More on Dursleys

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 56288

 
> 
> bboy_mn:
> 
> I think it could be something as simple as "What would the neighbors
> think?". 
> 
> The Dursleys put a lot of stock in their image. They like to look 
good
> and impress the neighbors. So I don't think they would have wanted 
to
> take any chance that the neighbors would find out that they had 
turned
> away a family member especially if the family member was a helpless
> baby.


Agreed, they wouldn't want people thinking they turned away a family 
member, but it would be easy enough to lie and say they have no clue 
who the kid is and their doorstep was chosen at random.

Maybe some neighbors would suspect -- perhaps they would assume the 
kid was some illegitimate son of Vernon's -- that there was more to 
it, but I bet the Dursleys get away with it.

 
> It's easy to speculate that there might have been something in the
> letter that Dumbledore left too. It could be that he made it very
> clear that if Harry wasn't in the Dursley's care that there was an
> element of danger. How far that element of danger extends is a 
little
> unclear. I also speculate that there could have been some 
intimidation
> in the form of 'take care of this kid, or else...', or some type of
> incentive along the line of 'take care of this kid and we will give
> you...".
> 

My guess is that it was a mix of the carrot and the stick. Take care 
of this kid or we will turn you into dung beetles, but for your 
trouble, we'll pay you very well.

And of course, it would be well within the Dursleys character to stow 
away whatever money Dumbledore gave them and pretend raising Harry 
was a horrible financial burden.

Darrin
-- Carrot and the Stick. The next big rap group.