The howl of misery

[Zarleycat at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 25732

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., scaryfairymary at h... wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., frantyck at y... wrote:
> > Another tangent:
> > 
> >  In safety, for the 
> > moment, Harry's experiences crowd in upon him, hours in an 
instant, 
> > and he must find a way to let himself release all the pent-up 
> misery. 
> > Mrs Weasley sits down on Harry's bed and hugs Harry tight.
> > 
> > He never howls. Harry fights to hold it in, wishes Ron would turn 
> > away. Mrs Weasley and Harry break apart when Hermione catches 
> Beetle-
> > Skeeter.
> ><snip> 
> >
> 
> This IMO is the most heart renching (cant spell sorry!) moment in 
the 
> whole HP series, I really think that this "howl of misery" really 
> should have been expressed.  Harry never really deals with the 
trauma 
> of the nights events, and so can never really recover.  Even when 
he 
> smiles "the first real smile in days" in Hagrid's cabin, I never 
> really feel like the matter is dealt with.  The reader knows that 
> Harry is still totally miserable inside, and without some help from 
a 
> maternal figure (Molly Weasley) he is never truley going to be 
> happy.  I cant see him getting any support from Petunia Dursley, so 
> hopefully he will be let go to the Weasleys and have some "quality 
> time".


I agree - this is the most heart-wrenching scene for me, too.  If the 
next book follows the traditional format, we'll see Harry having a 
dreadful summer with the Dursleys.  I hope JKR will find a way to let 
Harry have someone's support to deal with the fallout from the end of 
GoF.  I can't imagine that Harry will not have residual feelings 
about what happened to him from the end of the Third Task onward.  
I'm sure he'll have to deal with feelings of guilt over Cedric's 
death, even though that was not Harry's fault.  Plus, the horror in 
the graveyard, witnessing V.'s rebirth, seeing the ghosts of his 
parents, and being the target of Fudge's animosity.  

IIRC, aren't the Dursleys supposed to play a greater role?  What if 
Harry confronts Petunia some day when Vernon and Dudley are absent 
and asks her questions about his mother?  Will she fall into 
her "wizards are all freaks" mode, or, will she reveal some other 
feelings that she hides when Vernon's around?  

Will Harry be allowed to spend a greater amoung of time with the 
Weasleys?  And, if so, will Molly end up being Harry's support, or 
will Ron/Ginny take on that role?

Or maybe JKR will arrange a meeting at Mrs. Figg's house between 
Harry and Sirius, as Sirius can certainly understand feeling guilty 
at having one's actions lead to someone else's death.  

I just hope this whole issue isn't glossed over with a plot line on 
Dudley's new diet and Vernon's new client and Harry stuck in his room 
until it's time to go to Diagon Alley for school supplies...

Marianne