Petunia's protection of Harry (aside to Ancient Magic vs Dark Magic)

[Richard]

No: HPFGUIDX 82032

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Lisa Cocchiarale" 
<lisaeckleycocchiarale at y...> wrote:
> Jen Reese cited:
> 
> "While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood 
>  dwells, there you cannot be touched or harmed by 
Voldemort.....your 
>  aunt knows this.....She knows that allowing you houseroom may well 
>  have kept you alive for the past fifteen years." (DD, OOTP,chap. 
37, 
>  p. 836)
> 
> I must ask (although it may have been addressed elsewhere-I am a 
newbie here) why 
> LV doesn't just kill Petunia. If the blood of Harry's mother no 
longer "dwells" at Privet 
> Drive, wouldn't the ancient magic be negated in this case?
> 
> -Lisa


Richard here ...

After the capture of those who attacked the Longbottoms, and prior to 
Voldemort's return, I don't see any Death Eaters taking the 
initiative with regard to killing Harry, or upon his tormentors ... I 
mean relatives.  For one thing, the Ministry would likely take a very 
close look at any attack upon anyone at Privet Drive, given Harry's 
residence there.  For another, if Voldemort himself still lives, 
would you want him agree with you for killing Harry when Voldemort 
himself so wants to do it himself?  Or would you be willing to risk 
having what happened to Voldemort happen to you?  The Death Eaters 
had much to lose and every reason to stay hidden, so I don't find 
their "failure" to attack Petunia overly troubling.

I can't see Voldemort making such an attack prior to PS/SS, as he was 
still hiding and trying desperately just to survive.  Up through GoF, 
he is hiding still, and rather short of followers until Peter's 
arrival following PoA, so such an attack is not very plausible, then 
not very practical.  Only after GoF does an attack by Voldemort 
personally become a threat, and such an attack would certainly risk 
blowing his cover AND make it harder for Voldemort to get access to 
that prophecy he so wanted up 'til the Battle of the Ministry.  
However, with Book 6, such an attack becomes much more of a threat.

Now, we really don't know what this "ancient magic" entails.  It may 
be that SHEDDING Petunia's blood (by which I mean killing her) would 
negate that protection, but it might just as well be that her death 
would REINFORCE that same magic, as, intentional or not, her death 
would also be in defense of Harry's life ... And then there is Dudley 
to consider.  He may not have loved Lily (never having met her), but 
he is still "blood."  Thus, even though Voldemort is returned to some 
semblance of full power, and has a decent contingent of Death Eaters 
to do his bidding, he has the experience of a disasterously failed 
attack on Harry, plus a quartet of lesser unsatisfactory encounters, 
to teach him some caution.  I can't see him launching an attack upon 
Privet Drive or Aunt Petunia until he thinks he has a handle on just 
what the protections present entail.

An interesting point here is that Voldemort KNOWS about the 
protection at Privet Drive, and we may assume from his comment on the 
subject that he knows it to be effective.  We might well assume, then 
that there was some reconnaisance of Privet Drive, and perhaps an 
attempt at a surreptitious attack ... perhaps by LV's little snake 
friend.  Whatever the reason, we know that Voldemort has not pursued 
this avenue, and that there are good reasons for his being cautious 
about such an attack prior to the end of OotP.

And then we get back to the fact that the Ministry and the whole of 
the Wizarding World know that Voldemort is back, and that he wants to 
kill Harry.  Thus, I would expect the auxiliary defences wherever 
Harry is to be substantially augmented from this point forward.

We may well see an attack upon Aunt Petunia, or upon Privet Drive.  
We have the hint that someone will show latent magical ability late 
in life, and that may well be Petunia.  But, from the above, I don't 
think you should be concerned that we haven't seen such an attack 
heretofore.


Richard, who knows opinions will vary on the point, and would like to 
see some other perspectives from other posters here.