Harry's revenge on the Dursleys.

[Eol]

It occurs to me now that in book 7 Harry is going to be 17, i.e. Of Age. He can do magic at home. Who here thinks that he's going to use this to his advantage to take revenge on the Dursley's for treating him so crummily for the past 17 years? I personally would love to see that. Of course there is the issue of doing magic in front of muggles, but I'm sure that if the muggles already know about the magic this won't matter. There is also the issue about whether it is in Harry's character to behave in such a way, but as we've seen in the last book, he does have a bit of a mean streak, and the Dursley's do deserve it.

[paintballdecoy]

I really don't think so. I mean, yeah, he hates them, but he isn't so dense that he cloudn't see that for what 10 years, he was an inconvienance on them. I think he will be greatful for them taking him in, and keeping him safe.I don't think the Dursleys deserve to be attack, for they never hurt Harry. Maybe they didn't feed him, but they never abused him terrible. I would hate to see Harry do something like that. It would cheapen him, you know bring him down to a level no better then the Death Eaters. I also don't think it is something JK Rowling would write that....

I would evan go as far as saying he would thank them for allowing him the live there....but then he would high-tail it out of there!!!!

[Gower]

I disagree, in fact I expect Harry to get some kind of revenge on the Dursleys. They've treated him awfully, and he isn't greatful to them for anything.

[Alice I]

I voted no.
While Harry might be tempted to play a prank or two on Dudley specifically I do not believe that he would take revenge on the Dursleys.

I disagree with this quote:

but he isn't so dense that he couldn’t see that for what 10 years, he was an inconvenience on them. I think he will be grateful for them taking him in, and keeping him safe. I don't think the Dursleys deserve to be attack, for they never hurt Harry.

During Harry's life with the Dursleys he cooked for them, cleaned the house, was not given proper nutrition (in fact Vernon made it clear in P/SS that starvation was a common punishment for Harry), was closed up in a closet under the stairs and never paid in anyway for his contributions to the household.
Harry was indeed harmed by them.
I do not recall specifically if he was ever the recipient of corporal punishment at the hands of his Aunt and Uncle but that would certainly be in character with them. Aunt Marge didn't seem to think that beatings were a bad thing.
In any case he was treated like an indentured servant for the whole of his life with these people even after he became aware of his magical powers.
I do not see Harry as being grateful for any aspect of his life at 4 Privet Dr., however Harry's strength of character would not allow him to seek revenge against them.

All through the books Harry has displayed an underlying decency toward all people and creatures.
(Albeit with a couple notable exceptions = Lord Voldemort, Draco Malfoy and thus far Snape though that will probably change in the next two books)
He is basically a good person with a kind heart and I do not see a person like that exacting revenge for a hard life on the people he has lived with since childhood.

I would love to see some other force exact a little revenge on his behalf though i.e.: The Twins. (The incident with the Ton Tongue Toffee just wasn't enough for me. I want to see more of their inventions fall into Dudley’s rather dimwitted hands!)

[TDM]

well, i don't think he will. i think he will scare them, and it will go something like this:



Harry pulled his trunk downstairs, thinking happily of the moment that he will be rid of Privet Drive forever. The Dursleys are standing there, Uncle Vernon's eyes darting back and forth from Harry, his wand in his hand, and the door.

"Well, get out, then," Uncle Vernon said quietly.

"I will," Harry said, opening the door and beginning to step out. "But one thing first." He looked back at the Dursleys, now cowering at these words. "I am going to repay you..."

"Good," Uncle Vernon said. "You've cost me a lot over these years, and I want real money, none of that fool's gold you freaks use."

"Not that," Harry said. "I am going get you back for all the pain you've put me through all of these years." He raised his wand, while Dudley screamed and passed out.

"No...don't," Uncle Vernon pleaded. Harry paused, looking at the lump of a form of Dudley lying, unconscious, on the floor.

"Actually," Harry said, lowering his wand and sniggering a little bit. "That was the exact effect I wanted. Have a good life." Harry then walked out of the house, leaving the Dursley's for good at last.



heh, add a bit of JKR's flair into it, and that's how i think it'll turn out. or something along those lings.

[Athena Appleton]

I voted no, but it's on a technicality.

I don't think he'll actually get "revenge" on them, because I don't like the attitude associated with that word. I do think, though, that he won't be able to help himeself and will have to do something to either scare them (like TDM suggested) or play a sort of major prank on them.

I hope by that time, though, that Harry will have grown into himself, grown up, and gotton a little humor to balance out the anger. I know he's been through a lot, and I personally think that what the Dursleys have done is perhaps the worst sin in the world (anyone who adopts a child then abuses him/her deserves to burn for eternity, in my opinion), but I hope that Harry will have the capacity by that time to be the better man and not try to get "revenge". At the most, like I said, I think he'd take advantage of his situation as an of-age wizard, and possibly do some stuff to scare them or freak them out, but that's about it.

[Gower]

Well yes, when i said revenge I didn't mean anything like Avada Kadavra or Crucio or anything like that
Maybe a jelly legs or something annoying

[imc130d]

Gotta vote no on this one, although TheDragonMaster's writeup made me snicker.

