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

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 153989

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "canyoutellmehowtoget" 
<joemurphyus at ...> wrote:
>
> > 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.
> >
> 

Joe said:
> 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.
> 

Tonks:
Yes it was very humorious. But remember JKR uses humor and other 
emotions to take us away from what she is doing right in front of 
our noses at times. She will drop a clue while we are distracted.

I was impressed with DD's ability to manipulate the situation with 
the talent of a master. It did seem a bit, well, shameless, a bit 
pushy.  And then later DD, when Harry is assigned to get Slughorn's 
memory, DD encourages Harry to be cunning, and apparently thinks 
nothing of Harry getting someone drunk to get the information he 
wants from them.  It borders on an unforgivable invasion of 
another's free will. But I guess because it doesn't go over the line 
it is OK.  Still it is interesting that DD would be so blatantly 
manipulative, but dark side of me loves the fact that he is soooo 
good at it.  I think, oh ya, I want to be able to do it that well.  
Smooth
.  and not from Snape
 but from DD!!!!  You could say that DD 
is and advises Harry to be "cunning as a serpent".

Also I think the reason Bella behaves as a proper guest is because 
Snape is more powerful that she is. Maybe this scene is suspose to 
show us that. Maybe that is part of why she is in it. LV right hand 
is really Snape. Even Bella can go only so far with him. So maybe 
one thing all of these scenes show is who are the most power people 
in this story.

Tonks_op