Dursley's and Harry (was: Innocent Alby?)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 122946


>> Tonks:
>I am not saying that the Dursley's are wonderful people.  I am 
saying that they are not as terrible as everyone thinks that they 
are.  Harry hasn't had much in the way of material things and 
material things do not mean anything to him as a result. That is not 
a bad thing; in fact in some circles it is a very good thing.  Harry 
is alive and well, so he was not starved. Harry is not a fat, little 
indulged pig like Dudley, and that is a very good thing.<
 
>>Alla:
>Yes, he was starved , A LOT, in fact. I quoted canon on it many 
times, so if you would like me to cite it again, tell me. And besides 
not having much of material things, Harry was deprived of spiritual 
things - namely love and that is NOT a good thing in my book at all.<

Betsy:
I have problems with the word "starved" too.  Harry was not overfed, 
that is true.  And I think he wasn't allowed seconds, because they 
were given to Dudley (though I don't think that was any kind of favor 
to Dudley in the end).  But I don't recall him actually being faint 
from hunger, and his growth rate hasn't been stunted. I'm not trying 
to say the Dursley's were perfectly wonderful, but I think they trod 
a very fine line without tipping into actual, actionable (and I mean 
legally) abuse.  After all, what would the neighbors think?

As to love, I think Harry had one thing going for him here - he knew 
the Dursley's weren't his parents.  I think it's a huge thing to 
recognize that the people mistreating you are "Other" and that there 
is a real possibility that you had parents who loved you.  I think 
that's why Harry has always been so protective of his parents 
memory.  For many years, it was all he had.

It's also interesting to me that Vernon Dursley put so much effort 
into keeping Harry from the Wizarding World.  Remember, he and 
Petunia think of the WW as evil.  (It did kill her sister after all.) 
If they cared nothing about Harry, why not just let him go?  Sort of 
so long, not my problem anymore, don't let the door hit you on the 
way out.  Why take your entire family on a mad run around the country 
to keep your nephew from the WW?  (And Harry got equal share of their 
meager supplies on the island, interestingly enough.)  Had Vernon and 
Petunia tried, in their strange muggle way, to keep Harry out of the 
WW altogether?  Or in other words, keep him safe?
 
>>Tonks_op
<snip>
>As to Harry's anger in the beginning of OoP, that is his post 
tramatic stress reaction to the experience in the graveyard and the 
death of Cedric.<
 
>>Alla:
>It is most certainly PTSD to graveyard events, IMO, but I also 
consider it to be reaction to Dursleys' abuse.<

Betsy:
Again, I think the word "abuse" is too stong.  Harry certainly wasn't 
legally abused.  He was never beaten and he wasn't neglected.  He was 
not treated well, of course.  And he was often ignored (which I think 
Harry prefered actually).  But especially after PoA, the Dursley's 
seem more frightened of Harry than anything, and for the most part 
leave him alone.

I think Harry was angry because he was left out of the loop.  He 
*knew* things were going on, he knew his friends were involved, and 
he was stuck out in the fringes.  Even if the Dursley's had been a 
loving family, Harry would have been furious.  (On top of the PTSD.)

Betsy