Chapt. Discussion: Chapter 22 - Harry's Support

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 105253

> Del replies :
> Then why keep hidden ? It would have been *much* easier to 
protect him if he'd known they were there. I came to the 
conclusion of the bait because it's the only one that makes 
sense considering the facts we have. In PoA, when people were 
trying to protect Harry from Sirius, they made sure Harry always 
stayed within arm's length of a wizard.
> They do the same later in OoP. But that time they changed the 
rules. Why ?
> Not to mention that the best way to make sure Harry doesn't do 
any magic is to let him know there's another wizard around that's 
keeping an eye on him.<<

The situation is different.  In PoA, everyone, Dumbledore and the 
MOM, is on the same page: Harry is in danger and needs 
protection. In OOP, Dumbledore thinks Harry is in danger both 
from Voldemort and the Ministry, while Fudge thinks Harry and 
Dumbledore are plotting to unseat him. Fudge and Umbridge 
would put the worst possible interpretation on it if  friends of 
Dumbledore's were spotted around Privet Drive--Harry isn't the 
only one who could be framed, you know. Wouldn't Umbridge 
just love to get something on Lupin?  

And thanks to the mind-link, Dumbledore couldn't let Harry in on 
anything unless he was willing to risk Voldemort learning about 
it too.

Until the protections on Grimmauld Place were beefed up and  
he was ready to remove Harry from Privet Drive,  the only 
comfort Dumbledore could safely send was Mrs. Figg--and it 
was Harry's choice not to take advantage of it. If he'd been 
thinking a little more clearly, he'd have realized he could at least  
have watched television at her house without being shooed 
away.
 
> Steve wrote :
> > I agree that the Order was certainly distracted by priorities of 
the moment, but in the grand scheme of things, Harry is an 
extremely high priority, and it would have taken very little time, 
and in my  opinion, fewer additional resource to do it my way.
> 
> Del replies :
> Which is precisely why I think the Order didn't *want* to do 
things your way. I'm sure Hermione pestered everyone she could 
get her hands on about how awful Harry must feel all alone at 
Privet Drive : the Order must have known about Harry's needs. 
And as you said, it would have taken very little to start fulfilling 
these needs. Yet they didn't. The only logical explanation I can 
find is that they didn't want to.<<

Pippin:
Um yes, and everyone is going to take advice from fifteen year 
old Hermione?  And what could they do anyway? The adults at 
Grimmauld Place are in no position to comfort Harry: they're just 
as depressed, frightened, miserable and traumatized as he is. 
Look at the state Molly's in. And Sirius. And Arthur, feuding with 
Percy. Mundungus, skiving off to buy dodgy cauldrons. 
Dumbledore, deciding that his affection for Harry is a liability.  
Etc.

 And it appears that until Snape  reported, they had  no more 
information than Harry had about what Voldemort was up to, so 
they *couldn't* have told him anything even if they'd wanted to. 

Pippin