This topic comes up a lot w/respect to the abuse inflicted by the Dursleys. How could the schools, teachers, neigbors, doctors, etc. not pick up on what was happening to Harry. In my mind, the Muggle world in canon is still fictional. Yes, much like our own, but still fairy tale-ish in that Cinderella evil step mother way. So your comment above about being altered for story effect, is sort of more how I see it (but close enough to "but with multiple differences" so I checked that.)
If the abuse doesn't show - lots of kids are skinny - then as long as they don't fall down the stairs too many times and have too many bruises that show everything's okay.
It's hard enough to get schools to stop blatant bullying, and even then it's not successful. And the Dursleys were pretty darn careful to preserve the exterior.
I'm afraid that in the real world it would have been all too easy for the Dursleys to get away with far worse.
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blamebrampton) wrote2011-02-08 11:58 pm
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It's hard enough to get schools to stop blatant bullying, and even then it's not successful. And the Dursleys were pretty darn careful to preserve the exterior.
I'm afraid that in the real world it would have been all too easy for the Dursleys to get away with far worse.