Dumbledore's nonintervention at the Dursleys,: What Changed?

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 163113

---  "dumbledore11214" <dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
>
> > Magpie:
> <SNIP>
> > Which is why, as I originally said, I have a hard 
> > time buying that Dumbledore's letter included any 
> > sort of promise to not interfere. 
> >
> > You've  given defenses as to why maybe it was better
> > for him not to, but that in itself seems to suggest
> >  that he could if he wanted to do it.
> 
> Alla:
> 
> ... I just want to mention once again why I am not 
> really buying the possibility of existance of non- 
> interference clause in the first place.
> 
> That is of course because of Order members feeling that
> it is Okay to interfer at the end of OOP. ... 
>
> ...
> 
> I mean, what exactly changed at the end of OOP? The 
> only thing changed that it was a bit too little too 
> late ...

bboyminn:

I'm not buying the non-interference clause for the same
reasons Alla is not buying it. If it existed then why
did the eventually /interfer/?

I can buy that there was something in the letter saying
that Dumbledore and the wizard world would leave them 
alone in general unless they felt the need to intervene.
But hardly more that that, if even that.

As to why now, and not sooner, I can answer that easily.
In the past, Harry Potter - The Boy Who Lived was really
just a concept to them, to them all. From his distant 
outpost, I suspect Dumbledore reminded himself that 
Harry was safe everytime he started to doubt the wisdom
of leaving Harry with the Dursley. As to everyone else,
they had little or no contact with Harry and little or 
no news of his status. He represented a fond memory,
but no connected reality to them. 

But now things are different, they all know Harry 
personally, and that changes him from Harry Potter -
The Boy Who Lived to Harry Potter - The Boy I Know
and Care About. Given everything that has happened to 
Harry in GoF and OotP, I don't see how his friends in
good conscience could separate themselves from Harry's
fate at the Dursleys. The Statue of Secrecy, in a sense,
forbids them to interfer in any substantial way, but 
they are determined that Harry's already over the top
misery should not be added to. 

I think what changed is that Harry and his fate are now
very personal to them, and that makes a difference. 

Just a thought.

Steve/bboyminn