[HPforGrownups] Protection-Abuse / Patron-Client (was:re:Blood protection/ Dumbledore and Harry)

[Stacy Patnode]

No: HPFGUIDX 158555

 Betsy Hp writes:
Harry has chores, Dudley doesn't.  Dudley has tons of cool toys,
 Harry doesn't.  Dudley gets an ice-cream treat, Harry has to make do
 with a popsicle.

Stacy now:
Hmmm, I believe the only reason Harry was given the cheap lemon lolly was 
because there wasn't a graceful way for the Dursleys to refuse Harry a treat 
once the lady asked him what he wanted.  He was only given the treat to keep 
up appearances.

Betsy Hp:
Dudley gets taken on fun outings, Harry doesn't.
 Dudley watches what he wants to on TV, Harry has to make do with
 watching what Dudley wants to watch.  Dudley has *two* rooms,
 Harry's got a tiny little room under the stairs.

Stacy now:
I believe tiny little room is a generous description, don't you?  The "room" 
is described as a cupboard on numerous occasions.  What "normal" family 
keeps a child in a cupboard?  That's abuse and neglect in my book.

Betsy Hp:
Dudley gets up to
 the minute new fashions, Harry wears badly fitting hand-me-downs.

 So Harry is not in rags, he's not overworked.  I think there are
 *references* to Cinderella, but they're very, very mild.

Stacy now:
Harry doesn't wear rags?
PS/SS chapter three Letters from No one
There was a horrible smell in the kitchen next morning when Harry went in 
for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He 
went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags 
swimming in grey water.
"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did 
if he dared to ask a question.
"Your new school uniform," she said.
Harry looked in the bowl again.
"Oh," he said. "I didn't realise it had to be so wet."
"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old 
things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've 
finished."
Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down 
at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his 
first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, 
probably.

JKR clearly wrote the word rags in that scene.  The description of the 
clothing Petunia expects Harry to wear sounds a bit worse to me than badly 
fitting hand-me-downs.

Petunia calls Harry stupid for asking a simple question... a bit extreme, 
don't you think?  Referring to a child as stupid can do terrible things to 
the child's self-esteem.

Betsy Hp <huge snip>:
 Harry *is* low on the totem pole.  e.g. Petunia and Vernon get the
bed, Dudley gets the couch and Harry gets the floor.  Harry also
gets the nastiest blanket.  But, again, that's merely unfair.  I
wouldn't call it abusive.

Stacy now:
What messages do those actions send to a child?  Worst clothes, worst 
blanket, worst living accommodations until the Dursleys are scared into 
improving their treatment a fraction by the letters from Hogwarts.
I guess we just have different ideas of what constitutes abuse.  Harry has 
been emotionally abused and neglected since he went to live with the 
Dursleys.  There doesn't always necessarily have to be physical scars in 
abuse cases; emotional scars are hidden.

I believe Harry was abused and neglected by the Dursleys.  JKR just doesn't 
get too graphic, because these are children's books after all.

Stacy, apologizing for the length of this post