Evans a Wizarding Family? (Was: Vernon a squib??)

[Oiled Lamp <oiledlamp@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52755

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "katzefan <katzefan at y...>"    
> This hardly sounds 
> like someone who'd happily turned his despised wizard of a 
> nephew over to a witch for babysitting. I wonder if they left
> Harry  with Mrs. Figg because they considered her a "weirdo" too 
> (although just a plain garden-variety of one) and therefore good 
> enough for their unwanted nephew. 
> 
> But again, given their intense dislike of anything different, it's
> odd they would associate with Mrs. Figg at all. Perhaps they 
> were told by Dumbledore to leave Harry with her? (Although they 
> seem to have done little else that Dumbledore requested them 
> to do - they certainly never showed Harry the letter Dumbledore 
> left.) 
> 
> Or perhaps (?) they were 'charmed' into leaving Harry with 
> someone they normally wouldn't have gone within 10 feet of, but 
> who Dumbledore knew to be a powerful protector when the 
> Dursleys themselves weren't around.
> 

I agree that the Dursley's would NOT have left Harry with Mrs. Figg 
if they knew she was a witch. They are too scared of Harry learning 
anything about magic and the wizarding world to take that kind of a 
risk, even for Dudley's birthday.

More than likely, when Petunia had first sought out a babysitter for 
Harry, she had tried to think of someone who was available to watch 
him who wouldn't be too shocked over his inherent strangeness.  
Someone safe. Someone who they wouldn't be embarrassed to know they 
had a strange, abnormal nephew like Harry. Mrs. Figg was probably 
more than willing to watch Harry whenever they needed her, and was 
sufficiently odd enough and outside of their social circle that they 
could feel protected from any damage Harry might do while in her 
care. 

There might have been charms involved, but just as likely Mrs. Figg 
simply offered to watch the boy, she's old after all, and might like 
the company while the Dursleys go for an outing, and Petunia wasn't 
about to turn down an opportunity to get rid of Harry. Remember, 
when Mrs. Figg breaks her leg, Vernon suggests they leave him with 
Aunt Marge. Petunia says, "Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the 
boy." Then he suggests her friend Yvonne. Petunia replies she's on 
vacation in Majorca. Obviously they are willing to leave Harry 
outside of Mrs. Figg's care; I would think if there were charms in 
place they would have simply decided to take Harry along or not go 
at all, instead of considering other options.

Gee, I wonder if Rowling puts this much thought into this stuff...;-D

Amber