Arabella Figg and other considerations

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 42664

Interesting debate regarding the possible association between Arabella Figg 
and the Potters on the basis of a latin root word. And I'm not knocking it. 
It's a little far fetched for a book marketed for the middle school set, but 
not so far that it isn't at least marginally possible, and fun to toss about 
in any case.

But the level of controversy over why Harry is at the Dursleys if Mrs Figg is 
a Potter is is a bit over the tp. It is just too simple to explain away the 
contradiction to spend all this time arguing about it. 

If the protection that Dumbledore proposes requires that Harry be in the 
custody of a BLOOD relative, that could be all the reason it takes. The 
Dursleys are directly stated to be his ONLY remaining blood relations. Ergo, 
Mrs Figg, if she is actually a Potter is not actually related to Harry by 
blood. Allow me to direct the attention of all those taking part in this 
debate to one clear and unambiguous statement which concerns Arabella Figg. 
She is consistently refered to as MRS Figg. Mrs., not Miss. IF Mrs. Figg is a 
Potter she would have to be a relative by MARRIAGE not BLOOD. Particularly 
if, as someone pointed out, she turns out to be something like a great-aunt. 
I can easily accept that she might be James Potter's uncle's widow. And NO 
blood relation to Harry, thereby being inelligible to keep him safe acording 
to the requirements of the wards what Dumbledore means to use to safeguard 
him. However much she might want to. But Dumbledore can't tell her that she 
can't take up residence in the neighborhood and keep an eye on the situation. 
In fact he may be very glad she did, or may have suggested it himself.

But, in any case, given that Dumbledore calls her Figg, when he is speaking 
to Sirius, and well away from the Dursleys, I am assuming that it is, in 
fact, her real name.

------------------------------------------

Aloha Moira writes;

>>One last thing... would Snape and Lily have to be twins in order to be in 
the same year at Hogwarts? All this year/when one gets the letter/etc. stuff 
really confuses me :P<<

Well, I don't believe for a minute that Snape was any relation whatsoever to 
Lily, but It does occur to me that it might be possible for two siblings to 
be in the same school year without being twins. But they would have to be 
born within the same 12 month period. 

All school systems have a cut-off date dividing who goes to school in this 
academic year and who has to wait until next. If the older of two siblings is 
born right after that cut-off date, and a second child is born less than 12 
months later, both would start school in the same year. 

For example. There is strong indication that Hermione, born September 19, 
just missed the cut-off date by less than three weeks. If her parents had 
produced another child born, say, the following August 31, there could have 
been two Granger children in Harry's year. But they would still not be twins. 

-JOdel