Dursleys

[hfakhro at nyc.rr.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 16948

Following up from the recent Dursleys posts - I have been thinking 
about their role in the books. I hope this hasn't been discussed 
before, but I couldn't find it in the search. OK, so we all think 
that they are evil horrible guardians and it's true - they do abuse 
Harry etc. but in light of this behaviour why do they (and 
specifically Uncle Vernon) go to such lengths to keep Harry from 
going to Hogwarts. If they hate him so much then why go on this mad 
rush across half of England? You'd think they would be glad to get 
rid of him (and at some points it seems that they are - when they 
send him letters at Hogwarts asking if he can stay there for 
holidays).

Someone mentioned recently (don't remember which post, sorry!) that 
perhaps the Dursleys are physically unable to leave Harry unless he 
is in Mrs. Figg's care (the zoo incident was the example given.) 
Maybe this is what's causing them to prevent Harry from knowing about 
the letters, but I can't help but think that there may be something 
more to it. JKR has said, I think, that the Dursleys will play an 
important role - but I'm not sure what. Could it be *gasp* that 
they're worried about Harry's safety that there is a little bit of 
family love there? I was thinking about Petunia's speech about Lily 
in the Hut on the Rock: "Oh, she got a letter just like that and 
disappeared off to that - that school - and came home every holiday 
with her pockets full of frogspawn, turning teacups into rats. I was 
the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak!...and then, if 
you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with 
you!" (PS)

Their behaviour in this part of the book indicates that maybe the 
Dursleys are worried that Harry too will get himself "blown up" and 
may do horrible things like turning teacups into rats (LOL!) and that 
in general the wizarding world is a dangerous one and that Harry 
should be protected for his own good. I know they are horrible 
guardians to him, but perhaps they feel something for him. And the 
chapters when the Dursleys are trying to keep Harry from reading the 
letters from Hogwarts indicate that Uncle Vernon is the most 
concerned one: "He looked so dangerous with half his moustache 
missing that no one dared argue...Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask 
where they were going." Why would Uncle Vernon be more protective 
than Harry's own flesh and blood aunt? There are two times in PS 
where Dudley gets upset that I can remember and both times it's in 
favour of Harry and this is highly out of character since the 
Dursleys usually spoil him rotten and cater to his every whim. The 
first is when Harry has to go to the zoo with them, and they force 
Dudley to accept that and the second time is when they drag Dudley 
with them to the hut on the sea and he gets really miserable and they 
still don't pay his whining any attention.

And then what makes this more confusing is when they send him a note 
asking if he can stay in Hogwarts over the summer (I don't remember 
when this is) but in CoS they also lock Harry up in his room and try 
to make him stay. I think I'm starting to ramble now, but I hope I've 
made my point - I think the Dursleys have a lot of potential, part of 
it may be positive... I don't know - any thoughts?