(canon-based) Petunia/DD and HBP speculations - longish (SPOILER?)

[macfotuk at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 120347


Well, it's official. Thanks to posters I managed to get JKR's Xmas 
message saying that book 6 is due out on 01.00 BST July 16, 2005 
(have already ordered from Amazon). Confirms suspicions. And too bad 
we couldn't wait to rip open the paper on that particular Xmas 
present.

I was warned by an eminent poster not to write a piece with many 
potential sub-threads and that's good advice, but have limited time 
so here goes in ignoring him (sorry!):

I still haven't found a satisfactory explanation for the (apparent) 
flurry of owls between Dumbledore and Petunia. Things exploded in 
real life around the time JKR dropped the bombshell on her website 
that such a correspondence had taken place and so, I have to admit, 
I was unable to keep a proper watching brief on speculations here 
(scuse any repetitiousness of ideas/thinking). Even so, my take on 
it was that correspondence related to one or all of the following:

[1] When 15 month old HP needed a home (post GH explosions) there 
quite likely would have needed to be an extensive consultative set 
of owls between DD and Petunia before DD felt confident about 
placing Harry at Privet Drive. book 1 contains many swooping owls in 
the vicinity of Privet Drive on the day after GH.

[2] There is a big debate about Petunia having been eligible in her 
own right to attend  Hogwart's and maybe the prior (i.e. not 'my 
last') correspondence relates to this and Petunia's rejection of WW.

[3] Prior to GH it seems likely that LV and the DE's systematically 
slaughtered HP's relatives (more because they were JP and LP's 
relatives than HP's and to threaten Lily and James with 'what we are 
capable of') and this included Petunia's parents and, possibly, 
grandparents/other relatives (if any). Maybe DD's prior 
correspondence with Petunia relates to this era/set of events - 
apologies, commiserations, warnings etc.

Would be interested to hear alternative views and, of course, JKR's 
take on things (she said she'd be watching - though I doubt here 
because (a) there are so many postings to read - overwhelming! and 
(b)HPFGU hasn't yet figured as a recommended site on her own 
website).

As for predictions:

Have no idea who HBP is, but an opening chapter 13 years in the 
writing HAS to be an account of events at GH. Maybe now that Sirius 
is dead ('disposed of')it can be revealed what exactly he was up to 
by being there so quickly afterwards (or earlier? - cue sinister 
music). If Sirius had a dark role at GH and HP gets to appreciate 
this (dream, flashback or account from a bystander) then he can move 
on into the action of book 6 without Sirius' death being a 
continuing issue (he was bad, get on with it Harry)?

which brings us to Spinner's end (ch2 title). Spinner's suggest web 
or trap or plot/deceit, though might just be a placename. Whose? The 
Lovegood's I'd suggest. (could be the Knotts' residence though). I 
can imagine that Lovegood Sr would be happy to invite Harry for the 
summer and that Harry's regard for Luna (the near last chapter of 
Ootp, in which we see her gathering lost belongings was SO poignant) 
as a fellow 'odd bod' would make him happy to go. 

Other predictions? none yet. It'd help to know who the HBP might be 
and, of course, how nasty LV is going to get in this book (I LOVED 
the graveyard scene which is why I found much of OotP so 
disappointing since LV's has SUCH a low profile therein). I hope 
VERY (nasty), but also hope he'll leave the central characters (Ron, 
Hermione, Snape) unhurt (and yes, I'd include DD too (and Hagrid for 
that matter), but maybe he (DD) HAS to die in a cliffhanger at the 
end of book 6 so that HArry really *iS* 'on his own'?).

There are a hundred issues discussed already that it seems necessary 
for book 6 to cover (e.g. Neville's new wand and his back 
story/development generally, what was the brain's affect on Ron, and 
has Hermione been changed too?, H/R ship development, F&G joke shop, 
Quidditch with Ron and Ginny as team members and Harry captain, 
Grawp (don't like him), Fudge's successor, Mrs Malfoy, Percy's 
future, Peter Petigrew's, The dementors', Harry's learning to 
apparate, OWLs results and NEWT choices, Lily and James fill-in, 
just who was Sirius anyway and *is* Lupin, Petunia back-
story/development/motivation, DE's in (or sprung from) Azkhaban.

Cannot wait. Thinking of shading out my work diary as holiday for 
w/c 16th July 2005 (I need the whole week since I'm such a slow 
reader). But then also trying to remember that yes, I have a real 
life too.

Happy Xmas to all (who want one)

Mac