Harry Potter the Frog Princess

[David <dfrankiswork@netscape.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52216

Just a wacky thought I had as I was musing on why certain characters 
are (or are not) essential to the series.

You can look at the series as Harry's failed attempts to get away 
from the Dursleys and their world.  It's a bit like the old fairy 
tale of the Frog Princess where the princess is enchanted to be a 
frog.  At the beginning of the story her suitor manages to remove 
half the enchantment, so that she is a princess by day and a frog by 
night.  To completely free her he has to agree to accept her as she 
is by night, too.  Shrek fans will know what I mean.

In the first book Harry gets to spend the 'day' in the WW, through 
the agency of Hogwarts, represented by Hagrid and the letters.  
Dumbledore makes it plain though that it is very important that 
Harry live at his aunt and uncle's.

In the second book, the Weasleys attempt to spring him with a 
lockpick and an illegal car.  In essence, that fails to change the 
situation because, as Molly makes clear, Dumbledore won't allow the 
Weasleys to have Harry on a permanent basis.

In the third book it is Harry's magical heritage, represented by 
Sirius Black, that looks set to free him.  Again, it fails.

In book 4, it is the Weasleys again, but this time armed with 
tickets and a polite letter, representing, I think, the 'official' 
WW.

As far as the story is concerned, the reason Harry has to remain at 
Privet Drive is that it is his only safety from Voldemort.  Does it 
follow (assuming that this frog princess idea holds water) that a 
crucial part of overcoming Voldemort will somehow be that a 
representative of the WW accepts Harry-at-the-Dursleys as an 
essential part of his being?

David