Harrys childhood

[meboriqua at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 16959

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., hfakhro at n... wrote:
> > Now. The In Defense of the Dursley´s Behavior towards Harry as a 
> > Small Kid-squad (*only* member=me) kicks in.
> 
> Count me in - I think the Dursleys are hysterical! Excellent source 
> of humour in the books, and I agree with you that while they have 
> been horribly mean to Harry and in no way made him feel loved or 
> wanted, their presence in his life has produced so many qualities 
> that make him loved by his friends. Maybe this wasn't the Dursleys' 
> intention, but I don't think they were all that bad. 
>
 but I think they could have done worse, 
> considering their very paranoid frame of mind concerning wizards. I 
> don't think Dumbledore threatened them - but I guess we'll have to 
> wait and see what that particular magic about the Dursleys is in 
> later books.

Whoa - would you treat your own children that way?  Or would you 
wanted to have been treated that way if you were a child?

While I also think the Dursleys are funny (especially the colors 
Vernon's face turns when he's angry), I don't think their abuse of 
Harry was laughable at all.  What I liked is that Harry got away - and 
that the Dursleys knew the consequences of abusing him even more could 
be the Muggle world finding out that they are harboring a *gasp* 
wizard.  Not to mention Hagrid coming back, calling Vernon a "great 
prune" again and turning all three of them into pigs.

--jenny from ravenclaw**************************************