Dursleys abuse

[Tammy]

No: HPFGUIDX 117469


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "delwynmarch" <delwynmarch at y...>
wrote:
> 
> Alla wrote :
> "Your Honor. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury. It is the prosecution 
> position that Petunia and Vernon Dursleys should be found guilty of 
> abuse and /or neglect of their nephew Harry Potter.
> 
> (snip)
> 
> P.S. Strangely enough, I tried to think about any possible defense  of
> Dursleys and ... well, I failed.
> 

> Del replied :
> I'm not saying that the Dursleys aren't guilty, because they are IMO.
> 
> But I do think that the point you brought in their defense matters.
> 
> Yes the sister has an obligation, moral and maybe even legal, to take
> care of her orphan nephew. But take care she did ! 
> 

Tammy replies: 

IMO the Dursleys are guilty of neglect and emotional abuse, however
there just isn't enough evidence to support the claim of physical
abuse. As for Dudley beating on Harry, it seems to be a standard thing
among brothers (Harry and Dudley, having lived together nearly all of
their lives, have the same type of relationship) that one bullies the
other. True some families manage to avoid it, but boys will be boys.

And to give the Dursleys more credit: 

It's not just that she had a legal and moral obligation to take care
of her nephew and she did it, it's the fact that she knew what
happened to her sister (obviously from her reaction in OotP), knew
what went after her, and still took Harry in. I think we'll find out
in Book 6 or 7 that Petunia even knew that Voldemort wasn't fully gone
yet, that by taking in Harry she would be endangering her own family.

-Tammy