[HPforGrownups] Harry's Privet Drive protection

[Janet Anderson]

No: HPFGUIDX 88418

simigis at yahoo.com quotes from canon:

>"For a few seconds they struggled, Harry pulling at
>his uncle's sausage-like fingers with his left hand,
>his right maintaining a grip on his raised wand. Then,
>as the pain in the top of Harry's head gave a
>particularly nasty throb, Uncle Vernon yelped and
>released Harry as though he had received an electric
>shock--some invisible force seemed to have surged
>through his nephew, making him impossible to hold."

>Note that Vernon is standing inside the house, but
>Harry is outside. Do people within the boundaries of
>Privet Drive who try to hurt Harry get zapped because
>of his mother's protection and Dumbledore's charm, or
>did Harry zap him unintentionally? He is holding his
>wand, after all.

I don't think it's the magical protection; I think Harry zapped him 
unintentionally.  Magic will apparently protect almost any wizard given the 
opportunity (look at Neville's relatives dropping him out windows), and 
we've already seen Harry doing this sort of thing for most of his life 
before he even knew he was a wizard.

Also note that Harry himself is now aware of this possibility and is trying 
to avoid accidentally doing magic during his confrontation with Dudley.


Janet Anderson

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