DD at the Dursleys: Why do people dislike the scene?

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 157534

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lupinlore" <rdoliver30 at ...> 
wrote:
>
> Let us turn our attention for a moment to a scene that gets a lot 
of discussion and no little heat:  DD at the Dursleys at the 
beginning of HBP.  Several people have expressed discomfort with or 
dislike for this scene.  I confess to being utterly baffled.
> 
> It seems that the scene serves two purposes.  One, the more minor 
> purpose, is to get Harry out of the house while providing some 
comic  relief and maybe a couple of hints (i.e. Petunia's blush) as 
to what might be coming.
> 
> The second, and more important purpose, is to correct some severe 
> mistakes JKR made in OOTP.  

Tonks:
As you know I am a faithful supporter of DD. And like Zgirnius, I 
too don't think Dumbledore's character was in need of rescuing after
OOTP.

As to the scene at the Dursley's I don't see it as Muggle baiting 
either.  I loved it.  I love the way he was able to handle what 
could have been a very difficult situation and do it with grace and 
skill.  It might be the salesman in me, but I just loved how he took 
charge of the situation and got done what had to be done and in a 
nice way.  It was so funny. IMO, it was the Dursley's response that 
makes it look bad to some. The Dursley's could have been more 
hospitable and acceptable. If they had been we would never have 
noticed DD's behavior. 

I want to be just like DD, even in this.  If it were me and I was 
treated by the Dursley's in such a inhospitable manner, I think I 
might have acted more like a DE than a saint.  DD shows how to 
handle this sort of thing with a bit of humor.  The "lets assume 
that you have invited me into your home", is great!!  I as sure some 
will disagree, but I think that it shows respect for them.  He could 
have just shoved them aside and pushed himself in.  He did it with 
grace.  And he did it with the skill of a great manipulator.  I 
admire that. (As long as he is on my side, of course. ;-)) It was a 
chess move sort of thing. Very well done.  Yes, I really admired DD 
all the more after that scene. 

We see a different side of DD here and in his talk with Harry about 
being cunning in getting the memory from Slughorn.  Now I know that 
this does have a rather odd ring to it.  It sounds a bit 
Slytherinish and shows a degree of manipulation of others that we 
might not want to teach the children.  And it seems a bit out of 
character for DD.  So in one sense I am surprised that DD tells 
Harry that being cunning in this manner is acceptable and expected.  
I wonder where that came from in JKR's head.  

There are a number of places in HBP where DD seems out of 
character.  I just assume this is in keeping with the whole theme of 
that book where everyone is suspect and might be someone else.  It 
keeps us off balanced throughout. (Symbolically it can be seen as a 
turning over the tables in the temple sort of thing. For those who 
are interested in the deeper symbols of the series.)

Tonks_op