Dursleys or Death

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 164519

> >>bboyminn: 
> Essentially, I am saying that Harry has a good BS
> detector and he is able to see the Dursleys for the
> frauds that they are.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Really?  I don't think Harry's BS detector is all that great 
actually.  Sure he can spot the Dursleys as being bad eggs, but 
really, who couldn't?  They're mean to him, therefore they suck.  
Where's the challenge?

But Harry does fall for Fake!Moody's suck ups.  He mistrusts Cedric 
because of romantic jealousy.  He turns on Seamus for questioning 
him, etc., etc.  Harry's head is easily turned for a while by those 
who praise him, and he distrusts and dislikes those who are mean to 
him (remember, Draco said just about all the wrong things when 
talking to Harry in the robe shop).  That doesn't strike me as 
particularly good BS detection.  Fairly standard, if not a bit sub-
par, IMO.

> >>bboyminn:
> I'm not sure Harry would have the level of understanding
> that he currently has if he had grown up with James as
> an active father. I'm sure Harry would have grown up to
> be a fine boy, but I'm not sure he would have had the
> same sense of empathy for the outsider and the underdog. 
> <snip>
> But would he have felt and shown the same compassion for
> Neville or Luna? 
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
But Harry *doesn't* have a lot of compassion for Neville, or even 
Luna for a while there.  He sees Neville as fairly pathetic and tries 
to not hang out with him if he can avoid it up until I believe the 
HBP train scene.

I know there's this great fanon myth that Neville is Harry's second 
best male bud, but I think that developed because we fans like 
Neville so much.  And it overlooks Harry's sad and rather transparent 
efforts to lose Neville in PoA (The hunchback witch chapter, IIRC), 
and his embarrasement to be seen sitting with Neville in OotP.

Harry's also not too thrilled to be seen with Luna and is horrified 
to think they might have something in common.  It's not until HBP 
that Harry finally feels okay hanging around both Neville and Luna. 

Honestly, Harry's very insularism is a great weakness (the D.A. fell 
apart in part because Harry himself saw no worth in keeping it 
together) that I think the Dursleys can be blamed for.  So I think 
the Dursleys may have actually *weakened* Harry's abilities to fight 
Voldemort.  He can't even pull his fellow Gryffindor class together 
(Dean and Seamus were neither great friends of Harry by the end of 
HBP).  How is he going to follow the Sorting Hat's advice and pull 
together the four houses?  (I mean he will, obviously, but it'll be 
difficult. <g>)

Betsy Hp