SOCKS and other presents

[princesspeaette]

No: HPFGUIDX 78368

 AmanitaMuscaria wrote:
>Agreed the disturbing lack of thought in that scene - Ron throwing 
>Dobby the jumper from his mother, but also previous to that, Harry 
>fishing out a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks to give Dobby, 
>because he hadn't thought to get Dobby a present..
>I'm sure it's been brought up before, but in the light of 
>the 'protection', is that the reason the Dursleys(read Petunia 
>here?) send Harry _something_, whether it's a coathanger, 50p, or a 
>tissue, as a present? Is the 'present' a reinforcement of the 
>protection in some way?


I think Ron just didn't want *another* maroon sweater.  He didn't 
think about all the time his mum put into it, just he didn't really 
want it (teenagers are like that).  And for someone who doesn't have 
a lot of money to spend on things, the thanks he got from an 
overjoyed Dobby were probably a very nice boost to his ego. Didn't 
Harry say/think on the very first train ride to Hogwarts :

"Go on, have a pasty." said Harry, who had never had anything to 
share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with.  It was a nice 
feeling. (pg 102 US softcover, Chapter 6- The Journey From Platform 
Nine and Three-Quarters)



I actually think the Dursleys abominable gift choices (glad I'm not 
on their list) are  *yet another* sign of their intense dislike for 
Harry.  Think about it, it would be very easy to not send anything 
and claim they forgot him (which is what he wants a lot of the time) 
he's not their son after all.  It takes forethought to send something 
so impersonal. It's like saying "This is how little we care for you."

If sending a gift was enough to augment the blood sacrifice 
protection, I think the Dursleys would be more than happy (overjoyed 
more like it) to let Harry live somewhere else and send him things 
every so often.



~Margaret
who could be very wrong, but thinks the Dursleys *were* just evil 
villians in the piece, but hopes they may be turning a corner with 
Voldemort back (Petunia and maybe Dudley at least)