Things I have Questions about in PS/SS

[Weasleyfanforever]

Things I noticed about PS/SS:

In the first chapter when Petunia is feeding Dudley, it says "none of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window." Who could that owl possibly be delivering information to that lived so close by that it would need to flutter by their window? Mrs Figg lives down the street I believe, so could it have possibly been someone in an animagus form?

Also, Vernon notices several people on the corner and sees a man in emerald-green cloak who "has to be older than he is." I wonder if there is any signifigance to this man, and who he was. Then there's the man that hugs him and exclaims that You-Know-Who is gone. Why would a wizard approach a muggle and hug him, while blabbering on about "You-Know-Who?

It also seems that there are a lot of wizards close by where harry is going to be dropped off. In OotP, it is said that there aren't any other wizards close to the Dursleys, so why would they have been congregated there? They didn't know where Harry was going to be taken, did they?

Were the people Harry noticed that "seemed to know him" sent to watch him, as he was watched in OotP, since they apparated when he tried to take a closer look?

Another thing, Vernon is not the man of the house that he acts like he is. He is very worried about talking to his wife about the Potters. Not like he would be angry at her, more like he is afraid of her what she will do or say. What could have made him so scared to bring up the Potters around Petunia?

That's all for now, but I am still re-reading...

[Boing]

Things I noticed about PS/SS:

In the first chapter when Petunia is feeding Dudley, it says "none of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window." Who could that owl possibly be delivering information to that lived so close by that it would need to flutter by their window? Mrs Figg lives down the street I believe, so could it have possibly been someone in an animagus form?

Also, Vernon notices several people on the corner and sees a man in emerald-green cloak who "has to be older than he is." I wonder if there is any signifigance to this man, and who he was. Then there's the man that hugs him and exclaims that You-Know-Who is gone. Why would a wizard approach a muggle and hug him, while blabbering on about "You-Know-Who?

It also seems that there are a lot of wizards close by where harry is going to be dropped off. In OotP, it is said that there aren't any other wizards close to the Dursleys, so why would they have been congregated there? They didn't know where Harry was going to be taken, did they?

Were the people Harry noticed that "seemed to know him" sent to watch him, as he was watched in OotP, since they apparated when he tried to take a closer look?

Another thing, Vernon is not the man of the house that he acts like he is. He is very worried about talking to his wife about the Potters. Not like he would be angry at her, more like he is afraid of her what she will do or say. What could have made him so scared to bring up the Potters around Petunia?

That's all for now, but I am still re-reading...

Well, let's take them in order.

It seems there were a lot of owls that were going around that day - mostly to tells the news of Voldemort's downfall and of the boy who lived. It is interesting because Petunia would probably be very attuned to owls coming by as we assume that is how Dumbledore had contacted her.

I don't remember the part where a person comes up to Vernon and says that Voldemort is gone - I thought he was driving to work. Anyway, if it did happen, the wizards were most likely just so incredibly excited and came flocking out to the streets to see each other, spread the good news to each other and from the looks of it, they were getting pretty reckless.

I didn't think that the people Harry seemed to recognize were sent to spy on him - he already had Mrs. Figg there. I think that they were most likely just curious and came to get a closer look, but then disappeared so as not to cause a stir and get in trouble themselves.

I think with the wizards close by, there just weren't any in his neighborhood, but as Vernon drives to work, he sees more. I got the impression that they were more in the city area where Vernon works and not necessarily in the exact neighborhood where he lives.

Petunia has always seemed like the one in control to me - she is in charge of her husband, but it seems that Dudley is in charge of both of them.

Good questions and I'm sure we can start a lot of speculation with answers to them that are not as obvious as mine! I just wanted to give the top-line perspective and someone else can tackle the more speculative ones.

[Alz]

What seemed a little wierd is that there were so many witches and wizards 'visible' ...
I always got the impression that the magical world 'dressed' almost like muggles when in their world ....
I see a few points Boing made above and agree, a level of elation was being felt in the Magical world that Voldemort was now dead, people could stop living in fear ... and this may have lead to some complacency ...

With regards to the owls - it was said in OoTP that no witches/wizards live near the Dursley's - only Figgy ... so that owl was either going to Figgy or perhaps was doing a 'stealth' drop to Petunia?

