Deathly Hallows uberwank: Chapter 3, The Dursleys Departing
Again, I haven't got much to say about this chapter, as not much happens in it. The next one, things get a bit more interesting, so I'll try and get that one up later.
A lot of the content of this one is title crawl territory: characters having conversations which start with, "As you know..." or "I'll explain this one more time". (There's a much better and more detailed discussion of what I mean right here.) The Dursleys are meant to be going off into hiding, but Uncle Vernon has convinced himself that it's all a plot so that Harry can get the house. (You know, I rather like Uncle Vernon as a cartoon villain - he works on the same level as, say, the Trunchbull in Matilda. In a previous book we see him reading the Daily Mail and, here, he obsesses over house prices. Unlike many better-loved characters, he's at least consistent. Or incredibly two-dimensional, whichever.) Harry repeats a bunch of stuff we already know, like how Voldemort kills people for no real reason except to be a mean bastard; how the Dursleys are in danger; how it is a dark time for the Rebellion; how Arthur Weasley once demolished part of the Dursleys' living room; how, unbeknownst to the Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort has started work on a new Death Star even more powerful than the original; how Hagrid showed up on that rock on the sea once and gave Harry some cake. Vernon wanks a bit; however, Dudley wants to go, which seals the deal.
Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle show up and provide some more exposition. The car is loaded, and it's time to go, according to Dedalus's pocket watch. He puts it away; Uncle Vernon stares at "the bulge in Dedalus's waistcoat pocket", providing the only amusing moment of the chapter, although I don't think it's intentional. I'm twelve, apparently.
Time to go. Vernon fails to shake Harry's hand. They start to leave and Dudley freaks out that Harry isn't going with them. Hestia and Dedalus get surprised that the Dursleys think Harry is a waste of space and don't worship him for being all speshul and the chosen one, destined to return balance to the Force etc etc. Dudley says he doesn't think Harry sucks so much. Aunt Petunia acts like a cartoon character again. Dudley and Harry shake hands. The Dursleys leave, and that's the last we ever hear of them.
You know what? The Harry-Dudley interactions here, if done well, could have been quite touching, I think. If it had been set up earlier, maybe, or if that cup of tea outside Harry's room had been an awkward, stilted but ultimately well-meant conversation. As this is, it almost gets there but not quite; I'm left feeling that the Dursleys (not Vernon so much, but certainly Petunia and Dudley), having been utterly flat and cardboard throughourt the series, had the chance to show some depth, to let us understand their motivations, since they've never really had any reason to behave how they do except that they're the designated antagonists. But no - we get what feels like lip-service to their character/story arc, and then off they go. For the record, this is the first of many times in this book where a particular character is wheeled on and speaks a few lines or provides some random Incredibly Useful Information before wandering off and never being heard of again. The Dursleys are really not that important overall, but they (Petunia in particular) are relevant, so I feel a bit like they should either have had a bigger role here or else just not been included. Why use an entire chapter to basically tell us "The Dursley family aren't in the books any more after this"? It's not like I'm a massive Dursleys fan or anything, it's more that this feels a bit half-arsed.
I don't even care that much, honestly - I just feel like I need to say something about every chapter, no matter how little there is to actually say.
That's it. Onward.
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A lot of the content of this one is title crawl territory: characters having conversations which start with, "As you know..." or "I'll explain this one more time". (There's a much better and more detailed discussion of what I mean right here.) The Dursleys are meant to be going off into hiding, but Uncle Vernon has convinced himself that it's all a plot so that Harry can get the house. (You know, I rather like Uncle Vernon as a cartoon villain - he works on the same level as, say, the Trunchbull in Matilda. In a previous book we see him reading the Daily Mail and, here, he obsesses over house prices. Unlike many better-loved characters, he's at least consistent. Or incredibly two-dimensional, whichever.) Harry repeats a bunch of stuff we already know, like how Voldemort kills people for no real reason except to be a mean bastard; how the Dursleys are in danger; how it is a dark time for the Rebellion; how Arthur Weasley once demolished part of the Dursleys' living room; how, unbeknownst to the Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort has started work on a new Death Star even more powerful than the original; how Hagrid showed up on that rock on the sea once and gave Harry some cake. Vernon wanks a bit; however, Dudley wants to go, which seals the deal.
Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle show up and provide some more exposition. The car is loaded, and it's time to go, according to Dedalus's pocket watch. He puts it away; Uncle Vernon stares at "the bulge in Dedalus's waistcoat pocket", providing the only amusing moment of the chapter, although I don't think it's intentional. I'm twelve, apparently.
Time to go. Vernon fails to shake Harry's hand. They start to leave and Dudley freaks out that Harry isn't going with them. Hestia and Dedalus get surprised that the Dursleys think Harry is a waste of space and don't worship him for being all speshul and the chosen one, destined to return balance to the Force etc etc. Dudley says he doesn't think Harry sucks so much. Aunt Petunia acts like a cartoon character again. Dudley and Harry shake hands. The Dursleys leave, and that's the last we ever hear of them.
You know what? The Harry-Dudley interactions here, if done well, could have been quite touching, I think. If it had been set up earlier, maybe, or if that cup of tea outside Harry's room had been an awkward, stilted but ultimately well-meant conversation. As this is, it almost gets there but not quite; I'm left feeling that the Dursleys (not Vernon so much, but certainly Petunia and Dudley), having been utterly flat and cardboard throughourt the series, had the chance to show some depth, to let us understand their motivations, since they've never really had any reason to behave how they do except that they're the designated antagonists. But no - we get what feels like lip-service to their character/story arc, and then off they go. For the record, this is the first of many times in this book where a particular character is wheeled on and speaks a few lines or provides some random Incredibly Useful Information before wandering off and never being heard of again. The Dursleys are really not that important overall, but they (Petunia in particular) are relevant, so I feel a bit like they should either have had a bigger role here or else just not been included. Why use an entire chapter to basically tell us "The Dursley family aren't in the books any more after this"? It's not like I'm a massive Dursleys fan or anything, it's more that this feels a bit half-arsed.
I don't even care that much, honestly - I just feel like I need to say something about every chapter, no matter how little there is to actually say.
That's it. Onward.
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