Dumbledore on the Dursleys in OotP - DD's Perspecitve

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 151363

dumbledore11214 wrote:

> Alla:
> 
> Okay, Pippin I thank for your answer and YES I think there is 
> NOTHING in the quote you brought that Dumbledore had EITHER right or 
> duty to say.
> 
> You see this quote is a perfect example of why it annoys me so much. 
> Dumbledore LECTURES Harry, he lectures Harry even though Sirius just 
> died, I don't even know that an hour passed after he died. I find it 
> despicable and the only excuse I can find is that Dumbledore was not 
> quite aware of what he was doing , otherwise I cannot respect him 
> anymore, so I guess I will be holding to that excuse. :)
> 

bboyminn:

I've only been following this conversation in a hit-and-miss fashion,
so I will address the general concept more than specific points.

I think Dumbledore certainly has both the Right and the Duty to make
that entire speech at that particular time. Dumbledore is Harry's
friend, he is also Headmaster of the school, within limits, he is also
Harry's guardian while Harry is at school, and he is the leader of the
independant moment against Voldemort. In that moment of anger, rage,
doubt, fear, pain, and most certainly guilt, Harry desperately needed
what Dumbledore gave him, and that was Perspective.

It would have been very easy for Harry to come away from those tragic
events blaming himself for Sirius's death, but Dumbledore softened the
blow, just as the blow was hitting hardest by accepting the bulk of
the blame for himself. He did not let Harry off the hook, nor did he
let Sirius of the hook, he did not let anyone else off the hook for
their level of responsibility in the events, but at the same time, as
the leader, he accepted a substantial and fair share of the blame for
himself. I think Harry needed to hear that. I think Harry desperately
needed to hear someone tell him all this wasn't his fault. 

Further, to each of Harry's comments (re: Sirius, Petunia, Kreacher,
etc...) Dumbledore again adds a reasonable and balanced perspective.
Sirius was neither kind nor cruel to Kreacher, but Kreacher was a
liability and a risk, it would have been wise to treat him especially
kind to win his favor and loyalty, even if ulitmately that was
impossible. 

The same with the comment about Petunia. Harry claimed she never loved
him, and Dumbledore pointed out that Petunia took him in and more
importantly kept him. Certainly, there were several occassions of
provocation along the way in which Petunia, or at least Vernon, would
have felt justified in turning Harry out. Yet, she kept him, even when
Vernon was determined to throw Harry out, Petunia insisted he stay.
She may have never shown any love or kindness to Harry, but she must
have some feelings however deep that prompted her to allow him to stay
in her house. Again, Dumbledore is simply trying to add a reasonable
perspective to what Harry is saying. 

I think in those desperate moments of trama, grief, and anger
immediately after the events, more than anything Harry need to see
those event, and the event in his life leading up to that moment, in a
reasonable and proper framework. In other words, he needed to
establish some perspective, some proper perspective, because without
that Harry's mind would have wandered down dark and desperate trails
of very improper and illogical perspective, and a great deal of
emotional damage would have been done that would be very difficult to
repair. Enough damage was done without compounding it by attempting to
ignore the events; leaving it all to that later time that never seems
to come.

Dumbledore saw the opportunity, and more importantly, he saw the need,
and he stepped up and helped Harry deal with the trama by trying to
put a very complex set of events into PERSPECTIVE.

You have made it clear, I think, that you don't feel that way, and
your position is valid simply by the fact that you feel it. Yet, I
think Dumbledore did an excellent job under difficult circumstances.
He accepted his own share of the blame, yet did not discount the blame
of others with hollow platitudes. It was a long and difficult
discussion, and considering he knew he had already left it for too
long, leaving it until later was not a good option. In tramatic
situations like this, leaving it until later is a bad move because,
most ofter, later never comes. Dumbledore had already left it until
later too many times, and now the time had come, and more importantly,
now the need had come.

I do see your point, I do understand your feelings, and I'm not
discounting them, I just can't bring myself to agree with them.

For what it's worth.

Steve/bboyminn