...once again Dumbledore!Abuse /Blood magic v Love magic

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 142892

 
> Jen: There's a symbolic factor at work, though, in the protection. 
> Love magic is different from just feeling love. Love magic is love-
> made-manifest and in this case, residing in Harry's skin. 

a_svirn:
I daresay. But should it be this different? This is the question 
that really bothers me. All the other examples of the "higher" magic 
that metaphorically, symbolically etc represent essential human 
relationships are pretty straightforward in this respect.  Fidelius 
charm can only work if you are loyal. If you are not it fails. We 
don't know how precisely the life debt thing works, but I have a 
hunch that the obligation exists only if you recognise it. The magic 
of the Unbreakable Vow can only be invoked if you are making a 
commitment, etc. And yet with Love the most important of all things 
muggle and magical "just feeling love" suddenly becomes less 
important, than being a blood relation. 

> Jen: When 
> Dumbledore placed the charm and asked Petunia to seal it, he was 
> asking for her compassion as much as her blood. He was asking her 
to 
> give Lily's love for Harry a chance to grow and protect him as 
long 
> as possible (even if Petunia felt no love for Harry herself). 

a_svirn:
Well, he may have asked for compassion (which, incidentally, is not 
quite the same thing as love), but he, and more to the point, Harry 
never got it. We've seen enough of the Dursleys to be able to state 
it with a great degree of certainty. And Dumbledore himself 
acknowledged it in his little speech; he said that they had not done 
as he asked, and that Harry had never knew anything but neglect and 
cruelty at their hands.