[HPforGrownups] Arthur right or not? ( was Hate crimes (was Re: muggle baiting vs. muggle tortur

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 155863

> Gerry
> Not really. It had changed until the dinner party where Dobby smashed
> a pudding. Then Harry got the letter that stated that as an underage
> wizard he was not allowed to do magic. This resulted in Uncle Vernon
> locking him up in his room. From this I assume Dudley also continued
> with is normal behaviour towards Harry

Magpie:
You shouldn't assume that imo.

Dudley always finds ways to get in little digs  and taunts at Harry, but I 
think it's pretty clear he no longer bullies him the way he did before, 
regardless of knowing Harry's not allowed to do magic at home.  Iirc, in 
OotP that's the whole point of Harry's taunting Dudley--he knows Dudley 
can't treat him the way he would treat any other kid, so is hoping to make 
Dudley look foolish when he can't explain to his friends why he's holding 
back on Harry.  He's a ticking time bomb as far as the Dursleys are 
concerned.

Harry is always treated badly at the Dursleys.  Iirc in GoF they're 
pretending he don't exist, which is fine with him.  But she's not having her 
hero beaten up regularly once he becomes a Wizard--good choice on her part. 
If she did decide to have Dudley actually physically assault Harry I've no 
doubt we'd hear about it.

> Betsy Hp:
> Okay, so how does that make Hermione being vicious, cruel and vile
> in return a *good* thing?

Seanmulligan:
It is only a word.  It is not carved into her head such as with a blood 
quill.

Magpie:
Err...relevence?  If forced to choose at gunpoint I'd choose the scar.  As 
would JKR, I think, since she gave Harry such a scar and it's pretty cool by 
HBP.  No way she would ever allow her hero to have pustules spelling out 
anything on his face (on his own "lovely, clear skin").  Though the fact 
that this is what we're reduced to comparing suggests there's some serious 
stuff going on on both sides.  It's only a word--that's generally what a 
brand is.

Ironically (at least I thought so in reading OotP), Hermione makes a similar 
comparison.  When Harry has an instinctive reaction to her saying she got 
the idea from the coins from the Dark Mark she counters that her coins don't 
mark peoples' skin, as if this is significant.  Couldn't help but later 
think that actually she did mark the skin.

-m