Cornelius Oswald Fudge is the Minister of Magic, and a supporting character in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with him being a tertiary antagonist.
He is played by the late actor Robert Hardy.
Background[]
Official Description[]
Development[]
Personality[]
During his time as Minister, Cornelius Fudge initially comes off as a good-natured, well-meaning person, but in reality, he is prejudiced, favoring pure-bloods and people of higher social status than those of lower class.
After Voldemort’s resurrection, Fudge lets his paranoia get the best of him; he dismisses even the most concrete evidence of his return.
Physical Appearance[]
History[]
Appearances[]
Films[]
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets[]
Cornelius Fudge only appears, along with Albus Dumbledore, in a brief scene to take Rubeus Hagrid to Azkaban, because after the recent attack on Hermione, he felt that it was time for the Ministry of Magic to take action, even though Hagrid wasn't really the culprit. At the same time, Lucius Malfoy turns up to reveal that the school governors have signed an order to suspend Dumbledore, despite Hagrid's protests and claims that attacks will become more frequent with him gone.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban[]
Shortly after Harry leaves the Dursley's after inadvertently inflating Aunt Marge and riding the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron, he meets with Fudge, who lets him off the hook. Throughout the year, Fudge spends his time at Hogwarts, due to the escape of Sirius Black, whom everyone believes is a serial killer.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire[]
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix[]
After the events of Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, and the return of Lord Voldemort, Fudge, not wanting to put up with Voldemort's terror again, denies the facts, and resorts to smearing Harry, as well as Dumbledore, who he believes wants his position as Minister. According to members of the Order of the Phoenix, Fudge isn't "in his right mind". When Harry goes to the Ministry of Magic for a hearing due to performing a Patronus charm to save himself and his cousin Dudley Dursley from a pair of Dementors, Fudge hardly believes that Dementors would wander into a Muggle suburb, even laughing at the thought, because as his Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge states, Dementors are under the Ministry's control, denies Dumbledore's statement that Voldemort may be responsible for the attack, and is one of the few that votes for Harry's conviction. Luckily, the majority of the court votes to clear Harry of all charges.
Determined to keep a close eye on Dumbledore, Fudge appoints Umbridge as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. He eventually makes her the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, giving her powers to address the "seriously falling standards at Hogwarts School"; in reality, she's making life difficult for everyone at the school. Everytime something attributed to Voldemort happens, Fudge claims that Sirius is the culprit. One evening in the Gryffindor Common Room, Sirius visits Harry, Ron, and Hermione; after telling him about Umbridge's classes, he reveals that Fudge is having Umbridge teach only a theoretical-based course out of concern that Dumbledore is building an army to take the fight to the Ministry, and is doing everything he can to ensure the truth is never revealed.
Even when Voldemort's most loyal henchmen, including Sirius's ruthless cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, escape from Azkaban, Fudge is still unwilling to believe that Voldemort has returned. He is summoned to the school by Umbridge after she finds out about Dumbledore's Army, an organization that Harry, Ron, and Hermione started to give their friends combat training. Dumbledore takes full responsibility for the organization and escapes with the help of Fawkes. In the end, Fudge and numerous other Ministry personnel catch a glimpse of Voldemort in the Ministry just before he Disapparates. Having seen Voldemort with his own eyes, Fudge says with shock in his voice "He's back.", and can hardly believe that Harry and Dumbledore were right all along. Afterwards, Fudge contemplates resignation.
A section of the Daily Prophet, hinting at Fudge's possible resignation.
Other appearances[]
Video games[]
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets[]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban[]
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix[]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1[]
Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4[]
Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7[]
Theme Parks[]
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter[]
Relationships[]
Harry Potter[]
Cornelius Fudge initially viewed Harry as a nephew, and treated him with the utmost respect. This changed after Voldemort was revived; he began to think Harry was unbalanced and insane, partly due to Rita Skeeter’s made-up articles about him. He intended to sideline Harry in the Wizarding community and expel him from Hogwarts. He had the Daily Prophet print articles about him that made him look like a deluded attention-seeker. After a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry, during which Fudge voted for Harry’s conviction, but was outvoted.
