New/Old Friends?

[grace701]

No: HPFGUIDX 54355

> 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.
> 
Martin wrote:
>snip>
>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.


I don't think Harry has put two and two together.  I don't think 
he's realized that Mrs. Figg is *the* Arabella Figg.  Maybe Harry 
only knows Mrs. Figg as just that, Mrs. Figg and not Mrs. Arabella 
Figg.  (Wonder who she married?)  I don't know if she'll be the one 
to tell him everything that has happened, especially since our only 
sneak-peek is Dumbledore saying that he's going to tell him 
everything.    I'm assuming that will happen when he gets to 
school.  Hopefully, in the beginning so we don't go crazy.  

Now that you mentioned what kind of powers will the Old Crowd use 
against V and the DE's (sounds like a r&b group), I can't wait to 
find out what they could be!  In regards to the Dursleys, I think 
they will have a bigger role in the upcoming series.  I'm hoping 
that they'll finally tell Harry about his parents and family, the 
protection on the house and ask for forgiveness. =) There's more to 
them than just annoyance.

Martin wrote:
>But can someone please enlighten me on the backstory of Mrs Figg 
>and her relationship with the Dursleys?

We're just as clueless as you are. But the suggestions you made are 
on point:  
1) Is she just a friend, or a relative? 
2) Planted by Dumbeldore as part of the protection for Harry?
3) Or has she become a friend since Harry was left on the Dursley's 
doorstep? 
4)The letter Dumbeldore left for Vernon have introduced her - in 
which case surely Vernon would have had nothing whatever to do with 
her.

I'm going with 2 and 3 together here.  It seems to be more logical.  
Question is how did she introduce herself and convince the Dursley's 
to let her watch Harry?  Did she show fondness for him and they 
thought, "Perfect, someone who actually likes the prat.  Let's have 
her watch him."  In any case, aren't they afraid Mrs. Figg would 
find out their "secret".  Didn't the Dursley's worry that Harry 
would act abnormal at Mrs. Figg's house?  So much that she'd start 
to question Harry's behavior.

I wonder what was written in that letter and if the Dursley's are 
ever going to tell Harry or is it part of Dumbledore's speech?  I 
wonder if the Dursley's went to James and Lily's funeral?

Greicy, who wonders too much