[HPforGrownups] Re: Dursley's bribed?, charmed? or afraid?

[Melissa McCarthy]

No: HPFGUIDX 50743

> bboy_mn:
> I think part of the answer to all our questions about the Dursleys
> (among other things) is in the letter that Dumbledore left with Harry
> on the Dursley's doorstep. I've often wondered if, along with an
> explanation of what happened to Harry's parent, there wasn't some
> additional /incentive/ for the Durley's to care for Harry. If there
> is, I think it is withheld until Harry successfully completes school.
> I speculate that the Dursley are being very businesslike about their
> potential reward; if they minimized expeditures (cloths and food for
> Harry), they will maximize their return on their investment (the reward).

That's certainly plausible, but if the incentive is being withheld until
Harry completes school, why were the Dursleys so dead-set against having him
go to Hogwarts?  You'd think they'd both have been shooing him off as soon
as possible!  Granted, they hate magic, but as Harry himself says at one
point, he doesn't figure their hatred of magic would extend to a large pile
of gold.

I'd be more inclined to think that if the letter was coercive at all, it
contained some sort of veiled threat rather than a promise of reward.  The
Dursleys' love of money and resentment of Harry is enough, IMO, to explain
their reluctance to spend much on him.

bboy_mn:
> As far as the 'company car', I think it was just a company car. Vernon
> doesn't own Grunning's Drill Company. If he did, it would be Durlsey's
> Drill Company.

I think it was just a company car too.  Are we sure Vernon doesn't own the
company?  There's any number of law firms called, say, Brown, Brown, Smith &
Brown when there haven't been any Browns or Smiths at the company for years.
If he does own the company, he could simply have kept the name Grunning's
for reasons of brand recognition.

Melissa, devoted Dursley-hater