Unresolved issues in HP and the Philosopher's / Sorcerer's Stone

[sueeeyqbong]

No: HPFGUIDX 70854

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Edis" <A.E.B.Bevan at o...> 
wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sueeeyqbong" <sue at s...> 
wrote:
> > Hello everyone. I've started re-reading the Harry Potter series 
> 3)In chapter 1, there are TONS of mentions of all the wizards and 
> witches in the streets around Vernon's place of work, then in 
> chapter 2, (p.27) the 11 year old Harry reflects on the peculiar 
> srangers who often bow/shake hands then disappear. This implies 
that 
> there is a sizeable magic community in Little Whinging...yet 
there's 
> never any other mention of them, and in OoP, > Sueeeyqbong
> 
> Edis notes:
> 
> Vernons factory could be some distance away, Surrey being full of 
> residential areas zoned apart from industrial areas. I am quite 
> certain that Vernon would never live in the kind of neighbourhood 
> contaminated by the kind of factory he must run. I mean actually 
> making things, noise and smoke maybe and the traffic... So there 
is 
> an escape clause for this part... have to say that I assumed a 
drive 
> to work of at least 45 minutes, knowing the sort of area implied 
by 
> Canon.
> 
> However...
> 
> The Court hearing in OOtP gives Canon for there not being any 
Magical 
> Community people in whatever zone(s) the Magical Community regards 
as 
> close to the Dursleys. 
> 
> Magical Tourism would explain Harry's pre-revelation encounters 
but 
> that does raise a lot of other issues such as security and teh 
good 
> sense of the Magical Community (Ok we have Canon to acertain lack 
in 
> the latter departmet in other fields). We know that when Harry 
first 
> comes to the Leaky Cauldron in PS there is an explosion of delight 
> that he is Back at last. Maybe he was plagued by Gawpers in his 
> younger years... 
> 
> Edis

Sueeeyqbong again :

Fair point about Vernon working far away from home, though I don't 
think he works in a 'factory'/ industrial area sort of place. Mainly 
because in the first chapter of PS/SS he mentions popping across the 
road to the bakers shop opposite at lunchtime, for a bun or some 
such. Sounds more like a small town shopping street with offices in 
it to me.  Anyhow, the discrepancy between us hearing in OoP that 
there's not much of a magical community near Little Whinging, and 
hearing here that the streets were teaming with witches and wizards 
still remains, as you point out. Someone earlier hypothesised that 
perhaps some sort of magic protection squad was around Harry, though 
this doesn't tally with Harry mentioning that he still sees these 
people throughout his childhood (ie after V's downfall when there 
was no longer any need for a protection squad). Someone also thought 
it might be magical tourists, which is possible. Not sure how they'd 
know where he lived, though.
Anyhow, maybe it's just one of those small discrepancies where JKR 
hadn't planned out EVERY detail for all 7 books when she was writing 
book 1, (understandably) and I should cut her a bit of slack  ;-)
Best wishes,

Sue