Question: Why did Fudge wait so long to arrest Hagrid? It sounds to me he didn't care that Hagrid's record was against him and that he only arrested Hagrid so Fudge would look like he knew what he was doing.
Answer: Lucius had nothing to do with getting Hagrid arrested. He was only there because he was looking for Dumbledore to get rid of the headmaster. It wasn't to aid Voldemort; it was to rid the school of Muggle-borns. He had no idea the diary had a fragment of Voldemort in it.
Answer: He probably wouldn't have arrested Hagrid, but he was pressured by Lucius Malfoy who could have used his wealth and influence to have Fudge removed from office. Hagrid was a convenient scapegoat to make it look like the Ministry was making progress in the investigation. Of course, Malfoy was orchestrating all this solely to aid Voldemort.
raywest ★