questions on Dumbledore and Harry

[alhewison]

No: HPFGUIDX 38042

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Kendra Grant-Bingham <kendra_grant at f...> 
wrote:
 I have a question and I hope this goes through. On another of my HP 
lists someone asked how we all felt about Dumbledore just leaving 
Harry on the Dursley's doorstep, and shouldn't he have at least rung 
the doorbell instead of leaving Harry outside the door all night. The 
points were brought up also about how no one seemed to have checked 
up on Harry through the years. No one sent him birthday cards or even 
checked to make sure he was properly taken care of. And, instead of 
leaving him with the Dursleys, couldn't Harry have become a "ward of 
the court" so to speak, living at Hogwarts and having the staff take 
care of him? 

IMO it is strange to leave a 15 month old outside all night at the 
end of October. A 15 month old, who even if he couldn't walk could 
certainly crawl off. Added to that, Harry would have been traumatised 
by being hurt and seeing his mother killed - even if he din't 
understand. Perhaps Dumbledore *knew* that Harry wouldn't wake up. In 
which case it was perhaps better for the Dursleys to start bonding 
with their nephew after a good night's sleep rather than in the 
middle of the night!

Dumbledore made it very clear that it was in Harry's best interests 
to be brought up away from the attention he would receive in the WW. 
As such, to leave him free to roam about in Hogwarts would not have 
been contemplated. WE also learn from Voldemort that Harry receives 
some sort of special protection from being in the Dursley's "care". 
Perhaps it is this protection which justifies - but doesn't excuse 
the decision to leave Harry being ill-treated without intervention.

IMO Dumbledore must have known - or had a strong idea - about the way 
the Dursleys treated Harry. I think we will find that Arabella Figg 
has acted both as some kind of protector and Dumbledore's "eyes and 
ears" as far as Harry's welfare is concerned. I also like the idea 
(suggested a month or so ago) that the 12 balls of light Dumbledore 
sent back from his "Put-outer" contribute to Harry's protection in 
Privet Drive.

I don't understand why Dumbledore didn't force the Dursleys to look 
after Harry better. But then again, why doesn't he speak to Harry 
again at the endof GOF? He talks to him immediately after the 
graveyard scene, but not afterwards. IMO this is wrong given what 
Harry's been through , and what Dumbledore *must* know he is 
returning to. (Molly would have told him about the Dursleys if he was 
really in the dark).

It seems that Dumbledore might be looking at the "bigger picture". 
Although he cares about Harry, Harry's emotional needs come second to 
the overall objectives which seem to be to protect him from physical 
harm. (Which he clearly fails to do in GOF). Dumbledore does have an 
interest in Harry's emotional wellbeing though, which is why he makes 
him sit through the Crouch interrogation, and why he questions him on 
the night of the Triwizard tournament and not later. (Although there 
must also have been an element of wanting to know what had happened 
as soon as possible). Dumbledore does seem to have a 
somewhat "laissez-faire" attitude to life, and he leaves things be 
even if they are not perfect. He may be the "best" wizard in the WW 
or in Harry's opinion, but that doesn't make him perfect.


Ali