To be fair to , I think it just exposed a lot of plot holes that have been there from the beginning. I've been reading it since I was about 12, so maybe I was just blinded by my love of the first 4.5 books (minus emo!harry), but since HBP killed most of that you notice all the flaws.

I like to think of it as being in love with somebody and then after 10 years of marriage where you see all their quirks, only then do you realize that you hate them.

 

Lol.

I liked the first books too. But HBP sorta destroyed everything that was there for me. I mean yes I know that there were questionable items in those books but they had such a wonderful plot that I could overlook them. HBP though.....

 

Well, why should he have been sent to a different family? In the books, as far as I can remember, there is actually no reference to abuse other than starving. I don't recall any refernces to Harry being beaten by the Dursleys other than Dudley during the "Harry Hunting" things. Also, what good would it have done if Harry was sent to a wizarding family? Then, that family probably would have paraded him around, showing him off, and then no more Harry because a DE decided that then would be a good time to off him. Sure, if he was sent to a different muggle family, there wouldn't be the starving aspect, but other than that he wouldn't really benefit from the new family because he would still be completely clueless about wizarding world. Just my thoughts on the issue.

 

MY problem is not that plot hole, but another that bothers me. First, how does Dumbledore know that the Potters were attacked when they were under the Fidelius charm, second, under the charm, how did Hagrid manage to find the house in the first place, third, how does Dumbledore know what happened as if he witnessed it with his own eyes?

 

"Nothing a good beating can't fix"
-V. Dursley

Fidelius may fall when the secret keeper or those under it die.

 

Thank you Lady Rebecca, it has been a while since I have read the first book. But really, with Vernon being abusive, either he is smarter than we think, or wizards are dumber than we think, because what I want to know is what happened to the permanent marks that usually occur with a beating. In the books, there are no mentions of poorly healed bones, which, if the Dursleys are as evil as we think them to be, would have occured due to lack of care from a real doctor if Vernon ever broke Harry's bones in anyway. Also, if Vernon really has a passion of hate for Harry, then wouldn't he have beaten Harry before his train ride? If so, then why does Harry seem so comfortable on the train with sitting and around people?

 

It seems like any abuse from the Dursleys consisted of manual labor, starvation (not fun I've had that thing happen to me), mild physical abuse, little health care, and heaping helpings of psychological abuse.

 

If harry were sent to live with a wizarding family that paraded him around, and a DE attacked, Harry would not die. There is still a little matter of the prophecy that hangs over his head, even if he didn't know it at the time. And for the beatings not leaving any physical marks, it is possible that his magic probably healed some of them up. And, if I remember correctly, wasn't Harry's arm broken when he was a child by a fire poker? And didn't he get whacked upside the head with a frying pan?

It's most likely that any beatings that Harry endured during his time with the Dursleys was minor, and he recieved it in soft places, which were covered by Dudley's tent-sized clothes.

 

I don't get why the Dursleys kept him. Just drop him off at a shopping mall or something. Makes you wonder about extortion or something...

 

A possibility, there's no real reason given forth on why the Dursleys keep their hated nephew. I think JK wants people to believe its out of some sort of family cannection that keeps 'm together. Love and all that rot.

 

Cause JK is a sentimental person, and the power of love, etc. Plus it makes Harry instantly sympathetic. An abused orphan without all the baggage of an abused orphan.

 

third, why did Hagrid take Harry away from his GODFATHER, if he was such good friends with the Potters and would've known their wishes for Harry if something happened to them (I don't believe they went into hiding without writing a will, yet AFAIK we've never heard of it)

I don't think there would've been SEVERE physical abuse, I would imagine that if he can apparate away from bullies and blow up his aunt, accidental magic would prevent severe beatings. I think it was mostly malnutrition, poor living conditions (he lives in a goddamn cupboard for 10 years, probably surrounded by all sorts of chemicals), and psych abuse.

In OoTP Petunia tried to hit him with a frying pan, but missed.
As for the prophecy, I agree. Even if Harry didn't know about it, DD certainly did.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Dumbledore expects Harry to kill a wizard with fifty more years of magical experience and insanely expanded knowledge of magical knowledge.

Which is probably the reason I wasn't sad when DD died in