[HPforGrownups] New/Old Friends?

[martin.soilleux-cardwell at aon.co.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 54344

Fred told us:
>My question is this; Do you think that now, seeing Harry knows
>who and what Mrs. Figg is, will he want to go and visit her?
>I mean, after Harry has found out that Mrs. Figg is Arabella
>Figg of "the old croud", and she only lives 2 blocks away. And
>he was there when DD said "Sirius I need you to set off at
>once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus
>Fletcher - The old croud"(page 713 US).
>I would think he would want to go and find out as much as he
>could. After all, it does sound like she could tell him almost
>everything that happened in the past. Plus, she can tell him
>what is most probable in the future. After all, she has already
>lived through it once.

Me:
The ending of GoF blew the lid right off the conventional structure of the
first four books. It seems difficult to envisage any kind of normal school
year ahead. If Harry spends the summer at Privet Drive it will have to be
explicitly revealed that this place has special protection: I can think of
2 or 3 places/people who would want to have Harry stay with them rather
than exposed in a Muggle home. Even if we are not a party to it I can
imagine the Old Crowd will hold a council of war over the summer, and will
be told about Dumbeldore's protection spells at Privet Drive.

As the "Witch on the Spot" Mrs Figg will doubtless have close contact with
Harry. It seems likely she was placed here for this very purpose. I also
expect that we will see the "Harry, I'm going to tell you everything you
should have been told five years ago" scene with Dumbeldore early on in the
book.

My concern is that Voldemort and the DEs have been painted in such powerful
terms that the Good Guys are going to have to pull some equally powerful
magic out of the hat to confront them. If a dozen or fifteen DEs going
around apparating at will and chucking Imperious and Avada Kedavras around
with no compunction is possible, what will Dumbeldore counter that strategy
with?

Apart from providing a safe house I can see the Dursley's playing a less
significant role in the rest of the series. Certainly the joke tensions
between them and Harry have worn thin.

Regards
Martin
"...I want to fix that in my memory for ever," said Ron, his eyes closed
and an uplifted expression on his face. "Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing
ferret..."