Harry at the Dursleys

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 118456



Carol:
> Suppose that Harry had grown up as a celebrity, knowing that he had
> "defeated" Voldemort, treated as a hero just as if he had acted of 
his own volition--a toddler deliberately deflecting the Dark Lord's 
AK onto the caster. Wouldn't he have grown up at least as arrogant as
James, who was only a Quidditch player and only became popular 
afterhis second year or so at Hogwarts (first-years don't normally 
play Quidditch)? 


Alla:

We don't know that. We discussed ad nauseaum why Harry has 
enough "positive reason" to make good decisions - to share food with 
Ron on the train, etc.

We are back to the question of free will and why Harry is basically 
a  good child. If let's say the fact that he was loved the first 
year of his life protects him from reacting as abused child would to 
many things, than it is also reasonable to assume that he  would not 
have become spoiled and arrogant, if he would grew up in WW.

Moreover, why do you assume that Harry would be "spoiled" if he grew 
up in WW. He would be "loved" first of all and I think he is due a 
little bit of spoiling.

I am sure there are families who would treat Harry as a child first 
of all, not as "boy who lived", I am sure such families could be 
found, if Dumbledore wanted to.

I think I said earlier that I read "Dumbledore's" "not a pampered 
prince" as a regret that Harry did not grew up as normal child, that 
if Dumbledore could he would be happy to spoil Harry a little bit.
 

Carol:

Do you really think that it was unwise of Dumbledore to want to
protect Harry from this sort of adulation before he was ready for it?
Wouldn't he think he was special already and that, 
having "defeated"Voldemort as a baby, he could easily do so again 
without adequate preparation? How could a "pampered prince" endure 
so much as a "stupefy," much less a Crucio?


Alla:

Yes, actually, I do, because I don't consider placing child in the 
harm's way to be protection from another, "Potentially" dangerous 
situation.

How Harry would grew up? We don't really know. It will depend ont he 
family he would be placed with and on his character, "free will" , 
etc. 


> Carol, who thinks Dumbledore is right on this

Alla, who does not think that this was the reason for Dumbledore to 
do what he did, but if it was, thinks that he was very wrong on it.