Positive Spin on Snape, Occlumency, and Albus writing Petunia

[Kethryn]

No: HPFGUIDX 114949


Dzeytoun -
>>OK, I think we've pretty much covered the ground on Snape's evil 
qualities.  I do, personally, think his bad aspects pretty well sum 
him up.  However, I'm pretty good at making up stories, so, I asked 
myself is there any way to put a positive spin on Snape, the 
Dursleys, and Occlumency from OOTP, as well as incorporating the 
information we have from JKR's website about Albus writing Petunia.

<snip>

Dumbledore has some sort of contact with Petunia, knowing that she 
dislikes the magical world.  <snip>

Since he is cut off, Dumbledore does not understand the level of 
suffering Harry has experienced at the Dursleys.  He knew Harry 
would "suffer," but did not expect out and out abuse. <snip> He misses 
the part about Harry living in a closet because the Hogwarts Letters 
are addressed automatically by a charm and no one actually reads the 
things (weak, considering that hundreds of them went to Privet Drive, 
but I suppose possible).  In any case, by the time he actively checks 
the Dursleys have already given Harry the smallest bedroom.

Harry never talks to Dumbledore, or anyone else, about the situation 
at Privet Drive.  Only during Occlumency does this come out.  Snape, 
being a nicer person than he appears, informs Dumbledore, who then 
tells the Order to confront the Dursleys and put a stop to such 
behavior forthwith. <<


Kethryn now - 

The argument about the letter wouldn't be all that weak actually...except 
I don't think they have a self addressing envelope spell.  Remember Lockhart 
and Harry's detention?  Lockhart had him addressing the letters.  Still, 
Lockhart wasn't all that and a bag of chips as a wizard so he may not have 
known the self addressing envelope spell.  Oh, yeah, and Rita Seeker does 
have that whole Quick Quill thing so maybe the envelopes aren't that big a 
deal.  But you would think the person attaching them to the owls would have 
noticed at the very least.  Well, actually, someone did notice eventually, 
hence Hagrid's introduction.

I don't know how much Dumbledore knows about what is going on at Privet Drive 
but I do have a theory as to why he may not know about what the rotten Dursleys 
have been up to in his absence.  Since we know that Dumbledore is famous for 
giving second chances, is it that far off to assume that he did not check on 
Harry because he trusted the Dursleys to raise him correctly?  But that puts 
Dumbledore in a rather dubious light.  So in comes the theory...he did not 
check up on Harry because he was respecting the Dursleys' expressed wishes in 
regards to magic and he was also respecting their privacy.  Of course, that 
doesn't make him look all that good either.

I do agree that Snape could have asked the order to step in with the Dursleys 
and I actually tend to prefer that particular train of thought.  But, here 
comes a screw, so could have Arthur Weasley who, I am sure, gets regular reports from Ron, Fred, and George about what Harry has said about the Dursleys as well as being witness to their appallingly rude behavior at the beginning of
 GoF.  Of course, rudeness hardly constitutes abuse but that might have been 
the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.  But, then again, why wait a whole year?  Maybe Dumbledore, after hearing the complaints 
from Arthur, would have trusted that the threat of Sirius (and who could resist 
that little tidbit) would keep the Dursleys in line?

Bah, I don't know.  But, hey, thanks for the silver lining on the Snape cloud.

Kethryn who must get back to studying for her midterms now.