Cornelius Fudge

**Minister Cornelius Oswald Fudge** is the current Minister for Magic of Great Britain and Ireland.

## Biography

### Early Life

In 1990, when Fudge was still an up-and-coming junior minister in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, Minister for Magic Millicent Bagnold announced that she would not be running for reelection, and Fudge announced his candidacy in the new election. It was widely understood that Fudge did not consider himself to be likely to win, and his campaign was mainly a publicity stunt to build name-recognition, as no one expected him to be able to defeat Barty Crouch. Crouch ran virtually unopposed until Xenophilius Lovegood ran an expose in the Quibbler, framing Crouch as a neglectful father who had damned his own son, Barty Junior, who had died in Azkaban. In a later interview with the Prophet Crouch stated that when he became Minister he would look into having Lovegood jailed for sedition, leading Fudge to surge in popularity and eventually claim the position of Minister in one of the closest election in Wizarding Britain's history. Crouch conceded the election after Fudge appointed him Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Britain's Chief Delegate to the ICW.

Fudge's wife passed away somewhere around 1990, leaving him a widower.

### Book 2 - The Secret Enemy

Fudge attends Jim and Harry Potter's twelfth birthday party, where he donates a 1000-piece moving jigsaw puzzle depicting Hogwarts Castle and a Gringotts bank draft in the sum of 100 galleons to charity. When Rufus Scrimgeour is crippled after the party is attacked by one of the Toymaker's creations he is forced to retire as Chief Auror, and Fudge appoints James Potter as his replacement. Scrimgeour is privately critical of the appointment, considering Potter to be bold when he should be cautious and overbearing when he should be discreet, and predicts that he will not last long in the position.

Fudge accompanies Lucius Malfoy to Hogwarts when his son Draco is petrified by the Great Basilisk, and appears scandalized when Lucius asks whether Jim Potter is among Albus Dumbledore's suspects. While there he asks Dumbledore why they can't have Aurors search the school, which Dumbledore explains is not possible due to the treaty's between Hogwarts and the Ministry.

He once again accompanies Malfoy to Hogwarts after Harry and Jim Potter return from the Chamber of Secrets, where Harry explains that Slytherin's monster was reawakened by a cursed diary belonging to Voldemort, for which he frames Gilderoy Lockhart. In the aftermath of the Heir's attack on Hogwarts Fudge promotes Dolores Umbridge to Senior Undersecretary, and tasks her with finding loopholes or ambiguities in the Ministry's treaties with Hogwarts to allow them greater control over the school.

### Book 3 - The Death Eater Menace

Fudge once again attends the Potter Birthday Gala, where he introduces Harry Potter to Junior Auror Pius Thicknesse. On the same night a secret group, of which Harry is a member, orchestrates a breakout of Azkaban Prison, breaking out Sirius Black, Augustus Rookwood, and Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange. Fudge organises an Emergency Session of the Wizengamot three days later, where the DMLE informs the Wizengamot that they believe Metamorphmagi to be responsible. During this session Fudge proposes a temporary reinstatement of the Death Eater Laws. Fudge meets with James Potter after the morning session and requests a meeting with Jim during his first Hogsmeade Weekend.

While Fudge is unable to reinstate the Death Eater Laws, he is able to invoke the Praetor Maximus Clause of the Wizengamot Charter at the suggestion of Peter Pettigrew, which grants Fudge near-unfettered authority to deal with the current crisis, which passes by a margin of 125 to 123. Fudge uses his new position as Praetor Maximus to have a contingent of Dementors summoned to Hogwarts to patrol the grounds in search of the escapees. He later privately reveals to James Potter and Amelia Bones that he has been forced to do this by the Treaty of Azkaban, as the alternative is granting the Dementors permission to search the entirety of Great Britain and Ireland. He also reveals just how close they are to a possible Dementor invasion, and that he wished to reinstate the Death Eater Laws to conscript every wizard and witch in Britain who could summon a corporeal Patronus.

## References

Artie tells Harry about the 1990 Election between Barty Crouch and Cornelius Fudge.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 88 - Prelude (Harry),

Mrs. Fudge is said to have been dead for three years in July of 1993.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 42 - The Birthday Party (Pt 1),

Fudge attends Jim and Harry's birthday party.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 43 - The Birthday Party (Pt 2),

Jim's birthday is attacked by a magical toy train.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 57 - The Boggart (Pt 2),

Scrimgeour muses on his replacement as Chief Auror.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 81 - The Power of Friendship,

Umbridge receives a promotion.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 88 - Prelude (Harry),

Thirteenth birthday.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 89 - Azkaban,

The Azkabal makes their move.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 90 - Reactions & Overreactions (Pt 1),

Harry goes to his first Wizengamot Session.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 91 - Reactions & Overreactions (Pt 2),

The Wizengamot discusses the Azkaban Breakout.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 93 - Reactions & Overreactions (Pt 4),

Cornelius Fudge is named Praetor Maximus.