On the other hand (was Re: Disliked Uncle Vernon)

[suehpfan]

No: HPFGUIDX 93144

Snip of part of posts by Del and Sue.

And Sue responds again as a point of clarity.  I am, by my own 
admission, a bleeding heart.  That's why I chose to teach in the 
inner city and eventually chose to never teach again.  I do believe 
most people would have taken well care of a child they chose to 
raise. It has nothing to do with anyone's personal issues.

Sue said :
> > Petunia *agreed* to take Harry.  There must have been a way 
> > for her to tell DD to take the bundle put it somewhere else. No 
> > thank you.  We have no idea what kind of agreement was made or 
> > whether there was compensation for Harry's care.  I am of the 
> > opinion that there was.
> 
> Del answers :
> 
> Petunia *screamed* when she found Harry on her doorstep. I wouldn't 
> call that an agreement. And even if she did agree later, that 
> doesn't mean she realized then what she was getting herself in. 
> Considering her emotional luggage concerning Harry's parents, I'd 
> say she bit more than she could chew, but didn't realize it then.

Petunia screamed, who wouldn't to find a baby on the doorstep.  At 
the time she found Harry, she didn't even know who he was, she had 
never seen him.  For all Petunia knew he could have belonged to a 
stranger.  If she knew immediatly who he was then she also knew here 
sister was dead, that would make me scream too. The most important 
point I was trying to make is that Petunia chose to keep him.  The 
moment she made that decision she held a responsibility to raise him, 
and raise him well.  She could have said no.  Their position here is 
not defensible (IMHO) because they did at least better by Dudley in 
providing food and shelter.  I do not believe, as I have said, that 
they were not provided any compensation for their job.  There was 
plenty of money (galleons) to provide for all of Harry's needs, DD is 
a practical man. For goodness sake, he paid Dobby. 

> Sue said
> > You are absolutely right to say that they would have to realize 
> > the "wrongness" of their behavior.  If you would be disappointed, 
> > I would be thrilled.  It is so much easier for people who have 
> > suffered abuse to heal when the people who did the abusing 
> > acknowledge the error of their ways.  I wish for Harry some path 
> > through the wilderness for at least part of what he has suffered.
> 
> Del answers :
> 
> I would be disappointed because of the message it would send out to 
> the kids out there, that people who don't think like us *must* 
> change in the end. It simply doesn't promote tolerance.
> 
To accept the abuse of another human being is not tolerance, it is 
capitulation and it is inexcusable.  I sincerely hope that no child 
reading these books on their own or being read to by an adult 
believes when it is all said and done is that the right thing to do 
is tolerate someone abusing someone else in any way.  I believe  JKR 
would be horrified at the thought of her words being used to 
promote "tolerance" in regards to abuse. Tolerance of difference, but 
abuse is not a difference it is a crime.  A crime against the 
vulnerable.
>
 Sue said :
> > > I suspect we will have to agree to disagree on the Dursleys.  
> > Everyone is redeemable (even Uncle Vernon :P), I hope they do 
> > redeem themselves and do something right for once.
> 
> Del answers :
> 
> One thing I've learned on this list is to agree to disagree :-) But 
> I have to point out that the Dursleys already did something right : 
> they took Harry in. For all we know, they might already have saved 
> his life by doing so.
> 

Taking Harry was the right thing to do which is why the decision to 
do so is so strange.  This is the most important reason why I believe 
they have been compensated for their efforts.  It also lends credence 
to the idea that Petunia knows a whole lot more about what is going 
on  than she lets on.  They probably did save his life, the question 
is why?  This is why I believe Petunia is more redeemable than 
Vernon, he really doesn't care if Harry dies, Petunia at least seems 
to.

As far as I am concerned, there really has been enough said (at least 
by me).  The beauty of a work of fiction (or biography for that 
matter)  is that everyone who reads it will see it from their own 
perspective and make it their own.  I wonder in the end what we will 
all find out about Petunia's decision to keep Harry and all of the 
subsequent choices she made.  I hope we will have answers on this 
back history as well.

Sue