Magical protection -- the Dursleys

[GulPlum]

No: HPFGUIDX 44973

At 19:57 04/10/02 +0000, marephraim wrote, regarding the possibility of 
Harry being protected by a Fidelius Charm while at the Dursleys:

>That someone not privy to the secret at the center of Fidelius could
>not find the wizard in question "if he had his nose pressed against"
>the window (PoA, UK, pb p 153) would not violate the possibility
>regarding Harry at the Dursley's precisely because of the distinction. The 
>one was not privy to the secret, while the others (Ron and brothers in the 
>example used) were. Harry had obviously told Ron. We do know that Ron 
>knows the physical muggle address and phone number as the Weasleys send 
>Harry a muggle post letter. (GoF, UK, pb, p32f)

Let's assume that you're right, and Harry's primary protection at the 
Dursleys is a Fidelius Charm.

The two halves of the full quote (the other half of which you quoted later) 
should be taken together. The power is in the hands of a *single* 
Secret-Keeper (or rather, as per the quote, that person's "soul"). It would 
seem that you're suggesting that it's not Mrs Figg, but Ron who is Harry's 
Secret-Keeper (or else how would Ron know where Harry is?). It makes 
absolutely no sense whatsoever for Ron to have been Harry's Secret-Keeper 
before they knew each other, and especially not after they became best 
friends. Furthermore, from the way Flitwick describes the Charm, the fact 
that Ron has divulged the Secret to *anyone* (in this instance, his 
brothers) immediately breaks the Charm itself - it is useless. Also, 
revealing the secret is the Secret-Keeper's prerogative, not that of the 
person who is the object of the charm.

Someone who had no right to find out Harry's exact whereabouts or make 
contact with him, and from whom the protection of the Fidelius would 
primarily be required is Sirius Black. Yet at the beginning of PoA, he has 
no problems whatsoever not only getting to Little Whinging but *seeing* 
Harry. Had he so desired, Sirius could have had his way with Harry in that 
dark street, instead of just scaring him by his appearance.

If the Fidelius Charm was no protection against the person who was 
considered to be Voldemort's right-hand man, and whose escape from Azkaban 
was presumed on strong circumstantial evidence to be specifically for the 
purpose of getting at Harry, then what on earth was the point in putting it 
into place? Exactly from *whom* was the charm meant to be protecting Harry, 
if not Sirius? Besides which, the Fidelius Charm was the instrument of the 
Potters' downfall - Dumbledore really doesn't strike me as the kind of 
person who'd make the same mistake twice...

>If Fidelius in this instance is focused on "Harry is living at 4 Privet 
>Drive" it is yet
>of no use as a protection for him when he's in school, out shopping with 
>Aunt Petunia, etc.. That's when Ms Figg would be needed.

So where was she when Sirius Black came looking? Considering he'd been on 
the loose for a day or more (I don't recall exactly what timeline canon 
implies and can't be bothered to go upstairs to check my books), surely Mrs 
Figg would have been put on primary alert and wouldn't have allowed 4 
Privet Drive out of her sight, just in case Black was to turn up 
(incidentally, I reserve the right to maintain that point as a potential 
FLINT if Mrs Figg is revealed to be Harry's protectress in whatever 
capacity, unless JKR gives her some reason to be absent from Little 
Whinging on that day).

>Also, I think the magic that has "something specifically to do with
>Harry staying with relatives" is stretching Dumbledore's comments at
>the end of PS about why He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named couldn't touch
>Harry.

That's not the only reference to the importance of the Dursleys to Harry's 
protection. I'd refer you to the conversation at the end of GoF when Molly 
wants to take Harry straight back to the Burrow but Dumbledore doesn't let her.

>I bid all look up the quoted information. I'm not saying Fidelius
>was the only protection I'm saying it may well be part of the
>protection. It may not eventually be shown by JKF to have been used
>but it is truly not inconsistent to say it could have done.

