[HPforGrownups] Dumbledore on the Dursleys in OotP (was:Re: Old, old problem.)

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 151040


> Alla:
> It is what Ceridwen said - the general feel of the speech. Come to
> think of it, I would also not minded to hear Dumbledore apologising
> to Harry, just apology. Something like I did it to save your life,
> but I am sorry that to save your life was possible only by making
> you suffer.
>
> Again, I am not telling JKR how to write the books. I think it is
> very telling that OOP is the ONLY book, parts of which I disliked.
> Any other book I cannot find much to criticise at all, but yes, I
> was very angry with Dumbledore after his speech. I hope I answered
> why.

Magpie:
Add me to the list who thought that speech was just awful and hated DD at 
the end of it.  I think the first time I read it I especially hated where DD 
refers to Harry showing up " al ittle less well-fed" than he'd have liked. 
I just thought, um, it's not really up to you to decide that Harry's 
childhood wasn't all that bad, or to dismiss it as him being just "a bit 
underfed."  But it wasn't just that, it was that the whole speech just 
seemed like crazy DD to me.

Presumably JKR was just trying to get as much information in as possible, 
she's trying to lay out how we're supposed to read everything in OotP, but 
it reads to me like Dumbledore saying he's got an apology to make, saying 
that he's going to talk about his mistakes...and then instead explaining how 
the only real problem is other people and how they messed up.  DD's big 
mistakes were okay. Then he pulls out that, "I really wanted to make you, 
Prefect, you know!" (Hey Ron, you were right to feel inadequate!  And thank 
goodness Harry has that awful hardship fixed!) with his single tear.  Oh 
man, I thought he was a manipulative jerk.  I can't remember it all now, but 
I remember just the whole speech getting worse and worse for me.

-m