new (?) thoughts about the Dursleys

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 21560

>
> Subject: Re: new (?) thoughts about the Dursleys
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., Melanie Brackney <ilovbrian_99 at y...> wrote:
> > I never thought about it until now.  However, it did appear to me
> that they were trying to keep Harry from Hogwarts..and acted like
> they had never heard of the place. Perhaps, Dumbledore made no
> mention of Hogwarts in the letter.
> >
>
> Doesn't Petunia, in one of her rants somewhere say something
> like, "Lily got one of those letters, and then went off to that
> school and she came home turning teapots into mice -- my parents were
> so proud to have a witch in the family.  BUt I saw her for what she
> was -- a freak" (I can't look this up at the moment) My take was that
> the Durselys took Harry in, and this is awful, to beat out
> his "abnormality" out of him -- I get the impression that Petunia was
> jealous of Lily and is quite bitter at the wizarding world -- so she
> wanted to deprive HArry of his legacy as revenge.  I think they
> either hid or destroyed the letter, and hoped that would be that.  I
> really doubt they know about Mrs. Figg, they were probably just happy
> to have a reliable (maybe even free) sitter, if she's kind of wierd,
> smells like cabbages, and makes Harry uncomfortable, all the better
> in thier opinion.  My question is, if Mrs. Figg is the right Figg,
> why didn't she ever let it slip to Harry OR tell Dumbledore the kind
> of abuse HArry is suffering?
>
>  >Where are the other Potters?
>
> And what happened to those O-so-supportive Lily/Petunia parents?
>
> Stephanie
 This is a really good question.  I kind of think that Petunia and Lily were
already on bad terms before Lily got The Letter, and Petunia was not only
jealous of her sister's chance to study at Hogwarts, but felt that this gave
her sister an undeserved high position in the family.  Could it be that she
was the Squib daughter of magical parents, and her current attitude toward
the whole subject is a combination of jealousy and sour grapes?

I think that if they had known about Mrs. Figg, they'd have kept Harry a
million miles away from her...remember how they reacted to anybody acting
even slightly strangely?  Why Mrs. Figg herself didn't break cover around
Harry (on a "this is our secret, little Harry---you don't want your cousin
Dudley to know this, now do you?" basis) is something I want to know.  Her
willingness to let the Dursleys mistreat Harry is bad enough, but keeping up
the mad-old-bat act even when it's just the two of them is taking things a
trifle far for my taste.

Also, if the wizards knew what sort of mistreatment Harry was getting, I
would have thought that they could have leaned on Vernon and Petunia good
and hard.  No matter _how_ the Dursleys felt about Harry, or about wizards,
I rather think that a little "friendly visit" from some people from the
wizarding world would have adjusted their attitude pretty quick, like so:

"Mr. Dursley?  I'm Guido Breakbonelli from the Ministry of Magic, and this
is my assistant, Rubeus Hagrid.  We want to discuss this little nephew of
yours.  The one you're mistreating."
"Yes, we know, it's your household.  However, this _is_ a rather
accident-prone neighborhood...you know, people trip over nothing at all and
get their arms broken, people have something happen to them that makes them
spend the rest of their lives sitting on lily pads, croaking and eating
flies, people even have been known to have their clothing disappear, right
in the middle of important business meetings with valued clients, right,
Hagrid?"
(Hagrid speaks for the first time)  "I was just thinking about the days when
I played rugby.  The sound of bones breaking, the screams and squeals for
mercy...I miss it so much!"
"So we understand each other, _don't_ we, Mr. Dursley?  We're very
superstitous at the Ministry.  If anything bad happens to your nephew, like
being treated a lot worse than that oinker of a son of yours, or being
bullied by your son _or anybody else,_ we're going to hold you responsible.
Even if you aren't at fault. Even if you can _prove_ you aren't at fault.
*cue music from _The Godfather_ movies*  Consider this an offer you can't
refuse."