Leaning on the Dursleys was Hogwarts Teachers -/Re: DD's dilemma - Protectio

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 126330


Alla:
> I disagree that before the fact such protection does not give 
> Dumbledore much leverage , because if Dursleys indeed accepted 
> such protection from the beginning , they were sufficiently scared 
> of the fact that Voldemort may come back even HYPOTHETICALLY. I 
> think that if Dumbledore threatened to withdrew such protection 
> during those ten years, it would have worked very nicely.
> 
> Dursleys accepted that protection when Voldemort was not back yet. 
> I submit that they would not have wanted to lose it whether 
> Voldemort was there or not.


SSSusan:
And I *do* think that a threat to withdraw protection after a couple 
of years had passed would NOT have worked very nicely. :-)

What I am arguing is very much what Steve picked up on a few posts 
back.  Let's say that Petunia (I'm leaving Vernon out on purpose, 
since he likely has no inside info on the WW) believed & understood 
that Voldemort & the DEs were evil & dangerous.  When Harry appeared 
on her doorstep, presumably accompanied by the news that Voldy 
appeared to have been vanquished, but that it was POSSIBLE that he 
might manage to come back because of his work towards immortality, 
this would have frightened Petunia greatly.  Thus, Petunia might 
think accepting DD's protection would be advisable.  

Then time passes....  No news of Voldy....  No DEs in Little 
Whinging....  No danger seems imminent any more.  My argument is 
that it's **human nature** to stop focusing on a potential danger as 
time passes without its appearing.  

Right after 9/11 many people were understandably very, very vigilant 
about safety.  After a couple of years, a lot of people are, well, 
frankly, less focused on safety, less fretful about getting on a 
plane or going into a highrise, simply because they've had more & 
more experiences over time *without* another 9/11 happening.  (I'm 
not saying that's smart; I'm saying it's human nature.)

This is why I think DD didn't have much leverage after a time.  
Petunia may have *stopped believing* there was any danger of Voldy 
returning.  I mean, if he was going to do it, wouldn't he get it 
done as soon as possible?  Yet 2, 3, 4... years go by, with no 
attack, no sign of problem, and it's EASY to believe there is no 
real danger, that DD was wrong about Voldy coming back.

So why need any protection?  Not that you're going to refuse it 
outright, necessarily, but you just stop thinking about it.  If DD 
demands the Dursleys treat Harry properly, they could laugh in his 
face and say, "Why?  Nothing's going to happen to us!  You can't 
make us! YOU NEED US more than we need you."

But.  At the end of Harry's 4th year, what Petunia had possibly 
believed never would happen *did* happen.  The danger which had 
faded out of the realm of possibility had come back with a bang.  
Fear returns, desperation to protect her family returns.  And wham! -
- DD has leverage over them he didn't in those years when they 
didn't believe Voldy would return.

I take the threat by the Order members at King's Cross as evidence 
that the Order *does* understand they have more pull with the 
Dursleys than they did before Voldy reappeared.  

I also suspect that how the D's treat Harry at the start of HBP will 
tell us a lot about whether my view is right or way off base.

Siriusly Snapey Susan