Author's Notes:
Wow, not a lot of reviews this time around. A special thank-you goes to aslansphoenix for being the only one.
Don't forget to check my profile for updates on when I expect to get a new chapter out (for any of my fics). Please review! Thanks to Heather for the beta.
Chapter Summary: I must conclude that you are either understating your abuse or vastly exaggerating it.
Dear Harry,
My name is Mister Moony, and I have decided to humor you. In my letters, I will assume you are in fact Harry Potter from the future. With that said, I still think you are lying to us.
This chapter is a prime example. You are not cowed by the Dursleys; you feel free to bother your cousin in a perfect show of sibling rivalry; in fact, you act like a normal ten-year-old boy throughout the chapter. On the other hand, your aunt and uncle verbally abuse you; Dudley physically abuses you with the aid of his "gang"; and you have never received proper presents or clothing, while Dudley is spoiled. I must conclude that you are either understating your abuse or vastly exaggerating it.
The evidence mostly points in favor of the latter. It is easy to guess at your mistake: you are trying to gain sympathy from your father for the trials you have supposedly suffered, but you failed to appropriately modify your remembered behavior to match the situation. While I am willing to believe that your Muggle family did not treat you exactly like their son, I doubt the difference was so extreme.
The only evidence to suggest the abuse may be understated is the event of your accidental Apparition in the previous chapter. Apparition is rare for underage wizards and usually shows up only in times of extreme danger or significant abuse. It seems unlikely that you would know enough about such abuse to slip that in for evidence, yet not modify your behavior.
Ultimately, my conclusion in the case of your claimed abuse is that you were treated with some disdain by your Muggle family – enough to make you bitter, but not enough to qualify as abuse. The Apparition incident was likely either invented for amusement only, or a result of unusually threatening physical harm, perhaps from an older student or teacher, which you then altered to suggest further abuse from your cousin.
Now, the letters: This is another example of what I can only assume is exaggeration for entertainment value. You obviously know enough about the Marauders to guess that we would enjoy a funny tale, so you are attempting to establish a rapport. It isn't working, by the way. We spend far too much time laughing at you. At any rate, it is patently ridiculous that Professor McGonagall would respond to your predicament by sending an influx of letters and simply hoping you would get hold of one of them. It seems you are about to get to the real matter with that chapter ending – that is, the arrival of a liaison to bring the letter and explain it to the Muggles. I can only assume the setting is false, however, since the letters were responsible for its taking place on a rock in the middle of nowhere. I will of course reserve final judgment on that point until I read the relevant scene.
Yours truly,
Mister Moony
Mister Wormtail
P.S. We apologize for Mister Moony. When we let him have this letter, we didn't realize he would be writing an essay.
Mister Padfoot
Mister Prongs