Dumbledore and Snape Fanfic Rant
Been looking at Harry Potter fanfics again. I get obsessed with ideas every now and then, but can't find them anywhere. Instead, I encounter a lot of things that upset me horribly. Lately, it's been Dumbledore bashing, making him out to be a villain and stuff like that. I really don't understand that. I've never seen a mentor treated the way Dumbledore is treated.
One of the issues regarding bashing Dumbledore is his decision to leave him with the Dursleys. Everyone seems to think that Harry can just leave the Dursleys for good and everything will be fine, but isn't the whole point of Harry's blood protection working is that he has to stay with a blood relation of his mother's until he's of age? And since it's pointed out many times that Petunia is Harry's only living relative, Dumbledore had little choice, but to leave him with Petunia.
I don't think Dumbledore wanted to leave him there. I'm sure if Lily had other relatives or if her parents were still alive, Dumbledore would have left Harry with them. Dumbledore felt Harry's best chance was the blood protection Lily left. However, Rowling saw fit to make Petunia the only member of the Evans family to still be living, so Harry had to live with Petunia.
I really don't understand it. I have yet to see a fanfic where Dumbledore isn't treated as trash because of how the Dursleys treat Harry. Everyone seems to forget that the Dursleys are easily influenced. Harry mentioning Sirius was enough to get Vernon to let Harry have his school things in his room. The threat from the Order was enough to influence them, too. While I'm sure Dumbledore knew that Harry was not treated like a normal family member, I think he would have stepped in had things gone to far, done exactly what the Order did in book five.
Has it ever been answered why the Dursleys didn't lock Harry up after book two? After finding out Harry couldn't do magic outside of school in book two, they locked him up, however, when book three opens up, Harry's allowed to walk around the house, he's not confined to his room like when Ron came to rescue him. Why? I wonder if Dumbledore had talked to the Dursleys, told them if that continued, there would be consequences. I think the only reason he didn't step in before that was because he didn't know the exact details of what was going on. He knew some things, but the Dursleys never hurt Harry, just mentally. Dudley is the only one who actually hit Harry and he wouldn't have done anything that would raise the teacher's suspicion.
Honestly, I don't really care for book seven, haven't read it and if half of what I've been seeing is a result of all these Dumbledore bashing, evil and all that, then I'm glad I haven't read it and never will. I prefer to see Dumbledore as the kind, powerful but human, mentor we see in the books.
And then there's Snape. It seems like wherever I go, James is blamed for why Snape treats Harry horribly. Snape is innocent. Snape is a victim.
I don't get that. Snape is just as vile to Neville as he is to Harry, if not more so. Did Frank Longbottom torment Snape, too? Is this another example where Neville has to pay for his father's sins? And let's not forget everyone else Snape has treated wrongly. He always favors the Slytherins, remember?
I always thought Snape was just as bad as a student as he was as an adult. Remus actually points out that Snape would curse James whenever he had a chance. Both sides were guilty. Snape might be more guilty than James because he went on to pick on innocent children who had nothing to do with what happened between him and James. I highly doubt James would have done that, even if the child was Snape's or a Slytherin. Yet, this is what I continue to see. James raked over the coals while Snape is this innocent bystander who's actions against Harry is completely justified.
*sighs* And people wonder why I get upset all the time. :(
One of the issues regarding bashing Dumbledore is his decision to leave him with the Dursleys. Everyone seems to think that Harry can just leave the Dursleys for good and everything will be fine, but isn't the whole point of Harry's blood protection working is that he has to stay with a blood relation of his mother's until he's of age? And since it's pointed out many times that Petunia is Harry's only living relative, Dumbledore had little choice, but to leave him with Petunia.
I don't think Dumbledore wanted to leave him there. I'm sure if Lily had other relatives or if her parents were still alive, Dumbledore would have left Harry with them. Dumbledore felt Harry's best chance was the blood protection Lily left. However, Rowling saw fit to make Petunia the only member of the Evans family to still be living, so Harry had to live with Petunia.
I really don't understand it. I have yet to see a fanfic where Dumbledore isn't treated as trash because of how the Dursleys treat Harry. Everyone seems to forget that the Dursleys are easily influenced. Harry mentioning Sirius was enough to get Vernon to let Harry have his school things in his room. The threat from the Order was enough to influence them, too. While I'm sure Dumbledore knew that Harry was not treated like a normal family member, I think he would have stepped in had things gone to far, done exactly what the Order did in book five.
Has it ever been answered why the Dursleys didn't lock Harry up after book two? After finding out Harry couldn't do magic outside of school in book two, they locked him up, however, when book three opens up, Harry's allowed to walk around the house, he's not confined to his room like when Ron came to rescue him. Why? I wonder if Dumbledore had talked to the Dursleys, told them if that continued, there would be consequences. I think the only reason he didn't step in before that was because he didn't know the exact details of what was going on. He knew some things, but the Dursleys never hurt Harry, just mentally. Dudley is the only one who actually hit Harry and he wouldn't have done anything that would raise the teacher's suspicion.
Honestly, I don't really care for book seven, haven't read it and if half of what I've been seeing is a result of all these Dumbledore bashing, evil and all that, then I'm glad I haven't read it and never will. I prefer to see Dumbledore as the kind, powerful but human, mentor we see in the books.
And then there's Snape. It seems like wherever I go, James is blamed for why Snape treats Harry horribly. Snape is innocent. Snape is a victim.
I don't get that. Snape is just as vile to Neville as he is to Harry, if not more so. Did Frank Longbottom torment Snape, too? Is this another example where Neville has to pay for his father's sins? And let's not forget everyone else Snape has treated wrongly. He always favors the Slytherins, remember?
I always thought Snape was just as bad as a student as he was as an adult. Remus actually points out that Snape would curse James whenever he had a chance. Both sides were guilty. Snape might be more guilty than James because he went on to pick on innocent children who had nothing to do with what happened between him and James. I highly doubt James would have done that, even if the child was Snape's or a Slytherin. Yet, this is what I continue to see. James raked over the coals while Snape is this innocent bystander who's actions against Harry is completely justified.
*sighs* And people wonder why I get upset all the time. :(