Acceptable Abuses?

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 96264

Alla:
> Hi, Jen! I actually find your explanation to be quite likely. 
Petunia 
> and Vernon did act very surprised when Hogwarts letter arrived.
> 
> How do you explain though that even after Harry entered Hogwarts 
> Dumbledore waited five years before he said something to them?


Jen: I thought Harry was doing a pretty good job of it himself, with 
a little help from his friends!

Seriously though, Dumbledore answers this himself in OOTP: "you 
arrived at Hogwarts, neither as happy nor as nourished as I would 
have liked, perhaps, yet alive and healthy. You were not a pampered 
little prince, but as normal a boy as I could have hoped under the 
circumstances." (US, chap. 37, p. 837)

Dumbledore has a *very specific* role in Harry's life: The Fates 
requested his presence to hear the Prophecy and act on it in 
whatever way, shape, form he was capable of doing. He has limited 
powers to make Harry 'happy', very little choice in who Harry will 
be when he grows up, and only minimal influence once Harry enters 
the magical world.

Dumbledore serves the purpose of ensuring Harry arrives safely to 
his destination, and when Harry has to be away from the protection 
at Hogwarts, that he is able to stay at the only other place where 
he is safe--the Dursleys. 

I would even venture to say that as the person Chosen to hear the 
Prophecy, DD does his best *not* to interfere with Harry's life. He 
is pleased Harry is 'normal' and not pampered; he must be elated 
Harry has surrounded himself with such good people; and surely 
Dumbledore sits on his hands when he could choose to bail Harry out! 
Dumbledore makes a concious choice to let Harry live his life 
without undue interference. And whether he makes the choice because 
he believes it's the best thing, or because of the constraints of 
the Prophecy (or both), I contend that his motives are good.

Has Dumbledore made the right choices? *He's* not even sure, as we 
see in OOTP. T.S. Eliot said: "for us, there is only the trying--the 
rest is not our business." It doesn't mean DD doesn't care, just 
that there are limits on what he can do, self-imposed or otherwise.