The Figg Factor + some thoughts on Remus

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 26136

We were discussing Mrs Figg a while back and I never did get round to
posting a few interesting things I found on the internet.  Forgive my
ramblings and attempts to make the most tenuous of connections seem highly
significant, but with JKRs apparent depth of research, you never know

FIGG AND LUPIN/TWINS

**In legend, Romulus and Remus are orphaned when their mother, Silvia, is
imprisoned and the infants are cast into the Tiber River. They are set
ashore when they catch on the roots of an ancient fig tree and are found by
a she-wolf and a woodpecker. The twins are fed and nursed by the animals,
until Faustulus, the king's herdsman finds them and raises them with his
wife.**

How might this story tie into the relationship between Remus Lupin and
Arabella Figg?  They are both members of the old crowd (You are to alert
Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher - the old crowd [Dumbledore,
GoF]), so they know each other.  Does the ancient legend of Romulus and
Remus point to a protective or nurturing role for the 'ancient' Figg when
Lupin first became a werewolf?  In PoA, Lupin says: "I was a very small boy
when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days
there was no cure.

Q: Is Remus Lupin the real name of Remus Lupin or did he take on this very
apt name when he became a werewolf?   How might he be related to Arabella
Figg or any other HP characters?

Ill risk presenting (once again) my rather obvious theory that Remus has a
twin brother (probably evil), called Romulus Lupin, who will play a part in
future books.   JKR already has two sets of twins in the story and she hasn
t yet played with the potential for confusion there.

Q: While Im on twins, are Parvati and Padma identified as identical twins 
I cant recall.

FIGG THE HEALER & PROTECTOR

** Pliny of Rome said: "Figs are restorative. The best food that can be
eaten by those who are brought low by long sickness and are on the way to
recovery. They increase the strength of young people, preserve the elderly
in better health and make them look younger with fewer wrinkles". **

Okay, this is a bit more likely.  Perhaps Mrs Figg looks after convalescent
wizards and witches, either literally, or as a herbalist or healer.   This
ties in with the idea of her affording protection and aiding recovery or
development by building strength and immunity.  She would, therefore, be the
natural person to care for Harry when he was not under the protection of 4
Privet Drive (I believe that Dumbledores ancient magic is cast over the
Dursleys house: Not even I can touch him there . . . [Voldemort, GoF])
and it may be that shes seconded to the Muggle world to be on hand for him.

FIGG THE INFORMER

**The term "sycophant" has its origins in ancient Greece. Athenians were
particularly fond of figs and were nicknamed "sycophants" (syke or
fig-eaters).    However, in its modern origins the word derives from
informer, arguably because of an association with people who informed on
illegal importers of figs. **

This is another theory weve batted about, that Mrs Figg is a spy for the
old crowd, keeping an eye on the Dursleys, or perhaps with a broader purpose
of keeping the MoM informed of happenings, or dark arts abroad, in the
Muggle world.

I like to think of Arabella operating a safe house for aurors, MoM officials
and other agents of the wizarding world, as they seek out dark wizards
hiding out in Muggle territory.  Perhaps her house is a conduit between the
two worlds, where she provides survival packs, suitable (or unsuitable )
Muggle clothing and cups of restorative tea, before dispatching hapless
wizards into the Surrey suburbs.

Neil
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Flying Ford Anglia