[HPforGrownups] Re: Dumbledore's Magnaminity

[P J]

No: HPFGUIDX 143087



a_svirn:
>I don't think it demonstrates what you want it to demonstrate,
>actually. The full quote goes as follows: "Knew! Of course we knew!
>How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she
>got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-
>and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn,
>turning teacups into rats." It would appear that Petunia didn't know
>for sure from the beginning, but realized soon enough, by making
>comparisons with her sister. You will have noticed that she didn't
>refer to the letter, when she said she knew.

PJ:
Well, actually a_svirn, it continues with "Then she met that Potter at 
school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd 
be just the same, just as strange, just as --- abnormal --- and then, if you 
please, she went and got herself blwown up and we got landed with you!"

So yes... Between your quote and the rest of it there is no doubt that 
Petunia *knew* Harry was a Wizard when she agreed to take him.  It's canon.

a_svirn:
>So it could. But we do have some idea, don't we. Dumbledore
>explicitly said that he had explained about Harry's parents' murder
>and had expressed hope that they would raise him as their own.

Yup.  That's what he said.  I'd expect that he had a carrot or two in that 
letter though.  He'd have had to in order to get 2 magic-phobic muggles to 
take in a Wizard child, wouldn't he?  I'd love to know what those carrots 
consisted of.  :-)

a_svirn:
>So what if she knew. Her own parents were ecstatic about having a
>witch in the family and let Lilly go to Hogwarts. She, on the other
>hand, wasn't going to be so tolerant about such nonsense. Aren't
>parents, even foster parents, entitled to make that kind of
>decisions?

She had 11 years to make those decisions but it wasn't meant to last 
forever.  Harry was always meant to rejoin the Wizarding World when he 
reached the age to attend Hogwarts.


PJ:
 > Dumbledore *is* the authorities!  He's head of the WW!
a_svirn
>I beg your pardon?

PJ:
Dumbledore, according to the Lexicon, held all these offices, as well as 
Headmaster of Hogwarts during the 11 years Harry was with the Dursleys.  As 
Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot (Wow! I really mangled that spelling my 
first time around) he was the leader of the Wizarding World... He was the 
head guy.  Even Fudge, the Minister of Magic, looked to him for the answers 
(OOtP pg 94 paragraph 1 Scholastic in case you're wondering)

*(Organizations & affiliations: Order of Merlin, First Class, and Grand 
Sorcerer; Founder and Secretkeeper, Order of the Phoenix (OP6); Supreme 
Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards (temporarily "voted 
out" OP5); Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot (temporarily demoted OP5). )

a_svirn:
>I don't recall him stating anything of the sort.

I wouldn't want you to think I was pulling arguements out of thin air simply 
for arguement's sake so here it is... "The magic I evoked fifteen years ago 
means that Harry has powerful protection while he can still call this house 
'home'.  However miserable he has been here, however unwelcome, however 
badly treated, you have at least, grudgingly, allowed him houseroom."  (HBP 
pg 35 Scholastic)

a_svirn:
>If they need a protection from Voldemort it only because they agreed
>to adopt Harry. It is not the protection they got out of the
>bargain, but on the contrary got their lives endangered INTO the
>bargain.

Voldermort and his DE's have wiped out entire families before so what makes 
Petunia and Vernon so special?  So untouchable?  It's not as though muggles 
have been any safer against Voldermort and his DE's than magic folk... So 
many muggles have died during the wars that Fudge has to pay a  visit to the 
Muggle Prime Minister in order to explain what's going on.  What would make 
you think that the Dursleys,  family to the Potters (the cause of 
Voldermort's disappearance), would be unaffected by any DE raids even 
without their having taken Harry into their home?

Surely you'd have to agree, even if you don't believe it's probable, that 
it's still within the realm of possibility the DE's may have thought to wipe 
out the *entire* Potter/Dursley family in retribution for the loss of their 
leader?

PJ