Possible reasons to decide to bring Harry to the Dursleys and possible reasons to leave him there may have been separate matters.
At least one immediate reason was to keep Harry away from the traitor Sirius. When Dumbledore told Harry he had to be kept away from DEs this was what he meant. (Of course he didn't want to word it like that just after Sirius died protecting Harry.) However this reason became irrelevant the following day.
If leaving Harry at 4PD had to do with the blood protection then this was not relevant while Voldemort was disembodied. (There is no way the blood protection could save Harry from Bellatrix or anyone else - Lily's sacrifice is specific to bodies where Voldemort is. Quirrell can touch Harry when he is merely acting in Voldemort's service, it is only when he is bodily possessed by Voldemort that the protection kicks in. Similarly, Draco as a DE can curse Harry and break his nose, Peter can tie him up and stab him, Barty can Imperiurize him, grab him, other DEs can hit him with spells etc.) Perhaps the blood protection had to be established ahead of Voldemort's return but did it really require Harry living there for all those years?
Neither was obscuring Harry's location a significant factor, or if it was it wasn't done well. Random wizards knew how to find Harry. Any DE who wanted to could have found him on his way to or from school or at the playground. Or just owled a cursed object, since owls seem to be able to find people when their location isn't known (Sirius while on the run) or even Secret Kept (Hermione's parents owling her at 12GP, school owls arriving at 12GP).
I think it comes down to contrasting the Wizarding World with Harry's home environment, thus creating a preference and loyalty for the former. Controlling Harry's exposure to the Wizarding World such that it can be done in a way that ensured Harry's personal loyalty and trust to Dumbledore (and possibly encouraged his Sorting into Gryffindor, where he would learn self-endangerment). Possibly learning how the presence of Tom's soul-bit influenced Harry's character and development.
Remus probably would have had the time and the information.
Remus had been excluded from the Potters' circle for at least 3-4 months before Halloween. He wasn't more informed than any other Order member.
I agree Dumbledore wanted to isolate Harry from the wizarding world and control his exposure to it
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-09-15 05:21 pm (UTC)At least one immediate reason was to keep Harry away from the traitor Sirius. When Dumbledore told Harry he had to be kept away from DEs this was what he meant. (Of course he didn't want to word it like that just after Sirius died protecting Harry.) However this reason became irrelevant the following day.
If leaving Harry at 4PD had to do with the blood protection then this was not relevant while Voldemort was disembodied. (There is no way the blood protection could save Harry from Bellatrix or anyone else - Lily's sacrifice is specific to bodies where Voldemort is. Quirrell can touch Harry when he is merely acting in Voldemort's service, it is only when he is bodily possessed by Voldemort that the protection kicks in. Similarly, Draco as a DE can curse Harry and break his nose, Peter can tie him up and stab him, Barty can Imperiurize him, grab him, other DEs can hit him with spells etc.) Perhaps the blood protection had to be established ahead of Voldemort's return but did it really require Harry living there for all those years?
Neither was obscuring Harry's location a significant factor, or if it was it wasn't done well. Random wizards knew how to find Harry. Any DE who wanted to could have found him on his way to or from school or at the playground. Or just owled a cursed object, since owls seem to be able to find people when their location isn't known (Sirius while on the run) or even Secret Kept (Hermione's parents owling her at 12GP, school owls arriving at 12GP).
I think it comes down to contrasting the Wizarding World with Harry's home environment, thus creating a preference and loyalty for the former. Controlling Harry's exposure to the Wizarding World such that it can be done in a way that ensured Harry's personal loyalty and trust to Dumbledore (and possibly encouraged his Sorting into Gryffindor, where he would learn self-endangerment). Possibly learning how the presence of Tom's soul-bit influenced Harry's character and development.
Remus probably would have had the time and the information.
Remus had been excluded from the Potters' circle for at least 3-4 months before Halloween. He wasn't more informed than any other Order member.
I agree Dumbledore wanted to isolate Harry from the wizarding world and control his exposure to it