Harry Cunning or Manipulative?

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 148807

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Karen <kchuplis at ...> wrote:
>
> 
> On Saturday, February 25, 2006, at 03:29 PM, Geoff Bannister wrote:
> 
> >
> >
> > Actually, this raises an interesting point. If Marge was close 
enough
> > to be asked if she could take Harry while the Dursleys were at 
the Zoo
> > for the day, why does she come to /stay/ with them for a week? Why
> > doesn't she just drop over for the day?
> >
> >
> 
> kchuplis:
> 
> I recently saw an interview with Emma Thompson and she was talking 
> about people coming to stay. She was referring to Christmas and 
said 
> "it's not like over here where people come and then they leave. 
They 
> come and then stay for days!"  From various reading, I get the 
> impression that it may be a cultural thing to come for a week and 
stay, 
> even if you don't live that far. It's not like here where you 
travel 8 
> hours to get somewhere. I had a director from Ireland who was 
> constantly going on about how LONG it takes to go anywhere here. 
So, 
> for those from the UK, I imagine, yes, you could put Harry on a 
train 
> for two hours to get to Marge's for a day (or two, most likely),but 
if 
> she came to "visit" that would be considered a trip and 4 or 5 days 
> isn't out of the question.

Geoff:
It is not a cultural thing to come and stay for days when you are 
close at hand goegraphically. My sons, who live in the London area 
and are about 170 miles away will come for a long weekend - say 
Friday to Sunday - at intervals. But families don't tend to go to 
relatives for long periods unless, like us, we live in a National 
Park where they can get out to do things like walking or visiting.

But let's return to Privet Drive. It is the morning of Dudley's 
birthday and the news of Mrs.Figg's accident comes at breakfast time. 
I don't seriously think that the Dursleys would take time to set up a 
two hour rail journey for Harry; they certainly wouldn't let him 
loose on his own! They've also got the terrifying thought of 
placating Dudley who would probably go ballistic if his birthday trip 
was delayed because of the problem. No, Aunt Marge has got to be 
somewhere fairly close.