[HPforGrownups] Re: Dursleys' Fears (WAS: Redeeming the Dursleys

[elfundeb]

No: HPFGUIDX 53543

David responded to my argument:

> that Vernon's antipathy to magic is more likely to 
> result from pranks by James and Sirius than from Voldemort's 
> activities.  I think another possibility is that Vernon suffered from 
> Voldemort's use of magic, or saw suffering inflicted by it, but 
> assumed that it was James and his friends who were responsible.  
> Dobby's use of the pudding to frame Harry could foreshadow this.
> 
Well, the DEs are described as *torturing* Muggles, which implies something truly horrific.  I tend to believe that had the Dursleys really been tortured or witnessed it, regardless of whether they thought James had done it, they would have been too afraid for their lives not to do what Dumbledore asked, especially since the Privet Drive protections must have extended to them as well.  Also, we know the DEs liked random Muggle-torture, but wouldn't the most likely reason for the DEs to select the Dursleys (or Evanses) as targets be to get information from them about the Potters?  If that happened, there's no possibility the Dursleys would have thought James was doing the torturing. 

Even if DEs did torture Vernon, or Petunia, or other Evanses, I still would expect there to be a precedent for them to believe that it was James doing the torturing -- I don't think even Vernon would be ready to believe that it was James unless there was a prior history of some kind, and James doesn't seem like the type of person to issue threats, based on what we know to date.  A prior history of practical magical jokes played on Vernon would allow him to jump to the conclusion that it was James.   

There's also Eric's memory charm theory.  If the Dursleys were tortured, I now think it's more likely that they received memory charms than not.  This means I should backtrack slightly on my earlier response to Eric, but only somewhat.   I believe that memory charms are more completely effective against Muggles, i.e., it takes magical powers to throw off a memory charm, so Vernon would have no residual memory (FBAWTFT says in regard to a Mass Memory Charm performed on a beachful of bathers that spotted a dragon that some of the Muggles "escaped" the charm; they did not overcome it).  Thus, the memory charm erases the exposure to magic and therefore doesn't explain the Dursleys' fear; there needs to be some other kind of exposure.  

> It is of interest that Vernon appears to understand very little of 
> what magic can do (one reason why it's actually hard to argue that 
> he's a squib, Weasley relative or no.).  For example, when the 
> letters in PS start to arrive, he blocks the letter box, and Petunia 
> warns him that's unlikely to work.  He cuts her off quite brusquely, 
> implying her objections indicate a lack of resolve.  Quite what this 
> means about his fears I'm not sure.
> 
He does seem to prefer Muggle solutions to magical problems, doesn't he?  Like taking Dudley to the hospital to have the pig's tail removed.  I agree that he's the least likely of the Dursleys to discover any magical abilities.  I think even Aunt Marge is a more likely candidate, since she was as angry as Harry when the wine glass shattered.

Debbie
who thought Vernon as the Weasley accountant cousin was a very cleverly conceived idea, regardless of how unlikely Vernon is to be a squib


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