Doris Crockford/Diggle/Flitwick/Wizards at Large.

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 115712


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister"
<gbannister10 at a...> wrote:
> 
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "annemehr" <annemehr at y...> 
> wrote:
> > 
> Annemehr:
> > Hi Geoff! I'm going for the "too many little coincidences" here.
> > 
> > I don't think Vernon works in London, ... So Diggle (or Flitwick) 
> > being in the> street just outside Grunnings would be quite a 
> > coincidence.  


> Geoff:
> I wasn't implying that Vernon met Dedalus (or whoever) near the 
> Leaky Cauldron; My meaning was that it isn't far from the London 
> end of  Kent to get into the centre or beyond.
> 
> There is an implication that Vernon's works is not far from Little 
> Whinging..
> 
> ...edited...
> 
> Since there were obviously wizard folk celebrating near Little 
> Whinging, Dedalus (if it 'twere he) might have come over to turn a 
> few cartwheels and knock back a few pumpkin juices with friends....
> 
> Geoff

bboyminn:

I've been watching bits and pieces of this thread for a few days and
finally feel a need to respond.

First, it is /extremely/ unlikely that the wizard Vernon bumped into
outside Grunnings was Prof. Flitwick. Prof. Flitwick has to stand or
sit on a stack of books when he is behind his desk in order for the
students to be able to see him. The average desk is 30 inches high;
that make Flitwick 30" to 36" inches tall (best guess). 

True the narration which reflects Vernon's perspective describes the
wizard as 'tiny', but again, that's from the perspective of a large
portly rotund man. Also, the tiny wizard hugs Vernon around the
middle. Flitwick would have hugged him around the thighs. 

Given all this, Vernon reaction would logically have been much more
extreme if he had bumped into an extremely odd looking man who was
only 3 feet tall. Four to five feet tall in a full grown man would be
/tiny/ relative to Vernon's perspective. If it had been Flitwick, the
narration would have been more likely to say 'child-size' or
'child-like' than 'tiny'.

In addition, Dedalus Diggle is probably not the only short wizard who
dresses in purple and wears a top hat. However, I will admit, he is
the only one that has been specifically mentioned.

I did find a place where Dedalus Diggle is referred to as 'tiny'.

-- PS/ss Chapt 2 - Vanishing Glass, pg 30 --

A TINY man in a voilet top hat had bowed to him (Harry) once while out
shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley.

. . . later in Chapter 5 - Diagon Alley, pg 68-69 . . . 

[Pg 68] A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender...

[Pg 69] "Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the
name. Dedalus Diggle."

"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell
off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."

- - end quote - -

Since Dedalus is described as tiny and short and he is prone to
wearing violet, then he could have been the 'tiny old man ... that
...was wearing a voilet cloak'. A few sentences later the wizard in
the 'bumping' incident is described as speaking 'in a squeaky voice
that made passersby stare'.

So, what is missing to confirm that this is Mr. Diggle, is some
reference to Diggle as being OLD and speaking in a SQUEAKY voice.
Barring these confirmation, we can't conclude that the wizard in
question was Diggle. We can suspect it, but we can't conclude it.

I do however think that we can conclude that Prof. Flitwick's
appearance is so extreme that it would not have escaped Uncle Vernon's
notice or comment.

Additional Notes-

It seems that wizards and witches live among the muggles. Malfoys for
example live in Wiltshire, Diggle lives in Kent, and while not
specifically stated, it is suspected that the Diggorys, Fawcetts, and
the Weasleys live within a few miles of the village of Ottery St.
Catchpole, assumed to be in Devon. In addition, Mrs. Figg lives just a
couple streets over from Harry.

I have often used the example of Chinatown to illustrate how one
culture can live inside another without one culture influencing or
dominating the other. Many older people move from China to London and
spend their entire lives in Chinatown speaking their own language and
immersed in their own familiar and safe culture. They may live for
decades in London and never learn the language and never integrate
into the local culture. 

This paralles wizards and muggles. Moody has a house in London that
the local London police are able to find, but Moddy is able to move
from location to location, to meet with other wizard, to travel to
Hogwarts or Diagon Alley (the equivalent to Chinatown), and to do so
without ever interacting with the local muggle culture. 

A resident of London's Chinatown might on occassion venture out into
greater London, but it is a scary and culturally unfamilar and
uncomfortable experience. It is functionally possible; the Chinese may
manage to make a trip to the shopping mall for a present for a young
neice or nephew, and do so successfully, but I suspect it is a heart
pounding experience. So to, while magic folks are able to venture into
the muggle world and function adequately, it is still an unfamilar and
uncomfortable experience. 

Please consider, given a common language and a common, yet separate,
history, and some degree of similar culture, a wizards in the muggle
world would be a lot easier than a Chinese in greater London.

Wizards might live among muggles, but that doesn't mean they live with
them; among them but not a part of them. Just as some Chinese are IN
London, but not PART of it.

So, seeing wizards out and about in Surrey and nearby, while not
common, is still reasonable and possible.

Just a thought.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)