No family is perfect, but some families are way worse than others. Take the Dursleys for instance. Harry can't wait to get away from them and get back to his Hogwarts family (i.e. his friends). He's never felt at home with his blood relatives, which makes him a lot like Tom Riddle who also doesn't have a house to call home. Poor little Voldemort.
Meanwhile, Ron and Draco have their own family issues. Ron's parents are always on his case and Draco's dad is a pure-blood fanatic. The characters in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets may get to make their own choices, but their relatives loom large in their lives. Hey, sometimes it's tough shaking your family.
Questions about Family
- Who would you say is Harry's family? The Dursleys? Or his friends at Hogwarts? What makes a family anyway?
- Compare Harry's family to Ron's family. Are there things each boy would envy about the other?
- Why do Ron and Hermione think that Harry could be related to Salazar Slytherin? Why are magical families so complicated?
Chew on This
Harry and Tom Riddle both have no proper home and have issues with Muggle relatives. No wonder Harry suspects that there's something suspiciously similar about them. (Hint: He's onto something…keep watching the movies.)
This is the first time we meet a member of Draco Malfoy's family and it explains a lot. Draco's been raised in a home with guy who's pretty much obsessed with dark magic and pure-blood wizards. How did we expect him to turn out?