Molly & Harry (was:Molly and Arthur Was: Mother Molly /Nice people get a pass

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 125307


>>Magda: 
>I don't think she does treat Harry like one of her children - she 
treats her kids like her kids and she treats Harry like he was some 
kind of little king.  She fawns over him, usually in front of her own 
kids, and takes liberties upon herself (such as buying his dress 
robes and supplies without even consulting him) that rightly belong 
to a legal guardian - which she isn't.<

>>Naama:  
>For the first three books, Harry's legal guardian is in Azkaban. In 
GoF, he is abroad. In OoP, the only way he can buy supplies for Harry 
is via Amazon.com (which hasn't featured prominently in the 
Potterverse so far). 
>What you call "fawning" I see as trying to cram 10 years' worth of 
maternal affection, that she knows Harry didn't have. She is 
pampering him because he was so deprived before - she is trying to 
make up the loss. And she is doing all this without any having any 
*obligations* toward him - as you yourself have pointed out. Pure 
kindness and warmth of heart.< 

Betsy:
I agree with both of you, Magda and Naama.  Molly is showering Harry 
with love and attention because she *is* "trying to cram 10 years' 
worth of maternal affection" onto him.  And, as Naama says, Molly is 
motivated by love and kindness in doing so.

But, as Magda pointed out, Harry is not *really* treated like one of 
her own children.  When he sulks and avoids Molly in OotP, she lets 
him do so where she would have confronted one of her own children.  
And Molly showers him with the kind of praise and attention that her 
other children only recieve when they do something spectacular - like 
making Prefect.  (The twins keep Molly's attention by acting out.  
It's negative attention, but it's more than Ron generally gets.)

I don't think Molly is *wrong* in her behavior.  The fact is Harry is 
*not* her child, and she has no legal control over him.  So I think 
it's fine that she treats him like a beloved nephew or grandchild.  I 
think it's good for Harry, and the Weasley kids don't seem to 
begrudge him the attention.  I don't think Harry sees Molly as a 
source of advice, as he does with Arthur.  I also doubt that Harry 
thinks Molly's love is unconditional (I honestly don't know if it is 
or not, myself), but he appreciates what he can get.

Betsy