Just how are you supposed to learn to "man the fuck up" if you aren't allowed any social interaction, have your persona poisoned by lies, and are treated like a dog your whole life?

Frankly, I think that even given the not-so-abusive abuse that the Dursley's heaped on Harry, it was a much, much bigger deal than the books made it out to be. The fact that the Dursley's suffered no repercussions at all was one of the things that I hated the most about the series.

 

He was allowed social interaction. He did go to school the last time I checked. Sure he didn't have friends, but there are loads of kids who are outcasts in school.

Meh, I got yelled at a lot as a kid, didn't have any friends up until around 5th grade, didn't really hang out with people outside of school until high school, and got my ass whipped for stupid little things. I was farm boy that shit happens only we have a shitload of chores from a young age on top of it that were farm related.

Yet, somehow we survive and don't bitch about it. I'm far from being the only one who grew up like that around where I lived. There were never any child abuse charges filed. That was just the way things were. You manned the fuck up. "Life sucks, Go whine to someone else about your problems. I've got shit to do" was pretty much the theme of the day in the country.

 

That's great.

Did your parents make you sleep in a cupboard, tell all their friends and neighbors what a pathetic little shit you were, and encourage the bullies at school to pick on you?

Really?

Well that sucks.

 

I see it more as a middling ground between the ZOMG ABUSE!!1! crowd and the Man The Fuck Up view, since it really could have been a lot worse for him, but was still seriously not cool in a child protection kind of way. I'd call it child neglect more than abuse, really, and as bad as that is fanon has a way of making it seem like he had the worst childhood ever.

Secondly, I agree on the Dursleys not getting what they deserved. Despite how it could have been worse, child neglect is still a crime, and one Britain has very strict laws against. They really should have faced something for their crimes yet all we got was Harry showing his martyr complex off again to forgive them when they didn't deserve it.

 

To be fair they were forced into taking care of Harry.

 

To be fair, Harry was a one-year-old baby who'd just had his parents murdered - one of which was his new guardian's sister.

 

I don't mind the story, pretty good start. 4/5, hope to see more. Biggest peeve is how super-powered Harry is in regards to the mental arts. Cracking Dumbledore's shield, killing Demontors and his not even 14 yet? Way over-powered. Yet still an enjoyable read. Hopefully he doesnt get too involved into mind magic and instead focuses on plot / character interaction.

 

They never encouraged the bullies at school to pick on him. Do you know how many people complain about their kids to their friends? Seriously, I know a lot of parents who just assume their kids are up to no good on principle.

As for the cupboard thing, it is dumb. There is nothing wrong with a damn cupboard if you have enough room to lay down in it which he did. It wasn't like the kid was 6ft tall trying to cram himself into the place where he had to sleep sitting up. Spiders? Who doesn't have spiders in their room. I've killed more spiders on my bed then I can count.

Edit: Also, iirc they didn't start saying things to their friends until after he started Hogwarts. Before that they liked to pretend he didn't even exist.

 

Cupboards are quite cozy. Snape was right, Harry Potter was spoiled.

And he got at least one meal a day, the luxury! People in africa don't.

 

I think getting choked, beginning of the fifth book, can be considered abuse. And can lead to some hard feelings for them in the books. Make that become the norm and I can easily see this blinding hatred for them, wanting them dead, and his hatred for the Headmaster. It boils down to the blame game. I hate my life, now who do I blame.

That said, I'm thinking more on the fic and small things are starting to get to me. He's very mature for his speech. The fact that he all of a sudden and conveniently knew just hot to mount an elf's head.

This brings me to one conclusion. A good one if he keeps at it. The author has a natural gift with words, as he what he writes is very engaging, regardless of questionable plot uses. Many have said it's well-written enough to overlook the cliches.

I've only rarely encountered this in the fanfic world, and each time I do, where the author's writing is engaging, they grow more and more as a story-teller as they go along. Learning to use better plots and pacing.

I can't wait for him to get better as a story-teller.

 

Oh god, you just made my day.

Do the world a favor and banish all thought of ever becoming a parent from your mind.

 

Let's see, he had a pillow, blankets, clothes and enough room to lay down in that cupboard. Now, I don't know how there is that much room in there, but that is plenty of space considering all he does is sleep there or stay in there as punishment. I'd rather do that than share a room.

 

The cupboard was a symbol of their contempt for him. They had the means to easily put him in a real room on equal ground with their own son, but chose not to simply because they didn't care about him. If all that's available to a family is a shack with a cupboard under the stairs, then giving it to the child shows you love him/her. If they were housing 20 children and were cramming 5 in a room, and treated him as a member of the family, then the cupboard wouldn't be a symbol of anything other than the fact the family didn't make enough money. But instead it represents their hate.

 

This minus the part about more sever in canon. It was a thread derail that was discussing canon and not this story. I'm tired of talking about this shit. My point was that it was some terrible form of abuse people were making it out to be.

 

4.5/5 - Pulp-fanfiction at its best!

 

This is no pulp, this is the cream of the crop.

 

Okay, for the four chapters I've read...its a good start. There is a shit ton of room for it to all go down hill. Never Underestimate the ability of fanfiction writers to make things worse.

What I have yet to wrap my head around is whether or not in this story Potter actually is the BWL.

That said I would say that in the Canon the abuse was muted and made to be less of a big deal as it should have been. In all seriousness forcing a child to live in a cupboard, and encouraging the local bullies to pick on him and telling all the neighbors are actions no rational adult human from an Anglo-phone country would engage in.

Given what is mentioned in the Canon I'm more of a "Man The Fuck Up" persons...that being said provided that the abuse isn't over the top the Dursleys abusing Potter is not only acceptable but wanted--particularly if he is to become an evil sadistic little shit that murders for the fun of it.

The point is that abuse has to have a point in the story or it is just over used melodramatic bullshit that adds nothing.

 

Yeah, this. While it wasn't kind of the Dursleys, I could think of a lot worse things than sleeping in a cupboard, such as being forced to sleep outside in the snow.

 

That explains a lot about you, mknote. It really does. :|