Musings on writing...

[aggiebell90]

Now that the reveals are up for the hp_canon_fest I can now announce that I wrote the only Petunia/Vernon fic, Secrets. (Is it the only Petunia/Vernon fic out there??? I've never seen one before. :P

Comments

[vegablack62]

Plus, traditionally abuse - and that's what Petunia's treatment of Harry comes down to - doesn't happen in a day... Control feeds into control, which feeds into a sickening sense of power and dominance.

You hit the nail on the head hear. This is so right both of abuse in general and the Dursleys in particular.

There was an abuse case in my state where a stepmother became more and more frustrated with a step child. First she locked her in a room windowless room which she couldn't leave except for school then she controled her food (sounds like Harry) in the end she wasn't allowed in school and she controled her food and her access to water until the kid almost died. She was in intensive care for dehydration and malnutrition when they found her. By that time years had passed with the abuse worsening every year. (They moved and kept the kids very existence secret.) The girl was 13 when they finally caught the parents' abuse. Her begining sounded exactly like Harry in the cupboard under the stairs. I wonder how things would have progressed for Harry if Dumbledore and Hogwarts hadn't removed Harry at least part time from the situation.

This couple were normal suburban parents if a bit "private".

I'm glad Petunia's attempt at reconciliation was so half-hearted. It would have taken an entire novel to describe a true attempt to reconcile, without that it made no artistic sense to try to have her make things up to Harry. IMHO.