Dudley the Magnificent? (Was Dumbledore - father figure or manipulator)

[Aberforth's Goat]

No: HPFGUIDX 35680

Jim agreed with Alhewison in wondering,

>Could Dumbledore have foreseen that Harry got his will to
>survive and grit from his experiences with the Dursleys? Maybe.
I
>wonder how Harry would have responded to the challenges he's
faced if
> he'd grown up in a safe, welcoming, middle class home that he
could go
> back to anytime. I don't think Harry would be as tough as he is
> without it.

Ahhh - one of my favorite topics! If we're going to make sense of
this, I think we need to factor in that interesting "ancient
magic" passage in GoF, where Voldy mopes about the difficulties
involved in deep sixing Harry:

"For he has been better protected than I think even he knows,
protected in ways devised by Dumbledore long ago, when it fell to
him to arrange the boy's future.  Dumbledore invoked an ancient
magic, to ensure the boy's protection as long as he is in his
relations' care.  Not even I can touch him there"

OK, here's a theory (I'm sure it's been around the block a few
times already, thought I can't recall seeing it):

(1) Dudley is a wizard.
(2) There is an ancient spell that allows the inviolable
protection of a wizard if another wizard utterly renounces the
use of his own capacity for magic.
(2a) This renunciation can be made by the wizards parents as
well.
(2b) This renunciation may also inhibit or postpone the
renouncer's development of an aptitude for magic.
(3) The Dursleys happily agreed to this bargain with Dumbledore,
since they figured that having a magically talented son would
rank right up there with stock market crashes and gypsy camps in
the back yard.

I think this scenario works pretty well, although I'll admit that
2a and 2b - particularly 2a - seem problematic.

Baaaaaa!

Aberforth's Goat (a.k.a. Mike Gray)
_______________________

"Of course, I'm not entirely sure he can read, so that
may not have been bravery...."



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