GoF: Sending Harry back to the Dursleys.

[Zarleycat at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 17278

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Amanda Lewanski <editor at t...> wrote:
> catherine at c... wrote:
> 
> > I was wondering that if Dumbledore has invoked ancient magic to
> > protect Harry whilst he is at the Dursleys' house, why coudn't he
> > transfer this so somewhere such as the Burrow is equally well
> > protected?  The thought of him spending any more time than 
strictly
> > necessary with his horrible relatives makes me miserable.
> 
> It's in my mind that the "ancient magic" has to do with the Dursleys
> being blood relations. I'm trying to figure out why I think that (my
> books are not available)--does it say that in so many words, or is 
this another of JKR's primrose paths?
> 
> If it must be blood kin, then he couldn't have stayed with Sirius,
> either, provoking a comment some time back about the scene that 
would > have ensued, if Sirius *had* been cleared, and then Harry 
finding out he has to go back to the Dursleys anyway. 'Twas 
speculated that this is one plot reason for not clearing Sirius' 
name, too.
> 
> --Amanda, gettin' old
> 
 I believe you're right, Amanda.  I think I recall something about 
the family relationship being important.  (My books are unavailable 
also - how stupid can we be???  Maybe I need a second set to use as 
reference sources.) I'm also assuming that the blood relationship is 
important in Harry's case only in combination with some sort of 
familial magic.  I can't simply buy into the idea that a child is 
better off with relatives, rather than other guardians, just because 
of a blood relationship.  So, this inevitably leads me to the 
Petunia/Dudley-finds-magic-later-in-life theory.  I really don't like 
that idea either, because I don't like either of them, and I'll be 
annoyed if they suddenly become in tune with their magical side.  

I never thought that there would be a problem with Sirius being 
cleared and Harry having to go to the Dursleys anyway. Harry can't 
spend a lot of time with Sirius at this point in the series because 
it would naturally lead to him asking a lot of questions about his 
parents, and I don't think that we will be given the answers to most 
of those questions for a while.  I think Sirius will be on the run 
for at least one more book.

Marianne, who's thinking of horrible threats to use to get her books 
back!!!