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

[dungrollin]

No: HPFGUIDX 155903

> > Alla:
> > 
> > Where is it stated in canon that by the time of GoF Dudley was not 
> > bullying Harry any more? 
> 
> a_svirn:
> Where it says that he does? Find me one instance of Dudley bullying 
> Harry after he started Hogwarts. 

Dung:
Some relevant canon for the whole discussion which has splintered into 
many threads:

OotP chapter 1, p15 (UK)
"The Noble Sport", as Uncle Vernon called it, had made Dudley even 
more formidable than he had seemed to Harry <<in their primary 
school days when he had served as Dudley's first punchball. Harry 
was not remotely afraid of his cousin any more>> but he still 
didn't think that Dudley learning to punch harder and more 
accurately was cause for celebration.
(<<emphasis mine>>)

HBP chapter 10, p195 (UK)
"And so what? Morfin gave a Muggle a bit of what was coming to him 
- what about it then?"
"Morfin has broken wizarding law," said Ogden sternly.
"*Morfin has broken wizarding law*." Gaunt imitated Ogden's voice, 
making it pompous and singsong. Morfin cackled again. "He taught a 
filthy Muggle a lesson, that's illegal now, is it?"
"Yes," said Ogden. "I'm afraid it is."

HBP chapter 10, p197 (UK)
"[...]Morfin performed a  jinx or hex on the said Muggle, causing 
him to erupt in highly painful hives."
Morfin giggled.
"*Be quiet, boy*," snarled Gaunt in Parseltongue, and Morfin fell 
silent again.
"And so what if he did, then?" Gaunt said definatly to Ogden. "I 
expect you've wiped the Muggle's filthy face clean for him, and 
his memory to boot -"
"That's hardly the point, is it, Mr Gaunt?" said Ogden. "This was 
an unprovoked attack on a defenceless -"
"Ar, I had you marked out as a Muggle-lover the moment I saw you," 
sneered Gaunt and he spat on the floor again.

Now before everyone yells at me for claiming an invalid comparison, 
let me just point something out: Morfin may well have had nothing 
but contempt for Muggles, but I think we're led to believe that the 
reason he hexed Tom Riddle was that his sister was in love with him. 

HBP chapter 10, p199 (UK)
"*But I got him, father!" cackled Morfin. "I got him as he went by, 
and he didn't look so pretty with hives all over him, did he, 
Merope?*"

So if Morfin didn't hex Tom *because* he was a Muggle, does that 
make it ok?

Dung.
Personally agreeing with both Arthur and Ogden.