Harry's cupboard was Re: Theoretical boundaries

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 120604


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lupinlore" 
<bob.oliver at c...> wrote:

> ONLY in relation to Dudley?  Well, not really.  Most kids don't 
have to endure the type of serious bullying Harry endured, or the 
kind of  neglect, or the lack of nuturing.  Even Dumbledore 
remarks on this  in his speech at the end of OOTP.  <
> 
> True, many kids have it worse than Harry.  But I'm not sure 
what your point is.  Are you arguing that Harry was not neglected 
and  abused?  That is, IMO, insupportable, although it is of 
course IMO.   Are you arguing that what was done to Harry was in 
some way less  wrong because some other kids had worse 
things done to them?  I'm  not trying to be argumentative, but I 
really don't get your point.<

Pippin:
My point was the that cupboard, per se, is not the problem, it's 
the apparent lack of nurturing. We don't know how Harry 
managed to survive that...in its own way it's as miraculous as 
surviving the AK curse.

Pippin previously
> > It occurs to me that if ten year old Harry is in his cupboard all 
 the  time,  the only reason there are spiders in there is because 
Harry tolerates them -- otherwise he could sweep them out. 
> > 

Lupinlore: 
> Only if permitted to do so by the Dursleys.

Pippin:
Since Harry does the cleaning, according to CoS where he says 
he's had plenty of practice with the Dursleys, he has access to a 
broom --  I was amused by Alla's protest that Harry wouldn't be 
able to get rid of the spiders by magic. Who needs  magic to 
sweep out spiders?  Also, since Petunia certainly wouldn't 
tolerate spiders anywhere else in her house, it's really hard to 
see where more spiders would come from, once Harry had got 
rid of them. Another mystery <g>

Pippin