HBP post DH look chapter 3

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 184311

> Montavilla47:
> 
> Welcome to the Dark Side, Alla!
> 
> I think that the purpose of this chapter was to deliver that Karmic 
justice
> you were looking for.

Alla:

If it was, I just wish it would have been delivered by somebody other 
than Dumbledore.

Montavilla47:
>And I can understand, in an abstract way, why 
> it would be satisfying for most of the people reading the books.

Alla:

LOL. As a veteran of these discussions, I remember quite a few people 
defending the Dursleys over the years, so no, it is not satisfying 
for most people, it is satisfying for me and I am guessing for some 
other readers. You are very far from being alone on that one as far 
as I remember. 

But yes, that defense I can understand only in the most abstract ways.


Montavilla47: 
> It wasn't for me, because I found Dumbledore hypocritical the first 
time I
> read it.  <SNIP> 

Alla:
Right I understand and agree with the reasons why I would consider 
Dumbledore hypocritical, it is just before book 7 to me despite all 
that he had done, he was not being as nearly horrible to Harry as 
Dursleys were.



Montavilla47:
> But the main thing was for me that I didn't think the Dursley's 
really needed
> any big Karmic humiliation.  I felt like they pretty much got their 
> comeuppances along the way.  <SNIP examples> They gain the upper 
hand once they realize that Harry isn't allowed to do 
> magic, but things keep backfiring on them.  They lose that 
important client
> in CoS.  Aunt Marge is blown up in PoA.  And then Harry gets the 
upperhand
> again at the end of PoA when he can use the threat of 
his "murderous" 
> Godfather to threaten Vernon.  <SNIP of the examples>

Alla:

Yeah, see to me no matter what backfired on them, it did not backfire 
nearly enough like ever to match what hungry and upset twelve year 
old was going through when they locked him up, no matter what 
backfired on them, it did not match eleven years in the cupboard.

I wanted them in pain, I wanted them to be just as helpless as Harry 
was for once. I felt like I got it in HBP. The scene did not lose 
emotional impact for me because I feel bad for Dursleys, it lost 
impact because of who was delivering it.

Ugh, I went into Dursleys' rant again, sorry.

Montavilla47:
> In PS/SS, a single owl-delivered letter gets the Dursleys to move 
Harry out
> of the cupboard and into Dudley's spare room.

Alla:

I guess to me it just did not cross out previous eleven years.

Montavilla47:
>At the end of OotP, a gang
> of wizards openly threatens Vernon.  So, by HBP, the Dursleys (in 
terms of
> danger or harm to Harry) have shrunk to ant size.  Dumbledore's 
just the 
> boot that finally squashes them flat.

Alla:

Sure, just to me no danger, did not mean that I did not want payback.



Carol, who found Dumbledore's (unwitting?) hypocrisy in this chapter
less disturbing than other instances of Gryffindor bullying, not to
mention the Dumbledore of "The Prince's Tale," the Dumbledore that
Snape knew and chose to trust  <SNIP of the whole post by Carol and 
reply only to signature>


Alla:

Very good example actually of what I would have still enjoyed with 
Dursleys. I of course have zero problems with how Dumbledore behaves 
towards Snape in Prince tale, to me he had it coming big time and I 
loved that.

But obviously the fact that I enjoyed it, does not mean that I am 
going to delude myself and say that I think that Dumbledore behaved 
as a good person here. It is just when I look at Dumbledore and 
Snape, I find Snape to be much worse in terms of what he did to Harry 
and I do not mind Dumbledore delivering that medicine to Severus dear.

JMO,

Alla