First, I don't think the Dursleys are going to live through all seven books. At the end of OotP, Harry learned that living with the Dursleys protects him. If Lord Thingy ever learns about this, he will have the Dursleys killed in order to flush Harry out. And since the connection between Harry and the Dork Lord is getting stronger, I think it's likely that Lord Thingy will learn about this protection. If I'm reading the books correctly, the amount of time Harry spends at the Dursleys shortens each year. I think it's likely that HBP will end at King's Cross, with Harry learning as he gets off the train that the Dark Mark has just been sighted over No. 4 Privet Drive.

Second, if the Dursleys do manage to avoid being killed by Death Eaters, the point at which Harry would be likely to deal with moving out of their house would be at the end of Book 7, assuming he lives through the final battle with Lord Thingy. By this point, Harry is likely to be exhausted, both emotionally and physically. He will have just defeated the strongest magical user in a century. He's probably not going to have any energy to spare for the Dursleys. He'll just get whatever few possessions are still at No. 4 Privet Drive, and walk out without saying a word. If any of the Dursleys say anything to him, he won't even respond.

Having typed all this, though, I'm beginning to wonder. I'd like to see the Dursleys get just desserts for how they've treated Harry all these years, but I think being killed by Death Eaters is a bit much. Perhaps a year or so later, after everything has settled down a bit...

[Athena Appleton]

I'm a little confused about something...

Doesn't Voldemort know about Harry's protection with the Dursleys?

[Gower]

I think he does know about it, but it might be his best chance to get at Harry. He ceratinly can't do anything when Harry is at the ootp HQ.

[Eol]

Perhaps "revenge" was too strong a word. What I meant was the issue that you're all getting at, just a little payback.

I was so surprised by your post Paintballdecoy that I'm going to refute it point by point.

I really don't think so. I mean, yeah, he hates them, but he isn't so dense that he cloudn't see that for what 10 years, he was an inconvienance on them.

An inconvenience? You make Harry sound like an ingrowing toenail? He's their flesh and blood. Yes it was tough on the Dursley's to have another infant unexpectedly thrust upon them, but it was not Harry's fault that this happened and they should not have treated him this way. Moreover, its not as if they don't have the money to treat him much better than this. They showered Dudley with so many gifts that he needed a second room to keep them all in. As Alice I has already pointed out, Harry did a lot of work for the Dursleys and got no thanks for it in return.

Maybe they didn't feed him, but they never abused him terrible

As if not feeding him properly is not terrible abuse in itself, the Dursleys have treated him much worse than that. How would you like it if you had to sleep under the stairs in a cupboard, you were treated as if you were a disease? How would you like to be critised for every tiny thing you did?

I think he will be greatful for them taking him in, and keeping him safe.I don't think the Dursleys deserve to be attack, for they never hurt Harry.

On more than one occasion have the Dursleys attempted to or succeeded in physically abusing Harry. In CoS, aunt Petunia tried to hit him in the head with a frying pan. In OotP, uncle Vernon strangled Harry. In PS we learnt that Harry had been constantly bullied in school by Dudley. Aunt Petunia had taken a pair of scissors and had shorn off all of his hair.
After this comes the years of emotional abuse. On many an occasion it has been said that the Dursleys enjoyed seeing Harry in pain. In PS they left him at Kings Cross station by himself. His birthday and Christmas gifts have always been to dampen his spirits. They would constantly ignore him for weeks on end to make him feel as if he didn't exist. The constant chides about his parents, was that for his benefit? In OotP Mrs.Figg had said she had to be mean to Harry in the past or the Dursleys wouldn't have let him come round any more.

It would cheapen him, you know bring him down to a level no better then the Death Eaters.

The kind of revenge I meant was what the Dragon master put down. Perhaps a better word than revenge would be retribution. Perhaps a week of the Dursleys being treated like Harry has been only without the more severe aspects( I too would hate to see Harry go mad and savage the Dursleys) would be enough. I don't think it would be in his nature to go any further than that, he's too good a person. In fact, considering the amount of abuse that Harry has had to put up with its a wonder he turned out so well at all.

[Gower]

Yes, I agree with you Eol. In fact I seem to remember JK saying that the Dursleys are among the most evil characters in the whole series.
In Gof it says that Vernon is thinking about whether or not to let Harry go to the quidditch world cup. Allowing him to go would make Harry happy, something which Vernon had been struggling against for 13 years.

[Groo]

yeah i get what Eol is saying.. and i agree to all points.

TDM's story was a bit... er...unbelievable i think but i guess what he is trying to say is that he'll scare them or do some light magic which is what i think will happen.
But i dont think Harry will do anything to the Dursleys unprovoked. if they harass him again in any way, he would retaliate unhitchingly with his new freedom of magic

what i wonder is whether the Dursleys will behave better to him after Moody and co's warnings to them. that will be the deciding factor i think as it will determine whether Harry's temper will snap again or not.

[Gower]

Well they've already had a few warnings. I think they might go back to acting as if Harry is invisible, which he will see as an improvement.

[Athena Appleton]

I kind of agree with you, Gower...

I think Vernon and Petunia will, instead of being sugary sweet to Harry, treat him as though he doesn't exist, basically letting him do some things that may jeopardize his own safety (if they say nothing if he leaves in the middle of the night, etc.) and that would be a possible reason for Harry leaving the Dursleys as quickly as he does this time around (according to Rowling's statement about how this will be Harry's shortest time with the Dursleys yet.)