Somethings not right

[slgazit]

No: HPFGUIDX 80842

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "scooting2win" 
<scootingalong at b...> wrote:
> Which leads me to think that Dumbledore is unhappy 
> about how Harry has been raised thus far. He also states that Harry 
> would have been welcomed into any wizarding family and raised as a 
> son. If that would have happened Harry would have known that he was 
> famous and then would have been spoiled for being the boy-who-lived.

He would know but not necessarily spoiled. Think of Molly Weasley
who has done an excellent job of treating him as a normal boy when
in her care. Too normal sometimes (as he isn't really normal), but
I can't imagine her spoiling him.

I agree that the story would not have been so compelling without
creating a Harry who has to struggle against abuse.


> it still boils down to "Harry kept a secret", not only 
> from an adult who could have helped him (not sure I would have told 
> Dumbledore myself) but he did not even tell a friend, or even go to 
> the nurse,

He eventually told his friends, but notice that at that age showing
a weakness is something boys just don't want to do (I have a 15
year old boy and I see it all the time). Ron would not tell Harry 
that he wants to try out for the Quidditch team - what's to hide 
there?

In addition, when Ron tells Harry to go to McGonagall, Harry replies 
that "I don't know how much power McGonagall has [against Umbridge]". 
At this point Harry knows that whenever he needed help from adults 
against the Ministry, the result had been further restrictions on 
those adults. Umbridge was apparently nominated as teacher only after 
the Hearing, for example. Later on we see that Angelina's appeal to 
McGonagall to help her reform the Gryffindor Quidditch team resulted 
in further powers accorded to Umbridge to overide other teachers.
In other words, if Harry appealed for help it is doubtfull he would 
actually get it, but almost certain that his appeal will make the 
overall situation worse.

> This one she can't fix or remove and it bothers 
> me to think how many kids are going to get the same message that I 
> got from it. Intended or not. Lori once again.

I am not bothered by it at all. Kids know that these books are 
fictional, and will not internalize that anymore than they would try 
to ride a broomstick... :-)

Salit