Mrs Figg's function

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 47139

Karen states;

>>I think that the protection Harry has while he is at the Dursley's may have 
something to do with Mrs. Figg..<snip>..I think she is who keeps Voldemort 
away while he's at his relatives house.<<

I think that that is certainly her function. But I suspect that it may be 
both simpler and a bit more complex than that. 

I think the spell that Dumbledore set up requires a periodic refresh. Plus, 
somebody really ought to be monitoring  as to whether the spell has 
encountered any hostile magical attempts to locate or attack Harry while he 
is at the Dursleys. None of the Dursleys are capable of this even if they 
were willing. Ergo, Dumbledore needs an opperative in the general vicinity to 
keep the system running and to report any encounters. She doesn't have to be 
right on top of the situation to do this, so being two streets away is all 
right. But Dumbledore cannot do it himself, even though he set the system up, 
because of his duites as Headmaster.

Once Harry went away to Hogwarts the spell maintenance was not longer so 
crutial, but in all of the four years that Harry has been at Hogwarts, there 
has been sufficient indication of Dark activity going on to warrant someone 
activly monitoring the wards, even in Harry's absence.

And possibly still. We don't actually KNOW that it will be Mrs Figg who will 
be the next (doomed! they're doomed!) DADA teacher, after all.

-JOdel