Malfoys and Dursleys

[Janet Anderson]

No: HPFGUIDX 47323

michelle.pagan at colorado.edu said:

>I'm not sure Lucius cares too much about his son. He reminds me of the
>Durselys of the WW. (They hate wizards, he hates Muggles --neither of
>them care to much about the boy [Harry, Draco]).

I agree that Lucius and the Dursleys are very similar in many ways: they're 
both bigoted, thoughtless, and narrow-minded. They're both capable of 
cruelty, including to the weak and helpless. And they both spoil their 
children rotten while failing to teach them any manners, ethics, or 
civilized behavior.  In fact, you could call them mirror images of each 
other, each exhibiting the worst of their respective worlds. The Dursleys 
think anyone with wizard blood is worthless; the Malfoys think anyone with 
human blood is worthless.

Of course, the Dursleys are stupid, incompetent comic relief while the 
Malfoys are competent, threatening, and deliberately embrace the evil of 
Voldemort. However, we are talking here about a couple, with a child of 
their own, who systematically neglected, lied to, and emotionally abused 
another child left in their care from infancy, who also happens to be their 
own nephew. Okay, it's not up to Voldemort's standards, but it's not all 
that comical either.

If Vernon Dursley were to be reconciled to the Wizarding World, which side 
of it would he choose? The glimpses we get of his business practices make it 
not unlikely that he'd admire the social standing of the Malfoys and the 
power of Voldemort.

However, I disagree that Lucius doesn't *care* about his son. And of course 
the Dursleys care a great deal about their son also; they just don't care 
about *Harry,* because they don't think of him as a human person with 
feelings. (Just like the Malfoys don't think Muggles count as humans.)


Janet Anderson



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