Harry's Privet Drive protection

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 88637

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Janet Anderson"
<norek_archives2 at h...> wrote:
> simigis at y... 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

Carol: 

In this case, it's also a matter of timing. Uncle Vernon feels the
electric shock because he happens to grab Harry just at a time when
the scar hurts (Voldemort is probably angry about something). But
Uncle Vernon no doubt thinks that Harry did it on purpose, and the
reader may think so, too, just as we though Snape caused Harry's scar
to hurt in our first encounter with him in Book One. The fact that
Harry has his wand in his hand when Uncle Vernon feels the shock is
irrelevant; the real cause of the shock is Voldemort's anger surging
through Harry.

Carol