Doris Crockford

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 115637


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister"
<gbannister10 at a...> wrote:
> 
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "annemehr" <annemehr at y...> 
> wrote:
> 
> Annemehr:
> > This has never really been settled.  I was always one of those who
> > thought it was Dedalus Diggle.  The fact that he was (IMO) bumping
> > into Vernon, in a shop to bow to Harry (though he lives in Kent, one
> > county to the East), and at the Leaky Cauldron the day Harry arrived
> > with Hagrid made me wonder if he wasn't part of Dumbledore's
> > preparations for and watch over Harry during his years in the Muggle
> > world. 
> 
> Geoff:
> That's not particularly surprising. Parts of Kent are, effectively, 
> suburban London and chunks of Kent were moved into Greater London 
> when that was set up in the mid-1960s.
> 
> it wuld be quite feasible for a wizard from Kent to just be dropping 
> into the Leaky Cauldron or somewhere else in the centre; it's just as 
> easy for them as for Vernon, whose work whereabouts are not revealed 
> IIRC.
> 

Annemehr again:
Hi Geoff! I'm going for the "too many little coincidences" here.

I don't think Vernon works in London, just because "going up to
London" (when they got Dudley's tail removed) seemed to be an unusual
trip for him.  And would he drive to a job in London every day, or
would he probably take a train? So Diggle (or Flitwick) being in the
street just outside Grunnings would be quite a coincidence.  Heck,
London's huge; even if Grunnings were there, it's not likely to be
anywhere near the Leaky at all.

The Dursleys seem to have only one car; I bet Petunia normally shops
locally. When Harry saw Diggle in a shop one day, I picture a shop in
Little Whinging.  Definitely not one in a big mall (or whatever you
might have in Surrey) which might draw shoppers from the surrounding
counties, either.  No reason for a wizard from Kent to be in a little
Muggle shop in Surrey.

Of course you're right about Diggle being in the Leaky Cauldron.  For
all we know, he stops in every day, so that seeing Harry there was no
coincidence at all.  What gets me going, though, is that Jo takes care
to write him in and have Harry notice him -- she points him out to us.

The only reason I think about this so much is that I think it's part
of the way Dumbledore watched Harry more closely than he ever knew. 
I'm not sure exactly *how* this might become even more important, but
I'm keeping an eye out!

Annemehr