Dumbledore's actions again. WAS: Re: Snape and the "Chosen One" /JKR listening

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 153641

> Alla:
> 
> You see, THAT's what I see as unclear. I do think that JKR's message 
> beyond DD's actions IS that he really and truly could not have done 
> anything else except leaving Harry with Dursleys, I really do, BUT 
> then I don't see anywhere in the text why the options you describe 
> could not happen.
> 
> I mean, yes,  we have a hint that Dursleys could have thrown him 
> out, I guess, but is it clear? Not to me anyways, because in OOP 
> Petunia puts her foot down and contrary to Vernon's demands lets 
> Harry stay.

Pippin:
*After* Dumbledore sent his Howler. If Petunia didn't have the
option of throwing Harry out, he wouldn't have needed to send it
to her. QED. Obviously there are some negative consequences for
Petunia if she throws Harry out. It's equally obvious that she doesn't
always consider them. 

Alla:
> Oh, and how could I forget Order threatening Dursleys at the end of 
> OOP?

Pippin:
And that helped, did it? The Dursleys took Harry home and treated him
the same way they did after their encounter with Hagrid in PS/SS and
have ever since when nothing was aggravating the situation. They
provided him with room and board,spoke to him as little as possible,
and otherwise did their best to pretend he wasn't there. Every teenager's
dream, but not so hot for a one year old.  If they'd treated Harry that 
way from the beginning, it'd be a miracle if he even learned to talk.

I'd be amazed if any meaningful change had come from those threats--
gee whiz, here we are in RL spending millions on therapy and drugs and
the legal system, conducting agonizing debates on how to help when
family caregivers have deep-seated psychological problems,  and all 
we really need to do is speak firmly to them and tell them to knock it 
off? Right.

Meanwhile in the Potterverse, those threats were empty. No one came to
see how Harry was doing, no one checked to make sure he was taking 
his meals, and Lupin didn't even write, although he hadn't gone off on 
any secret mission yet, since he was over to dinner at the Weasleys on 
the weekends. Feh! I certainly hope they were told not to interfere...that's 
by far the nicest reason I can think of for their failure to follow through.

Of course we can invent other options for Dumbledore. All fictional
situations are contrived. Surely Achilles had other vulnerabilities besides 
his heel, Gwaihir could have flown Frodo and Sam to Mt Doom, and so on. 
Voldemort's Achilles heel is that there's something about the love/blood 
connection that's beyond him. 

The story is about that, the *gleam* is about that, and Petunia's
connection to Harry is most definitely about that. In the Potterverse
those other options simply don't exist. If JKR invented other options,
she'd also have to invent reasons why Dumbledore couldn't use them.

Ethicists are fond of inventing moral thought problems about
burning buildings and runaway trains where there's no option but
to let some innocent  people be killed, but nobody in their right mind
accuses them of advocating arson or the careless operation of 
railroads. :)

> <SNIP>
> PAR:
>  He could confront Draco early -- would that put Draco at 
> > risk? maybe. But better Draco, who IS guilty of attempted murder, 
> > than Katie Bell or Rosemerta who are innocent victims.

Pippin:
Draco was *alleged* to be guilty of attempted murder. Everyone
knew that Al Capone was a murderer, but that wasn't enough, and
yes, innocent people suffered. They suffer more when the authorities
start punishing people on the basis of allegations, no matter how
believable they are. It never stops with the guilty ones, does it?
Even Harry knows that.

Dumbledore let Lucius go in CoS for the same reason, with a 
warning very similar to the one which Draco received from Snape.

Alla:
> To go back to DD - IMO it is very important to JKR to get to fans 
> that DD is a good man and that is why we get HBP scene, because in 
> my book last scene of OOP smelled of Puppetmaster!Dumbledore way too 
> much, which is totally fine, IF that is what author wanted to 
> convey. But as said several times, I don't think that this is what 
> she wanted to convey at all.

Pippin:
But she has toyed with the idea of Puppetmaster!DD from the beginning,
contrasting it with Knownothing!DD and EpitomeofGoodness!DD. The
mixed message about Dumbledore has been there from the beginning, 
and is more evident than ever at the end of HBP, so why look at the 
opening chapters of HBP in isolation and say 'this is the Dumbledore
JKR meant to depict all along  and the others were unintentional.'

Pippin