Mrs. Figg - witch, squib, portal guardian, kneazle keeper, none of the above?

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 16759

Mrs Figg 'sort of confirmed' as being the same as Arabella Figg of the old
crowd...

Haggridd then said:

>>> If that is now proved to everyone's satisfaction, then can anyone out
there tie in the "getting Magic in later life" rumor to this issue?

Hmmmm.  I don't think Mrs Figg is a likely candidate for discovering magic
later in life.  I think that could be Petunia.  JKR has said something along
the lines of some surprising change of storyline in relation to the Dursleys
and, IMO, Petunia is more likely to have a dormant magical ability than
Dudley, because Dudley is too young to be regarded as being late in life
within the framework of this book series.

When it comes to Mrs Figg, if she is a squib, as JKR apparently confirmed, I
see her as the guardian of a portal to the wizarding world, acting as a sort
of liaison officer with the Muggle world.  It must be difficult for squibs
to fit in in the wizarding world, so the ideal role for them would be in
some kind of limbo area between the two worlds.  Perhaps Mrs Figg's house is
a bit like the Leaky Cauldron and offers a route - an escape route - into
the wizarding world?  It would be a good place of protection for Harry if
the Dursleys had to leave him anywhere.  It's interesting that when they
couldn't leave him with Mrs Figg, they felt obliged to take him with them to
the zoo.  It's almost as if they were physically unable to leave him behind
if he couldn't stay with her...

I also love the idea, previously suggested, that all (maybe some?) of Mrs
Figgs cats are actually Kneazles.  Perhaps her job is to train Kneazles and
maybe that accounts for the cabbage smell in her house - it's Kneazle pee!!
I also think Mrs Norris sounds like a pure Kneazle, whereas Crookshanks
could be half and half... pure guessing, of course.  Surely the students
would have commented on Kneazles being like cats before now?

The fact that Mrs Figg is called Mrs indicates that there was a Mr Figg on
the scene at some point.  It would be interesting to know whether he was a
wizard or a Muggle.  It would also be interesting to know Mrs Figg's maiden
name.

This Figg woman is intriguing, no doubt about it...

Neil
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