Harry the House Elf/Hedwig/bind

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 57479

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ali" <Ali at z...> wrote:
> 
> I don't think that there is any evidence either way. Harry is 
> obviously very aware of his "old baggy clothes" forced on him by 
the 
> Dursleys, so that it is possible that away from them he has bought 
a 
> whole wardrobe of new clothes to wear. However, I'm inclined to 
> think that Harry is not very materialistic or self-aware, so that 
> providing the offending articles weren't on view he would continue 
> wearing them.
> 
> I don't think that the ancient protection surrounding Harry is 
> exclusively the Dursleys cast-off clothes, but I do wonder if Harry 
> is somehow indentured to them and that the clothes play a binding 
> factor. The contract would be voided and Harry would be "freed" if 
> the Dursleys were to give him new clothes. Whilst he is in 
> their "care" he is protected, but that protection would disappear 
if 
> they were to buy clothes especially for him.
> I do not believe that Harry's protection dies the minute he is away 
> from the Dursleys. I do believe though that it becomes weaker. It 
> would have been at its weakest at the end of the school year - 
which 
> just happens to be when Voldemort struck in GoF; perhaps this is no 
> coincidence.

I don't think used clothes are what bind Harry. Notion of Harry 
having hardly no Dursley clothes left, however, could be symbolical. 
He has, by every book, become more and more free from them. In the 
very beginning, contact from wizarding world moves him into a bedroom 
rather than a closet. It /is/ a bit more free, I suppose. Then, of 
course, he doesn't have to spend all year with Dursleys.
Of course, Dobby - well, Harry is in some ways like he was with 
Malfoys. But with clothes- Dobby needed one sock - or any piece of 
cloth- from Malfoy's hand to get free; Seems like Harry is getting 
free by getting RID of the clothes he gets from his 'masters'.

Harry's poor mail service in beginning is another indication of his 
prisonment. Bird is symbol of freedom, and Owl the WW to Harry... 
First book, where he *gets* Hedwig, is when his mind becomes to see 
the possibility of freedom - and that there IS such a thing as magic. 
However, next Hedwig is locked up in cage - (and Dobby steals Harry's 
letters, AND blocks his entrance to Platform 9 3/4)... So um - yes, 
Harry has it, but it's blocked away from him - until flying Ford 
Anglia helps him out. At this point Harry's mail service is _very_ 
unreliable - unless some adult wizard/witch makes sure it works. 
Third book, Harry lets Hedwig out - though a bit reluctantly - and 
later, follows. (Inspired by Sirius Black escape in TV?)

In GoF... Hedwig's still long time away, contacting Sirius far away - 
but this is on Harry's own terms. AND, by the end, Sirius is close 
by, and Hedwig is still there.

But the weakening-theory - yes, I suppose it holds. The end of school 
year- hasn't Harry spent 9 months or 3/4 of a year away from Dursleys 
at that point - At Hogwarts? He only spends SUMMER with them... 
Except that I suppose even that's getting less and less...

Well, with Harry's increasing freedom so far - is Sirius' freedom 
(increased as more people know he's innocent) - only way Harry's 
relative freedom at Dursleys can increase, by getting Harry away from 
them for good?

Repeating pattern with Dursleys - well, at least it has developed - 
but if it can't develop, it has to go...

-- Finwitch