A Theory about Harry's Continued Placement With the Dursleys

[danajsparks.livejournal.com]

Some of us have questioned why Harry had to continue to spend several weeks with the Dursleys each summer after Voldemort returned at the end of GoF. If sharing Harry's blood allowed Voldemort to touch Harry, then it seems logical that it would also allow him to bypass any magical blood protections on #4 Privet Drive. So here's an idea, inspired by Arsinoe de Blassenville's The Best Revenge.

Dumbledore could argue that the Dursleys should have custody of Harry, even though they were Muggles, because Petunia was Harry's closest living blood relative. However, his argument probably would not have been especially valid unless Harry had actually lived with the Dursleys for at least a few weeks each summer. If Harry never actually spent any time with the Dursleys, then more distant wizarding relatives might have been able to present a good case for why they should have custody of him instead.

For example, let's suppose that Harry was the grandson of Dorea Black and Charlus Potter on the Black Family Tapestry. In that case, it's quite possible that, in the summer of 1995, Harry's closest living wizarding relatives (who were not convicted criminals anyway) were his second cousins Andromeda Tonks and Narcissa Malfoy. In the summer of 1995, Andromeda Tonks had long since been disinherited from the Black family, and Lucius Malfoy had the ear of the Minister of Magic. So, if Harry hadn't continued to live with the Dursleys for part of each summer, then the Malfoys might have been able to gain custody of the Boy-Who-Lived.

In a sense, then, the Dursleys did provide Harry with a "blood" protection, even after Voldemort returned. But it wasn't necessarily a magical protection; it was a legal one.

Comments

[oryx_leucoryx]

Another point: In OOTP Albus didn't quite trust the protections - he had Order members stationed in Little Whinging and when he received evidence that there was some attempt on Harry (albeit by Dolores rather than by Tom or any of his agents) he instructed Harry to stay indoors and 4 days later had Harry moved to 12GP - which apparently had protections Albus trusted more.

Then in HBP he lets Harry spend 2 weeks at 4PD with no special instructions about whether or not to go out (despite the fact that the war was on and dementors were about), and arranged for Harry to spend the June and July of the following year there, again with no special instructions. It is possible that following the dementors attack in OOTP Albus added extra protections for the 2 subsequent summers.

It is also possible that Severus was given the task of playing up the 4PD protections to Tom, to convince him that an attack while they held would be pointless. Voldemort swallowed the story whole, as we see in DH. I doubt the DEs only arrived after the Dursleys left and Harry's entourage arrived and everyone mounted their rides. But they waited until they believed the protection was no longer in force.