(#) Theo 2011-02-08
Using a frying pan to try and hit someone with would not be considered physical abuse and making Harry live under the stairs wouldn't be emotional abuse?
The traps around the stone I could see as a way to ensnare Riddle. It is when Fawkes is the one to come in Harry's second year without Albus which is the one you need to explain.
Along those lines, why couldn't Albus have used Fawkes to find Harry at the grave yard?
Author's response
A lot of things to think about, but...
Well, Petunia didn't actually hit Harry with the frying pan - also, do you recall when that was? It was the summer after first year, when Harry was pretending to use magic on Dudley. He was hardly a pure innocent at the time.
Getting past plot contrivances, why couldn't he use Fawkes? If it's the same reason as in 2nd year, then perhaps Harry has to ask for Fawkes to come? Hard to say.
However, this story isn't about the mistakes Dumbledore made in canon - and he made a bunch. He died because of a pretty big mistake in judgement, after all.
I wouldn't say that I have a serious problem with these other Dumbledore fics, they just all seem the same, and are rarely consistent - if he's so manipulative, then why isn't he competent enough to foresee Harry trying to rebel? If he's just incompetent, then he's not a manipulator at all.