Unwelcome visitors and drinks in HBP chapters 1-4 (Was: Spinner's End Clues)

[canyoutellmehowtoget]

No: HPFGUIDX 153977

> a_svirn:
> Ah, but his guests were much more agreeable! Even Bellatrix for all
> her hostility never tried to usurp his position as a host. Which is
> more that could be said of Dumbledore at the Dursleys's and
Scrimgeour
> at the Prime Minister's office. That was a parallel that struck me
as
> important when I first read HBP. It's really disturbing the way the
> Best of the Good Guys and the lax-principled Minister for Magic
employ
> similar tactics in intimidating hapless muggles -- down to symbolic
> gesture of offering drinks to their hosts. I am still not sure
whether
> Rowling really meant to cast a shadow on Dumbledore moral authority
by
> making this connection or whether it was totally unintentional.
> However it might be it makes Dumbledore behaviour appear almost
> sinister.
>

In the case of DD with the Dursley's I think JKR was going for
comedic relief with the glasses of mead bonking the Dursley's on the
head so that they would take them and drink them. DD was about to
upbraid the Dursley's on their behavior toward HP so a bit of
knocking them upside the had may have been appropriate. I didn't find
it sinister. I didn't think it was casting a shadow on Dumbledore
moral authority at all.

Joe.