More on Figg's protection

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 45903

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Vinnia Chrysshallie <chrysshallie at y...> 

Vinnia Chrysshallie wrote:
> Anyone ever wonder about who Mrs. Figg is?  Why is she
> willing to protect Harry? ...snip...
> 
> Could she be... Sirius' girlfriend? ;) 

bboy_mn in part:
Sorry, I don't buy the young poly-juice Figg, but I can't prove my
opinion any better than anyone else can prove theirs. I just don't see
any need for Mrs. Figg to be anymore than she appears to be; an old
witch looking after Harry.
-end this part-


> ...snip...
> 
> I have a theory that he (Sirius) was visiting Mrs. Figg 
> that night. When Mrs. Figg got wind that Harry has
> accidentally performed magic, and run away, ...snip...
> 
> ...snip... I found it quite strange that Fudge was waiting
> for Harry in front of the Leaky Cauldron. ...snip... 
> But if Sirius was indeed visiting Mrs. Figg, then after 
> he saw Harry boarding the bus, he alerted her, and she 
> then alerted the ministry, who guess immediately that 
> there could be no other place Harry is going other than 
> Diagon Alley.

bboy_mn in part:
Great theory, it certainly explains a lot. Really, I love this idea;
it's simple and straight forward, doesn't require any great stretch of
the imagination. I love theories like this that don't stretch too far.
No wild conspiracy theories, etc, just a simple believable
explanation. I could certainly see Mrs. Figg being Sirius' Aunt or
maternal grandmother, or even just a really close friend of or
possibly a faithful servant of the Black family.

As far as people worrying about Mrs. Figg making this horrible
sacrifice living as a muggle, never using magic, etc; I don't buy it.
I don't see why she couldn't have been living a normal witchly life.
It appears that most witches and wizards live among muggles. They may
not live *with* them in the sense that they stay somewhat isolated,
but they do live among them. Mr. Diggle lives near Kent; evidence of
other in Yorksire and Dundee. Mr. Diggory live withing walking
distance (long walking distance) of the Weasley family. The Weasley
family lives just outside a small muggle village. There really is only
one all magical village (Hogsmeade) so that must mean that there are
pockets of magic people living within many muggle communities. 

So, I assume that Mrs. Figg lived a reasonably normal life. She went
shopping in Diagon Alley, stopped at the Leaky Cauldron for a sherry,
went to visit friends and had friends over for tea, etc. We certainly
know that there are protections at the Dursley's beyong the presents
of Mrs. Figg, so I see no reason for her to be confined to her house
24 hrs a day just to protect Harry. 

This brings up an interesting side topic. I wonder if all the other
major cities in the UK have a magic city like Diagon Alley hidden
inside them? I also wonder if Godrics Hollow was a magic city hidden
inside another city or if it is just the name of a quaint village.
We'll probably find out eventually. Not important, just a passing thought.
-end this part-

> 
> Then there is the question of how does Petunia know
> Mrs. Figg. Were she told by Dumbledore (in the letter)
> that Harry should be left with Mrs. Figg occasionally?
> 

bboy_mn in part:
You know how nosey Aunt Petunia is? If a new family was moving into
the neightborhood, she would be the first one peaking over the fence
and around the corner to find out what was going on. Mrs. Figg could
have casually introduce herself. Said that she noticed that the
Dursely's had two fine boys and as it gets lonely living a lone, she
would be glad to babysit sometime. Of course, the Dursleys would never
trust Dudley into the care of some mad old lady, but they wouldn't
care about Harry, and that's exactly what Mrs. Figg was counting on.
-end this part-


> One more interesting thought
 How do you think the
> `old crowd' would react, finding a wanted criminal on
> their doorstep, telling them that Voldemort has risen
> again?
> 
> Vinnia
> 

bboy_mn speculates:
A good question. My best guess is that after Prisoner of Azkaban,
Dumbledore made other trusted people he knows aware that Sirius was
innocent. Since circumstances had force Sirius to go back into hiding,
Dumbledore my have thought that he could use all the allies he could
get. Dumbledore may have informed his network of friends that if they
should  encounter Sirius, that they should trust him and they should
give him whatever assistance they could.

Just an opinion.

-End bboy_mn-