Magical protection -- the Dursleys

[marephraim]

No: HPFGUIDX 44937

Barb P writes: 

> Dumbledore [snip] knows nothing about them.  In fact, he makes the 
groundless assumption that they will be honest with him about who he 
is (he tells McGonagall that the Dursleys will tell Harry what he 
needs to know when he is older).<  

MarEphraim writes:

Actually, he says "His aunt and his uncle will be able to explain 
everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter." (PS, 
UK paperback, p. 15)

This doesn't necessarily mean they _will_ tell him. <g>

Dumbledore's intentions are clear. Keep Harry away from the WW. It 
doesn't seem important to Dumbledore what kind of surrogate parents 
they are, in fact. By the end of PS he certainly knows what they're 
like yet he has no hesitation sending Harry back to them. 

I'll backtrack somewhat on his knowledge of their anti-magic 
prejudice only to a point. We don't have evidence (although we might 
imagine it possible) that James and/or Lily might have had occasion 
to mention their strained family relations with the Dursleys. 
(Imagine Dumbledore over for tea!)

Barb P writes:

> Plenty of times, people walking up to him and shaking his hand 
could have spilled everything to him about who he was.  While he may 
have been protected from people with bad intentions by being with 
his relatives, he wasn't completely sheltered from the wizarding 
world, as people who meant well were easily able to access him ...
[snip]<

MarEphraim writes:

This assumes that the Fidelius Charm follows the person. According 
to PoA, it involves "the magical concealment of a secret inside a 
single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen 
person, or Secret-Keeper, nd his henceforth impossible to find -- 
unless, of course, the Secret-Keepr chooses to divulge it." (POA, Uk 
pb, p 152) Note that this has to do with specific information I 
retract my earlier assumption that the charm is 
specifically 'location oriented.' It could be any specific piece of 
information. In the case of the Potters the information was were 
they lived. 

Now assuming that the Fidelius Charm was used for Harry, it could 
have been either where he was staying (with the Dursleys) or that he 
truly was THE Harry Potter (and not some kid with a similar scar). 
The second possibility is unlikely as "that was no ordinary cut" 
(PS, UK pb, p 45), so the former would seem the logical choice. That 
would mean the Ms Figg really was playing a much larger active role 
in protecting Harry than we might otherwise have imagined. (We'll 
have to wait for OoP for more info on that one).

On the other hand, Harry's encounters with WW people before the 
Letter from No One could be a Flint.

Barb P writes: 

>He wasn't protected from ill-intentioned people in general, just 
magical ones, it seems.<

ME:

Right, see my comments about the Fidelius Charm above.

Despite all the 'mental and physical abuse' Harry suffered at the 
hands of the Dursleys et al, he seems a quite well adjusted boy (in 
both worlds).

MarEphraim