Molly and Harry - Treated Like Family

[jdl3811220]

No: HPFGUIDX 159898

> bboyminn:
>
> Oddly, while I agree with you on general principle, I
> can't agree with  your last sentence. I even wrote a fan
> fiction expressing exactly the opposite view. Molly does
> treat Harry as a guest. She makes him breakfast in bed,
> doesn't require him to do chores, although she does seem
> to extend an expectation of reasonable social behavior.
> In other words, she expects him to be a polite and
> considerate guest. Though as we all have seen, she
> certainly has no worries about this from Harry.
>
> Now, my fan fiction, though it is not directly relevant,
> can still serve as an illustration of my point. The story
> revolves around Harry not having any real family or
> connection to anyone. In this sense, he envies Ron. I'll
> skip the details, but it ends with Molly scolding Harry,
> and rather than being shocked or put off, Harry is very
> touched by it. It is a signal to him that he REALLY IS
> home, that he really is with family.
>
> Molly runs 'a very tight ship', but I think most of her
> kids know that, for the most part, it is bluster. Seldom
> do the tellings-off every come with any real punishment.
> When there IS punishment, it is usually of the
> firm-but-fair variety.
>
> Most kids, once they have grown older, typically say they
> wish their parents were more strict. I think Molly works
> hard to keep her crew on the straight and narrow, and she
> does her best, within her means, to reward success. I don't
> know, but that sounds like good parenting to me.
>
> So, I think of Molly suddenly treated Harry 'like one of the
> family', Harry would be very touched by it. It would instill
> in him a true sense of belonging, which I think is very
> important to Harry, or at least will be.



I think the reason Molly doesn't have Harry doing chores is because
she knows that he has been treated so badly at the Dursleys, she
sort of pampers him a bit. She feels maybe that she can undo the bad
stuff that's been done with a lot of spoiling, I guess.

It's like buying your daughter a tub of ice cream after her
boyfriend breaks up with her and letting her sleep till noon and
doing her chores for her that week. Just something a mom would do.

I think Harry eats it up, drinks it in. She's the closest thing he's
ever known to a mother. And I firmly believe he would love the
chance to be a part of the family. All the Weasleys would welcome
him in with open arms.

They already do treat him like family in many ways. Before the final
task in the Goblet of Fire, Molly and Bill surprise Harry by being
in the chamber reserved only for family members of the champions.
They spend the day with Harry touring Hogwarts before the last task
begins. When Sirius and Molly argue about telling Harry what is
going on with Voldemort at Grimmauld Place in the Order of the
Pheonix, Molly answers back after being told that Harry is not her
son that he's as good as hers.

Sirius had been Harry's father figure, Dumbledore like a grandfather
figure to him, Molly is like a mother, Hermione like a sister and
Ron like a brother. Harry also has Lupin, Author, Tonks, Charlie,
Bill and the twins. They've all been by his side during the best and
the worst times of his life. I'd say Harry does have family ;-)

Jenni from Alabama