Etiquette WAS Re: polite Dumbledore?

[ornadv]

No: HPFGUIDX 142664

>Lupinlore

>True threats would have been
>something else again (for instance letting Vernon spend a weekend as
>a turnip), and I suspect would have worked very well indeed.

>Which, as I believe Alla has pointed out, is yet another reason that
>JKR seems to be backing away from the whole issue. As is her bad
>habit, she really didn't think that whole situation through very
>thoroughly at all. 


Orna:
I agree that DD could have bullied the Dursleys into treating Harry 
better. The mere owl-post addressed towards Harry in the cupboard 
was enough to give him a room upstairs. But, that wouldn't be the 
point. I mean – the whole thing about caring and loving is that it 
has to be done willfully. That's what Voldermort is incapable of 
understanding, when he coerces people into obedience, and thinks 
himself powerful, because of that. I don't see DD coercing the 
Dursleys into caring-like behavior, if it's not an absolute MUST. I 
liked the scene, because, DD's real power was the way he talked, and 
that's also IMO what made Petunia flinch – something got through to 
her.  (Reminds of his wandless dialogue with Draco, which has the 
power to bring Draco to some real confession of the terror he is 
from Voldermort) .  I think that JKR is very consistent in ways of 
showing the many faces of power, and drawing a (not always easy 
line) between coercive and abusive power, and "love-power". 

Orna