DD's dilemma (was: Hogwarts Teachers - Lockhart)

[meltowne]

No: HPFGUIDX 126345


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lupinlore" <bob.oliver at c...> 
wrote:

> And turning a blind eye to child abuse is a minor consequence?  I 
> suppose if you (generic you, not you personally) ARE talking about 
> Harry as a weapon rather than a human being, one could see the 
abuse 
> as a minor consequence. From the evidence we have Albus might be 
> thinking about Harry as a weapon.  If that is the case, it is a 
good 
> argument.  It is also morally reprehensible and he deserves some 
> severe consequences for that lapse.  As I've said, it isn't enough 
> to get Albus off the hook to show that he had reasons.  To get him 
> out from under the moral burden it needs to be shown that he paid 
> attention to the consequences of his decision and cared about them 
> and that he honestly BELIEVED that Harry WOULD have died -- not 
that 
> he "might" have died "if" Voldemort returned -- if he intervened to 
> stop the Dursleys child abuse.

I think there are a few things we must take into consideration before 
we accuse Dumbledore of allowing the Dursleys to abuse Harry.

First is Dumbledore's definition of abuse - we know Neville was 
dropped out a window to see if he had any wizarding ability.  This 
suggests that the moral compass of wizards differs a bit from that of 
Muggles.  Maybe some of what we consider abuse isn't considered abuse 
by wizards because it doesn't really cause any harm to wizarding 
children.

Second, we must ask how much Dumbledore really knew about the abuse.  
He knew they weren't very friendly, and didn't like Harry, but did 
Arabella Figg know that he lived in the cupboard under the stair?  
She babysat on Dudley's birthday each year, but I doubt she knew much 
about what happened inside the house.  Even she said she couldn't 
risk being too nice, lest the Dursley find someone else (presumably 
who would be even worse) to watch him.

Third, we must ask what the risk was to Harry.  I think in the 
beginning it was more than just the blood protection.  Obviously the 
Ministry knows where Harry is now, but did they know before he 
entered Hogwarts?  Maybe the Death Eaters couldn't have harmed Harry, 
but they could have made his life miserable - far worse than the 
Dursleys, if they had gotten hold of him as a young child.  Maybe the 
LeStranges didn't otrture the Longbottoms to find Voldemort, but to 
find Harry.  We don't know how much they knew about the prophesy, but 
maybe they knew LV was after Harry, and wanted to eliminate him after 
LV was gone.  If that's true, then staying with any Wizarding family 
would have been a risk - far worse than what he suffered in the 
Dursley household.