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

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 151277

> Betsy Hp:
<SNIP>
> Actually, for the standard, "Dumbledore explains it all (tm)" 
scene, 
> JKR was absent for me in this one in a way she hadn't been 
before.  
> But then, OotP is really the book that I feel best introduces the 
> more human Dumbledore to us, so it makes sense that he gets to 
have 
> his most emotional scene, his most human scene, now.
> 
> Honestly, I really didn't get any sense of a "certain point of 
view" 
> being foisted on us by JKR.  I didn't get the impression that 
Harry 
> or Dumbledore were stepping in as her voice box, and I didn't get 
> the impression that some great moral point was being forced down 
my 
> throat.  Sirius died.  And Dumbledore and Harry are both having to 
> deal with that horrible, inescapable fact.  Death generally 
doesn't 
> come with a moral attached.  JKR was good enough, in my opinion, 
to 
> recognize that.

Alla:

Oh, that is very interesting. And I think this is exactly where my 
problem lies which may stopped me from adopting Jen Reese and your 
intrerpretation if it is similar to Jen's, I am not quite sure.

Jen argued yesterday that Dumbledore in this scene is shown as at 
the end of his rope and that he is tired and upset and shocked of 
almost loosing Harry and accordingly he may not necessarily say the 
best things to Harry. ( Right, Jen? I am not misinterpreting you?)

I actually have no problem with such interpretation whatsover, 
except I don't see hesitant Dumbledore, upset Dumbledore in this 
scene, even though he tries to be upset.

Or maybe I am not expressing myself well again. Maybe Dumbledore IS 
upset, what I don't see is self-doubting Dumbledore, Dumbledore who 
is not sure again whether he does a right thing, etc. What I do get 
out of this speech is Dumbledore indeed being JKR's mouthpiece and 
doing the explanation of the plot points, one by one.

I mean, if we were to argue that while in general Dumbledore was 
right that it is necessary to tell the truth to Harry ( and I agree 
with it), his mood prevented him from stopping himself and NOT to 
talk that way about Sirius ( like what Kreacher did was Sirius 
fault, and that basically it is Sirius fault that he died - of 
course that is just the impression I got), I will buy it.

I will buy it that Dumbledore being 150 old man had no clue how to 
talk to grieving teenager, that he forgot the pain of loosing the 
loved ones and only just recently experienced the scare of loosing 
Harry and that is why he was not quite himself, but As I said I just 
don't see self-doubting Dumbledore, unsure of himself Dumbledore, it 
is like - yeah, I did not tell you about Prophecy in the past, so I 
was wrong, but not QUITE so wrong, but now I am right totally right, 
oh  and of course it is your Godfather's fault that he died. ( Not 
to mention that I think that Dumbledore got it wrong - I think 
Kreacher would have hated Sirius no matter what, because Kreacher 
loved Sirius' parents and Sirius left them behind at sixteen. I give 
Kreacher's feelings enough respect for that. I mean, I am not 
denying that Sirius did not treat him well, but no, I don't think 
that Kreacher betrayed him because of that. I think I agree with 
Magpie on this again, if I did not misinterpret her.

I am afraid I don't make much sense, but yes, I did not see much of 
human Dumbledore in this scene. I saw a lot more of him in HBP 
though. One line " I am not worried, I am with you" worked wonders 
on me to show Dumbledore humanity and lots better than his OOP 
speech.

JMO,

Alla