Support for parents of Muggleborns; Magic late in life

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 158116

BAW:
> How do we know that there isn't such a system?  Hermione's parents 
> don't seem to be phased.  Perhaps the Dursleys are a special case; 
> perhaps one of the conditions on which Petunia accepted him was 
that 
> there be NO contact with the Wizardling world until it was time for 
> Harry to go to Hogwarts.
> 
> The fact is that there is a great deal about the Wizarding world 
> that we don't know; JKR has not seen fit to tell us because it has 
> not been relevant to the plot.

Ceridwen:
We don't know that there is no support.  But we can see the problems 
Mrs Cole had with Tom Riddle, and his own suspicions that Dumbledore 
had come to take him to an assylum because of his differences.  Mrs 
Cole had no idea what was happening, how he had hung that rabbit from 
a beam, or what he might have done to the younger children in the sea-
cave.

Why would Petunia be told to have no contact with the WW?  Others 
have pointed out that Harry's location is no secret.  His mother had 
only one living relative, and there are no surviving relations on his 
father's side.  There is apparently a list of magical children at 
Hogwarts.  His name and his existence are no secret, in fact, the 
first inkling that something had happened to Petunia's sister in 
PS/SS was Vernon hearing Harry's name mentioned by some oddly-dressed 
people.  If there was to be some secrecy, shouldn't Petunia have been 
instructed to change Harry's name, too?

It may be possible that Dumbledore worked to change that after TR's 
example.  He wasn't only headmaster, he also held two more political 
positions.  But from what I've seen in the books, it certainly 
doesn't look like Muggle caregivers get any help whatsoever.

Ceridwen.