Dumbledore, the Dursleys, & Mrs. Figg

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 123428


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Alex Boyd" <alex51324 at h...> wrote:
> 
> I was just re-reading the first chapter of OotP, and noticed that
> there is a very small bit of evidence that *someone*, at least, has
> taken a *slightly* more hands-on approach to making sure that Harry 
> is taken care of during the summer.  To wit: 
> 
> "Mrs Figg had recently taken to asking him around for tea whenever 
> she saw him in the street" (2, US HC).  
> 
> ...edited... whether Mrs. Figg is acting on her own initiative or on 
> Dumbledore's orders, we can't say.  In either case, it probably 
> would  have worked better if  someone had clued him in that she 
> wasn't *just* a nutty neighbor--as it is, he goes out of his way to 
> avoid Mrs. Figg and her tea.
> 
> But, yeah, too little too late.  
> 
> Alex

bboyminn:

This was one of the immensely frustrating parts of OotP. How hard
would it have been to tell Harry that Mrs. Figg was an ally, or even
better, to let Harry know that Mrs. Figg was a friend of Dumbledore's
and was in contact with the wizard world? She may not have been able
to tell Harry any more than he was getting from anyone else, but it
would have been someone to talk to. 

Certainly, if Harry knew who she was he would have dropped over for
tea. Mrs. Figg place would have also make a nice safe haven at which
Harry could visit and have tea with other people like Ron and
Hermione, or Sirius and Remus. Certainly Sirius could have apparated
to Mrs. Figg's and done so without notice.

That company, the mere presents of friends and allies, would have
eased Harry frustration greatly, and even more importantly made the
job of guarding him easier. Most likely, knowing who Mrs. Figg was
would have meant Harry would have spend most of his time at her place
instead of randomly wandering around the neighborhood.

Dumbledore seems a great man when it comes to the big picture, but he
frequently overlooks simple little details like this.

Just a thought.

Steve/bboyminn