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

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 151241

> >>Alla:
> Oh, but I probably was not making myself clear. I totally agree    
> that time had come to explain about the Prophecy, etc, I have no  
> problem with that part of the speech on the intellectual level,   
> that needed to be said, but the part about Sirius just was NOT    
> needed to be said, in my book, except JKR wanting to let us know   
> how she intended to present Sirius treatment of Kreacher. I mean, 
> really , without Dumbledore speech did anybody not understand that 
> Sirius did not treat Kreacher well? JKR showed it to us, I am not 
> quite sure why in addition to showing it she felt a need to make   
> Dumbledore say it and cut Harry's wounds.

Betsy Hp:
I don't think the goal was to either hurt Harry, make Sirius look 
bad, or even shift the blame off of Dumbledore's shoulders.  When 
Dumbledore brought Kreacher up, he didn't launch right into any sort 
of criticism of Sirius.  He was pretty much sticking to the facts.  
Snape did A, Dumbledore did B, Kreacher did C, etc.

But Harry reacted, understandably I think, with a lot of anger 
towards Kreacher's part in the happenings.  It's at this point that 
Dumbledore goes into his thing about Kreacher and the plight of 
house elves.

Was this the best time for it?  I'm of two minds.  On the one hand, 
it's no good for Harry to fixate on Kreacher.  Because Dumbledore is 
right, he is what wizards made him.  He was a tool rather than a 
cause, and it's important that Harry realize that.

But Kreacher wasn't created by Sirius.  And one year (less, really) 
of Sirius treating Kreacher well may not have been enough to change 
Kreacher's loyalty.  So the tact Dumbledore took (I warned Sirius, 
Sirius should have...,etc.) *was* a mistake.  But that's the thing, 
Dumbledore isn't the perfect, fairytale wiseman.  He's going through 
his own emotional fog (love that phrase) and he falls back a bit on 
his old phrases and arguments.  (I could totally see Dumbledore 
making a similar argument at a political meeting at the MoM.)

So I guess I feel that yes, Dumbledore did need to deal with Harry 
putting the blame on Kreacher, but also, yes he could have handled 
it better.  But I don't blame either Dumbledore or JKR for the 
awkwardness.  As Jen R. says, its rawness is what makes it real.  
Dumbledore is human, not a hallmark card.  *That's* what JKR needed 
to give us there, IMO.

I loved that the argument ended with Dumbledore burying his face in 
his hands.  He really is at the end of his endurance.  And yes it 
angers Harry.  He wants Dumbledore to be the man in charge, for 
there to be *someone* in charge.  But that's the painful thing about 
adulthood, there is no person in charge with a magic wand to make it 
all better.  And that's the truth Harry was demanding to be a part 
of all year, the truth Dumbledore was trying to protect him from, 
and the truth Harry needed (as he instinctually realized) to know.
  
> >>Alla:
> <snip>
> I mean, you are arguing that it was a transition to HBP, right?   
> But after reading HBP could you predict after that speech that    
> tone in HBP will switch so drastically again?
> I mean, I just don't see it as a good transition, unless you will 
> convince me :)

Betsy Hp:
Well, I'm not Jen R., and I usually send you screaming in the 
opposite direction <g> but the transition *did* work for me.  
Everything Dumbledore promised in this speech he did in HBP (less 
than a month later, I believe).  He is treating Harry as an adult.  
And the really cool thing?  Harry is *acting* like an adult.

It's like Rebecca says in her post here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/151233

> <snip>
> To me, that mindset and maturity Harry displays in this paragraph 
> is partially as a result of the way DD tells him the truth in OoP. 
> He has accepted reality and, in effect, the truth. Accepting the   
> truth and embracing reality, no matter how good or bad, empowers   
> one for extraordinary actions in desperate times.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
And you know?  What a relief for Dumbledore too, I'd imagine.  He's 
told Harry the truth, awkwardly, painfully.  But he did it.  And 
Harry rose to the challenge.  Which took a bit of the burden off of 
Dumbledore's shoulders, I'd think.  I'm glad he lived long enough to 
see it.

Betsy Hp