Dahl and the Dursleys (was:Re: Cruel, Mean, and Nasty/Follow the Owls...)

[amanitamuscaria1]

No: HPFGUIDX 158901

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "horridporrid03" 
<horridporrid03 at ...> wrote:
> > <snip>
> Betsy Hp:
bigsnip
> I figured that JKR didn't really mean for the Dursleys to be *evil* 
> so much as *boring*. 

AmanitaMuscaria now - There's a reason Vernon is a director of 
Grunnings, a firm that makes drills - REALLY boring.
Cheers, Amanita
snipsnip

  No one writing Umbridge could 
> possibly have decided to be coy about how bad the Dursleys really 
> were to Harry.  I mean, she has them giving Harry old hangers as 
> Christmas presents. 
 
AmanitaMuscaria again - I still think this is part of The Pact. I 
mean, why else would the Dursleys even take the trouble to give Harry 
a coathanger or a pair of Vernon's old socks? Or, more telling, why 
would they bother to _send_ Harry a 50 pence piece? The only reason I 
can think of is that they _have_ to - it's part of the deal Petunia 
signed with Dumbledore. Same with the cold soup. They have to give 
Harry food, they have to give Harry a birthday present.
Cheers, AmanitaMuscaria