The Movies You Know: Harry Potter was orphaned and raised by his aunt and uncle, who treat him far worse than his cousin Dudley. It's all good, though; turns out that Harry is a wizard. The best wizard ever. He totally takes down an evil madman, picks up a coterie of friends and mad-fine schoolgirls on the way, and ends up with the perfect life after becoming the hero of an age. Good for you, Harry.

But...: Here's a quote. Guess where it's from.

Child demonstrates withdrawn behavior, refuses to participate or dress appropriately for physical activities, and/or appears to spend extended periods of time in a fantasy world;

That's a helpful little organization called the Children's Right Foundation, who lists a thoroughly depressing number of symptoms of child abuse. What else would you call forcing a boy to live in a cupboard under the stairs and not considering him part of the family at all? It's pretty much the exact same story as Dave Peltzer, the famous Child Called It. Well, except for the horrendous physical abuse.

Wait a minute... doesn't Harry seem to spend an awful lot of time at "Hogwarts" in medical care? Mysteriously beaten in the first film, broken bones, a bad fall in the third, another horrific beating while "invisible" in the Half Blood Prince. Let's check the list again.

Unexplained fractures to nose, face, ribs, legs or other parts of body;

Other types of abrasions or lacerations appearing on the body which have no apparent reasonable explanation;

Child continually hungry;

Lack of supervision especially in dangerous situations or while participating in activities which extend over long periods of times;

Eventually, even his fantasy haven of Hogwarts is not enough to save him, and he is forced to flee even that during the final two movies. Clearly, Harry's wizarding adventures are nothing more than a coping mechanism to keep him barely sane until the day he finally leaves the Dursleys forever.