I was under the impression Vernon wore the trousers until OoTP when Petunia tells him Harry will be staying - he didnt seem to give that much of an argument ....

[Tinkerbell]

I think Vernon is a bit blustery and likes to think he is the boss of the household, but think that Petunia probably controls much of what goes on - perhaps there is even a power struggle between Dudders and Petunia, although as Dudders is a bit of a thicko, Petunia currently has the upper hand.

As for the owl, I think that at this time the whole wizarding world was going a little nuts and therefore there were owls flapping back and forth all over the country!

[Tonks]

Alright, first the owl. I think that that owl fluttering by the window may have been an owl to Figgy to let her know that Voldemort had met his downfall in Harry Potter. She's a Squib so is not very connected to the wizarding world as most who know that it exists are. It may also have been a letter from Dumbledore to say that Harry would be coming to live with her neighbors, and would she keep an eye on him, etc. Sure, she lives down the street, but what's to say the direct flight path didn't just go by the Dursley's house.

Well, it wasn't as if the wizard just came up and hugged him out of nowhere. Vernon bumped into him and then the guy was like, oh don't worry about it because its such a great day, etc. and then hugged him. I think this was because the entire wizarding world was so overjoyed about the downfall of Voldemort, that they forgot about the normal things they usually did, or just thought them unimportant at the moment. As Boing put it, they were being very reckless.

I agree with Boing on the groups of wizards thing. I think that all the wizards you see in the first chapter of SS/PS were in another town or city, where Vernon works. I don't think he works close to Privet Drive, or in Little Whinging at least.

The people that Harry notices looking at him were obviously wizards, and probably curious ones at that. We know that he noticed them on the street, or while shopping; they probably noticed his scar and just wanted to get a closer look at The Boy Who Lived.

You have to wonder what the everyday wizarding community thought about Harry while he was growing up. They had to know that he was sent to live with Muggles, because he couldn't just disappear, and in the Leaky Cauldron, someone says "Welcome Back, Mr. Potter, Welcome Back." Someone wouldn't just say that randomly; they had to have known he grew up with a Muggle family. Did someone (Dumbledore, if anyone) address the entire wizarding world and tell them that if they saw him, they were not to go crazy or do anything that would scare him or really draw his attention? Obviously it would've been a little weird if someone walked up to him and was like "OMG its Harry Potter!!"

As for the boss of the Dursley family, I think that Vernon was really the boss, but Petunia does have some input. Basically what Bla said: Vernon has the most power until OotP when Petunia has a word to put in.

[Weasleyfanforever]

This is anotherthing I found interesting in PS/SS:

Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.

We all assume that Hagrid has a relationship with Madam Maxime, but I thought it was interesting, and slightly funny, that this was in there...

[Alz]

Perhaps she hasnt had in any play in a while and when Hagrid planted a kiss it was welcomed ;)
Not that it ever developed but could have been funny - afterall McGonagall seemed to be a smart and switched on witch, then you have hagrid the oaf - too funny!
Hey perhaps they will be a 'happy ever after' couple at the end of book 7 :D

[Jenelle]

To reply and add my 2 cents into this forum...WeasleyFanForever posted:

"In the first chapter when Petunia is feeding Dudley, it says "none of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window." Who could that owl possibly be delivering information to that lived so close by that it would need to flutter by their window? Mrs Figg lives down the street I believe, so could it have possibly been someone in an animagus form?"

When McGonagall and DD were talking when they were waiting for Harry to get to the Dursleys, McG tells DD that people are sending owls everywhere and that she doesnt like it that muggles are seeing them everywhere, muggles dont think that its normal for an owl to fly around in the daytime. So I think that this was just one of those stray owls, but I also like that it could be the one to Figgy also. Either way.

[Alz]

Umm - I can see your point Jenelle ...
Thing is we are taught by JKR that owls are used to ship messages about - and I dont think she would add that in without trying to suggest a message ...
She was establishing plotline and story for Potter - and we later see many owls delivering messages ... so I am torn really ... I can see both sides of the argument but it is little things like this JKR tries to sneek in :)