Rereading SS/PS question(s)/Harry's protections

[Peggy Richter]

No: HPFGUIDX 153991

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at ...> 
wrote: (snip) Dumbledore's "belt  and suspenders approach" just does 
not seem to work very well, does  it?  I mean, if those folks are 
Order Members, then I have no case, it is  just I am incredibly 
puzzled of their way of keeping watch over  Harry - deliberately 
directing Harry's attention to them.

PAR: what if they were Order members who DELIBERATELY let Petunia 
see them?  We know DD has stated that he watched over Harry and that 
this watch was "closer than you know".  We also know that there were 
instances where Harry had uncontrolled expressions of magic -- 
jumping (levitating) to the school roof, turning a teacher's hair 
blue.  What if these brief sightings were tied to these  - reminding 
Petunia that while the abuse might not be eliminated, abandoning 
Harry wouldn't be accepted and that there were wizards who were at 
least checking to see if he was still all in one piece and 
breathing?  I admit that there is very little cannon evidence for 
this -- the descriptions of the "odd people" Harry meets are so 
vague and brief that they could be anyone  -- except that he DOES 
recognize one of them later.  And it would go at least a small way 
to showing that DD wasn't "ok" with the Dursley's abuse, and that he 
did go to some effort to minimize it. 

Petunia clearly knows a wizard when she sees one in hat and robes.  
Her "furiously" asking Harry if he knew one of them might well be 
guilt that the WW was checking on Harry when he was out of her 
sight.  She would be afraid of what Harry might tell them or what 
they might tell Harry.

PAR.