• This is an idea I had from what somebody else posted. "fudge preformed the hiding charm on Lily and James" Lets say Fudge is working for You-Know-Who. And he's not insuring his career but ensuring that Peter Petigrew can't but caught and squeel that Fudge is also working for You- Know-Who. (Sarah)

• Fudge as a Death Eater

At the end of the first book, Dumbledore receives an "urgent owl" from the Ministry of Magic. So urgent that he leaves immediately despite having the Stone hidden in Hogwart's.

**I would argue that ONLY an owl from Fudge, the minister of magic himself would be important enough to cause dumbledore to leave.

Draco states “Father’s always associated with the top people at the ministry” (4)

**I believe that he’s talking about Fudge. (possibly other people as well)

Fudge is an old term meaning to lie.

**Most of Rowling’s characters have names that mean something. (Lupin is a werewolf and the genus for wolves is lupine, Sirius Black can turn into a black dog, Sirius is the name of a star that is also refered to as the Dog star.) I think Fudge’s last name indicates that he’s not being truthful about his alliances.

Fudge brings a deatheater into Hogwarts to kill Barty Crouch Jr. Fudge knows that Crouch is under the influence of the Veritaserum (truth-telling potion). (4)

**I believe that Fudge does this so that Crouch can not give testimony about the death eaters in the ministry (including Fudge).

Fudge tries to explain away the continued presence of the Death Eaters at Azbakan (4)

**Dumbledore feels that the death eaters are natural allies of Voldemort.

Fudge argues very strongly that Voldemort can not have returned (4)

**This may be an attempt to “stall” Dumbledore’s actions against Voldemort so that Voldemort has more time to gain power.

Fudge is presented with evidence of Voldemort’s return (the Dark Mark on Snape’s arm) and Fudge looks at the mark in disgust, and tells Dumbledore to expect an owl with instructions on how the school should be run. (4)

**If Fudge is a Death Eater he would have a Dark Mark on his arm, and would have known that voldemort has returned. (additionally, when Voldemort is given a mortal body in the ritual at the end of the 4th book, he goes around the circle of death eaters and indicates who is missing, Fudge is not among the missing)

I would think that if Fudge truly believed that Voldemort had not returned then he would have been extremely surprised (and not simply disgusted) to see the dark mark on Snape’s arm.

After Fudge leaves Mrs. Weasley says that she and Arthur (Mr. Weasley) know what Fudge is, and that it was Mr. Weasley’s love of muggles that has kept him from advancing within the ministry of magic (4)

**Fudge does not like muggles.

*Harry comments that it must be unusual for Fudge, the Minister of Magic, to get involved in matters of underage magic (2)

Not sure exactly how this factors in, but it IS odd that Fudge gets directily involved. (Kelly Janner)

• I think that fudge has been on the dark side, ever since you know who's first rise to power, and that he was never even thought of as a suspect. I think he will end up being a wolf in sheeps clothings, who else would you know who want as a death eater, fudge is the minister of magic and can control everything, or seems to. This is why he is so reluctant to "believe" that you know who hasn't returned to power and why he does not
let the dementors go/ befriend the giants, i think dumbledore might think this and that is why he goes behind fudge's back and does all these things anyway, as he realizes fudge wont act for one reason or another.. (Nick)

• I think I have got a prove that Cornilius Fudge IS a Death Eater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Somebody suggested already that he may be one and now I'm sure. Do you remeber the scene in the hospital wing, where Fudge completely refuses to believe that Voldemort is back?? First he says: You-know-who ... returned? Preposterous. Come now, Dumbledore... On the next page, he is having an argument and claims: You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who...well...
How comes that the minister of magic suddenly refers to Lord Voldemort instead of calling him You-know-who??? Only few people are not afraid to say his name openly and as far as I know, Fudge wasn't among them! This (and his strange smile at the news of Voldemort being back) could only mean that he actually IS a Death Eater!!!!!!!! I'm almost 100 % sure about this. It all fits together quite well: He refuses to do anything against Voldemort or even except that he might be back, he let the Dementor kill Crouch, he doesn't like Muggles. When Harry comes back with the portkey, he insists on bringing Harry to the hospital wing(?? did he want to do the same as Crouch tried?) and somehow it seems to me he wanted to get rid of Dumbledore, because he tells him to look for Amos Diggory and tell him what had happened. Then there is his smile, when he is assured that Voldemort is back, eventhough he seems to be rather schocked I can't help of thinking that this behavior is only a fake. It seems as if he first is not sure if Voldemort really returned, but when Harry tells him that it is true, he starts to smile( why??) and after that he is having an argument with Dumbeldore and (maybe he couldn't stop himself from saying his masters name openly again, because he was so glad that he was back) saying the words Lord Voldemort. That's why I believe that Fudge is a Death Eater. (Sylvana)