Sorry, but based on the scant information we have on how Fidelius works and 
what we know of the circumstances of Harry's stay with the Dursleys, my own 
feelings are quite categorical that the Fidelius forms no part whatsoever 
of Harry's protection.

I want to expand on that with some wider observations about "secrets" in 
the Potterverse.

People are keeping "secrets" all over the place. A few examples. In the 
first book, nobody knows that Quirrell was in Voldemort's thrall (although 
Snape at least strongly suspects it), that Snape saved Harry during the 
Quidditch match, that Fluffy could be put to sleep with music. In the 
second, that Tom Riddle was Voldemort, that the Chamber was real, that 
Dobby was trying to help Harry, that Ginny had Tom Riddle's diary. In the 
third, that the Marauders were Animagi, that Peter was alive, that Lupin 
was a werewolf, that there was a passage under the Whomping Willow, that 
Sirius was the "grim" Harry kept seeing, that Hermione had a Time-Turner. 
In the fourth, that Barty Crouch Jnr. was alive and out of Azkaban, that 
Harry didn't orchestrate his entry into the Tournament himself, and of 
course the Tournament tasks themselves were kept secret. No special charms, 
spells or force are used to keep these secrets: those who know are willing 
to keep silent.

An author keeping "secrets" from readers is of course a major element of 
the mystery genre in general, but in the case of the HP books, they are 
secrets which the protagonists are keeping from each other. Unlike most 
mystery novels, it is not the revelation of any secrets themselves which 
drives the narrative of the Potter books (usually, in murder mysteries, for 
instance, the murder occurs because the victim knows something the 
perpetrator does not wish to be known, or there is a "secret" connection 
between the two; once that motive is known, the murderer is obvious). The 
closest the Potter books come to this is PoA, because the plot wouldn't 
exist if everyone knew that Peter Pettigrew was Scabbers. But that is not 
what actually drives the plot. Sirius doesn't care whether the world knows 
about their Animagus status; he just wants to kill the rat, and takes some 
convincing that it would be better to have him transform first.

To have the whole series of books encompassed by an over-arching "secret", 
that nobody knew that Harry was staying at the Dursleys would be a 
masterstroke.

However, in each of the books, we discover more and more people who know 
he's there. In no particular order, and doubtless not exclusively: the 
Muggle authorities know he's there from the onset (he goes to Muggle school 
which knows how to contact his guardians, he wears glasses which means he 
has a doctor and optician); the entire Weasley family know he's there; 
Arthur's contact who connects the house to the Floo network presumably 
knows he's there; the MoM as a whole knows he's there (they know where to 
send the warning letter; Fudge knows where to go looking for him, albeit 
unsuccessfully);  Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid know he's there; 
Voldemort knows he's there; Sirius knows he's there. Peter Pettigrew knows 
he's there; significant numbers of the wizarding community know he's there 
and know what he looks like to greet him during his childhood. Harry's 
presence at the Dursleys is NOT a secret, for goodness' sake! So what's the 
point of a Fidelius Charm and a Secret-Keeper, when there's no secret to be 
kept? However the Fidelius Charm is construed, almost all of the above 
people have seen and interacted with Harry at Privet Drive or in its vicinity.

No, I submit that JKR's masterstroke is that the overarching "secret" is 
*so* secret that the objects and subject of the secret don't even know it's 
there. Namely, the agents of Harry's protection, the Dursleys, don't even 
know that all this time, when they'd have wanted nothing better than to be 
rid of Harry, that *they* are his protection. Likewise Harry, who despises 
the Dursleys and everything they stand for, is only just realising (if he's 
been listening to Dumbledore properly) that he owes them his safety.

The precise nature of this protection is yet to be revealed to us (after, 
all it's a secret!) :-) but personally, I need look no further (and 
*especially* not towards the Fidelius) for the means of Harry's protection 
while in Little Whinging.

--
GulPlum AKA Richard, who's feeling rather smug this evening, 'cos the local 
primetime TV news today built a story around an email he sent them. :-)