Fear as a Crime --Long (Re: muggle baiting )

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 156148

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > Honestly if there *aren't* consequences for the good guys' bad   
> > behavior, not only will the series lose most of it's magic for   
> > me, I'll be *very* careful about sharing it with children.  Talk 
> > about a wrong message!

> >>Alla:
> Would the series lose its magic for you if there would be no 
> consequences to what Draco did in HBP?
> Would the series lose its magic for you if Snape turns out to be   
> the traitor after all and JKR decides to just let Snape go,       
> dissappear somewhere without making him pay for Dumbledore's      
> murder? 
> Or would the series only lose its magic for you if there would be 
> no consequences for twins giving Toffee to Dudley and Hermione     
> putting **SNEAK** on Marietta's face?
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Yeah, if Draco is suddenly celebrated for bringing Death Eaters into 
Hogwarts, if Snape is held up as a wonderful guy because he betrayed 
and murdered Dumbledore, the books would lose some magic.  (Though 
the surreal, crack-pipe smoking, flip about that JKR would need to 
negotiate to have the above happen would have it's own type of 
fascination, I think. <g>)  

But do you really think that's going to happen?  Not hardly.  Draco 
suffers throughout HBP, and things don't look bright as Snape drags 
him from the tower.  And Snape is just a boiling pot of self-
recriminating angst ::Tries to resist hugging Snape. Fails.::  I'm 
not really worried about the bad guys being faced with the 
consequences of their bad behavior.  When do they ever *not* face 
consequences?

> >>a_svirn:
> Can I circle both A and B? I'd say that letting the twins and
> Hermione to get away with this sort of thing means conveying a very
> dubious sort of message. Certainly not the one any responsible    
> adult would want their children to learn. Naturally, the same goes 
> for Dudley and Marietta. Except that it's hardly the issue, is it?
> Although they have already come to their just deserts, something
> tells me that for the *good guys* comeuppance is not imminent.

Betsy Hp:
I'm still hopeful.  Why else would JKR remind the readers that 
Hermione disfigured a classmate, and show us that some of the 
Ravenclaws are still pissed about that?  Why else have the twins' 
near murder of Montague directly lead to Draco figuring out how to 
get Death Eaters into Hogwarts?  For that matter, why does JKR have 
the DA fracture so badly that only two members not in Harry's inner-
circle respond to a distress call?  And all while stressing the 
importance of unity.  

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > <SNIP>
> > And weirdly enough, I *loved* that Dudley punched Harry when 
> > the Dementors attacked.  Sure, he'd picked the wrong wizard, but 
> > having the hutzpah to take on Harry after all he's suffered at 
> > wizards' hands...  It was enough bravery to prove that he and    
> > Harry really are family, IMO.  
> > <SNIP>

> >>Alla:
> Of course Dudley run an awfully big risk that Harry would just    
> left him there and not bring his dear "brave" cousin home, despite 
> all the things Dudley did to him.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Dudley thought *Harry* was attacking him.  He was striking out at 
what he thought was the source of the problem.  Which, considering 
how badly Dudley has been treated by wizards, is pretty ballsy of 
him, IMO.  That he's wrong about the source of the danger is...  
well, gosh, it's yet another way that he and Harry are alike! <eg>

Betsy Hp