Choices/Snape as abuser, SKIP if not interested WAS :Re: CHAPTER

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 188563

Jean:
> And this is undoubtedly just a coincidence, but I think it's interesting
> that the Order showing up and threatening the Dursleys occurred the same
> year that _Snape_ learned of the Dursleys' abuse (as he obviously did during
> the Occlumency lessons).
> <SNIP>
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Yes, as far as I am concerned just a coincidence. ;) I mean, if there is evidence that Snape bothered to let other order members know about the abuse, I will be happy to give Snape credit for that of course.  
> 
> Seriously though I cannot help but think that JKR inserted that scene because too many readers were unhappy with what went on at Dursleys without any admonition from good guys. Please do not laugh, hear me out, I do not believe of course that she would change her story in a major ways to cater to readers¡¦ wishes, otherwise she would not have killed so many characters for starters, and did not do some other things lol. But she admitted going on line and reading many times, so I am solely speculating of course  with no proof whatsoever, but I wonder if she thought why not to make some readers happier if that does not interfere with the flow of the story. Here we go, see, they really do not approve of what Dursleys did to Harry. Of course for me that scene just raised more questions ¡V like really if it was so so dangerous for Dumbledore to interfere when Dursleys¡¦ abuse was at its worst, when Harry was there before Hogwarts, then why the heck it was not dangerous any more? Oh well, this was an aside.
> 


Montavilla47:

Alla, I'm not sure if you're talking about the scene where the Order
members threaten the Dursleys (at the end of OotP), or the one where 
Dumbledore threatens them (in the beginning of HBP).  

In the first case, it seemed to me that JKR was simply following
a pattern that had carried on through books 1-4, where Harry
leaves the Dursley home in hot water, through some kind of 
magical accident for which he carries no blame, but which the 
Dursleys will attribute to him.  

Then, at the end of the year, he returns to their home with enough
power to ensure they can't hurt him too much--which gives the 
reader the feeling that Harry has somehow achieved power over
them, having lost it at the beginning of the year.

In PS/SS, Harry gets this power because he knows how to do
magic and the Dursleys don't know he's not allowed to do it.
In CoS, Ron promises to check up on him and even telephone.
In PoA, he's able to tell them that his dangerous, murderous 
Godfather will be expecting to hear from him.  In GoF, he's
actually at his most powerful, because he doesn't even need
magical power or friends, he's beyond caring what the Dursleys
do.  And, in OotP, to show that he's no longer isolated, the 
Order members come out in force to threaten Vernon.

The departure came in HBP, when Dumbledore delivered 
the threats at the beginning of the book, instead of at the 
end.  Which was why I knew Dumbledore was dying already.
If he hadn't been, he'd have done that scene at the end of 
the book.