Figg/Ancient Magic/Crookshanks (was: Primary Schooling)

[Katze]

No: HPFGUIDX 32292

Hallo,

Che Hilario wrote:

> 
> I would think some witches and wizards act as normal muggles earning for a
> living.  Remember the caretaker Mrs. Figg who watches Harry when the dursleys
> are away?  I have a strong hunch that she could be in the "Arabella Figg" which
> Dumbledore has summoned in the last part of GOF to prepare for the rising of
> Voldemort.  Dumbledore interestingly mentioned that Harry is safe when he is
> with the Dursleys, so this could be related to Mrs. Figg...like a secret-keeper
> of Harry.  She could even be Crookshanks because she loved cats so much.  Just
> my opinion...feel free to give your two-cents worth.

---Mrs. Figg---

I think we can safely assume that Mrs. Figg and Arabella Figg are the
same person. In this interview:
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/transcript2.htm 

A question is asked: "Is the Mrs. Figg with all the cats in the
Dursleys' neighborhood the same Arabella Figg that Dumbledore mentioned
at the end of book 4?"

Rowling answer with this: "Well spotted!"

---Fidelius Charm/Ancient Magic---

I firmly believe that what is protecting Harry at the Dursleys in not
the Fidelius Charm. Here's the description of the Fidelius Charm from
the Lexicon:

--
Used to try to protect Lily and James Potter from Voldemort. "An
immensely complex spell involving the magical concealment of a secret
inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the
chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find --
unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as
the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the
village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them,
not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"
Unfortunately, Peter Pettigrew was chosen as Secret-Keeper, and he
betrayed James and Lily
--

Note that the whereabouts of the person is hidden inside only -one-
person, and no one will ever know whereabouts of the person if the
secret-keeper never says a word, even if the searcher's face is pressed
up against the glass (as stated in PoA). Too many people know here Harry
lives: Dumbledore, Figg, McGonagall, Hagrid, the Weasleys, and think
even Sirius.

Voldemort also stated that Dumbledore used ancient magic to protect
Harry while he's in his relation's care (GoF). I'd be interested in
learning more about this ancient magic. I wonder if ancient magic is
going to be used to rid of the world of V. Lily used "old magic" to
protect Harry, and D used "ancient magic" to protect Harry. Perhaps,
Snape is going to concoct some sort of "ancient potion" to help Harry in
some future battle. Just a thought...

---CrookShanks---

As for Crookshanks being an animagus person, I'm not sure. I once
considered this, but the pet shop owner told Hermione that no one ever
wanted to buy him. Did it say something about Crookshanks being there
for 2 years? Some speculate that he might be part Kneazle (from the
Fantastic Beasts). Here's the description from the book:

"The Kneazle was originally bred in Britain, though it is now exported
worldwide. A small catlike creature with flecked, speckled, or spotted
fur, outsize ears, and  a tail like a lion's, the Kneazle is
intelligent, independent, and occasionally aggressive, though if it
takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The
Kneazle has an uncanny ability to detect unsavory or suspicious
characters and can be relied upon to guide its owner safely home if they
are lost. Kneazles have up to eight kittens in a litter, and can
interbreed with cats."

Crookshanks knew right off that something was wrong with scabbers.
Sirius also makes it a point to state that Crookshanks is one of the
most intelligent of his kind (can't remember the precise wording and I
don't have my book. Can someone look this up?). Since Kneazles can
interbreed with cats, it's possible that Crookshanks is part Kneazles.
He also wasn't an ordinary cat...though I can't remember the precise
description. Anyway...I do think that Crookshanks is no ordinary cat,
but I'm not sure he's the animagus state of one of the characters.

Here's some more information on Crookshanks:
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/faq/animals.html#R8

--end report---

Take care
-Katze