Dursley Redemption?

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 140431

Gerald:

> Specifically, I'm hoping to see a turn around for Petunia. Sure she
> may not have liked that her sister was a witch and that her nephew 
is
> a wizard, but blood is still thicker than water. We also do not 
know
> what Dumbledore has told her to do. When you think about it, all 
the
> adversity at the Dursley's house has made Harry into the person he 
is
> now. Was she actually acting the whole time? I don't think so. I 
can't
> see her keeping that up for so long, but what if that's something 
that
> Dumbledore told her to do? To keep things a bit tough for Harry so 
he
> wouldn't grow up being soft and she went over the top? Maybe she
> really did worry about him and didn't want the same thing to 
happen to
> him as happened to his parents?
> 
> I'm really looking forward to seeing what the Dursleys do in book
> seven and hope that they don't wind up being throwaway characters. 



Alla:

Welcome, Gerald!

I am not sure I agree with you that Petunia was acting  at all, and 
especially on Dumbledore's orders.

It makes the whole Dumbledore speech when he comes to Dursleys to 
take Harry away to be a lie and I don't see Dumbledore as a lier.

I can definitely see your argument if you see him as a Puppetmaster! 
Dumbledore, of course.

But personally I doubt it. JMO, of course.


"Dumbledore paused, and although  his voice remained light and calm, 
and he gave no obvious sign of anger, Harry felt a kind of chill 
emanating from him and noticed that Dursleys drew very slightly 
closer together.
"You did not do as I asked . You have never treated Harry as a son. 
he has known nothing but neglect and often cruelty at your hands. 
The best that can be said is that  he has at least escaped  the 
appaling damage you have inflicted upon the unfortunate boy sitting 
between you." - HBP, p.55

I think Dumbledore is being sincere here, personally.

Now, does it forecloses the redemption of Petunia? No, unfortunately 
it does not, IMO.

I am saying "unfortunately" only because of what I think about 
Dursleys. :-)

I am so not a fan of them, in fact if they were to die slow and 
painful death, I could care less, BUT there is  that little sentence 
in OOP when Harry sees for the first time that Petunia looks like 
his mother's sister ( paraphrase) and there is of course Dumbledore 
saying

"however miserable he has been here, however unwelcome, however 
badly treated, you have at least, grudgingly allowed him 
protection" - HBP, p.55.

So, maybe Petunia would be sort of redeemed, because she did 
something good for Harry, but giving him protection is the ONLY good 
I can see that she did.  Before HBP) came out, I used to think that 
maybe even protection was not worth those ten years of misery Harry 
encountered.


I can see Petunia changing a little bit because she sees Harry for 
who he is and appreciating him  and maybe feeling remorse for what 
she did, but I absolutely don't see her getting any kind of reward 
moral or otherwise for her treatment of Harry while in her care.


Personally I was delighted when JKR made Dumbledore say that Harry 
suffered " neglect and cruelty" while at Dursleys care. To me his 
speech in OOP surely did not cut it.


Just me of course.

Alla