your spy refuses to teach the kids how to practice magic? Nice one Fudge! :-) He's either evil or so incompetent that he's a gift to the Dark Side.
I'm not happy with the lad either. He doesn't think critically about those with authority. But that seems to be failing in his family, because his parents and brothers are certainly falling right in line with Dumbledore in OotP, with very little critical review of Dumbledore's methods and modes of operation.
Well, when you have a polarization of "Dumbledore versus Umbridge" in your school, you have two very clear choices. If they didn't have to think long and hard about it, it might just be because it was an easy decision to make.