Harry Potter Questions

[kerravonsen]

A couple of speculative AU-ish questions for the HP peeps here.

1) I've seen it said that one reason that Harry was left (and kept) with the Dursleys was to keep him out of the hands of the Malfoys. I can't remember how much support this idea had in canon, but it seems plausible anyway. I've read quite a few stories where Harry being adopted by the Malfoys is seen as almost a fate worse than death - but has anyone written a story where this fate did happen, where Harry was adopted by the Malfoys? Has anyone written a good story with that scenario?

2) I'm rather stuck with one of my AU HP stories because I can't actually decide what is the best outcome for Harry in the scenario I've set up. The situation in the story is that the Dursleys have been persuaded that they need to at least give the outward appearance of not neglecting Harry, because of What The Neighbours Might Think. Harry is about eight or nine at the time; they give him Dudley's second bedroom, second-hand furniture, his own (but second-hand) clothes... as I said, the outward appearance. So Harry is better off than in canon, though obviously the Dursleys still hate and fear magic. And I can't decide what to aim for.

The options, as I can see them:

A) Leave things as they are; Harry at the Dursleys. After all he's better off than in canon. And if the Dursleys are less obvious in their neglect, it would be harder to remove Harry from their custody anyway.
B) The Dursleys are still caught out as neglecting Harry, and he is removed from their custody. And Harry is adopted.

i) Adopted by Aunt Marge (who is the one who noticed Harry's neglect)
ii) Adopted by the Tonks family (who are cousins through the Blacks)
iii) Adopted by the Malfoys (who are cousins through the Blacks)
iv) Adopted by the Weasleys.
v) Adopted by Snape.
vi) Adopted by someone else entirely.

But I'm finding it hard to make any of these particularly plausible in my mind.

I CAN'T DECIDE! HELP!

Comments

[watervole]

Aunt Marge. I can see her in my mind's eye right now - you made her very believable.

[kerravonsen]

Aw, thanks.

[vilakins]

Seconded!

Harry is removed from the Dursley's & adopted.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh please, let Snape adopt him, ostensibly for safe keeping, but Snape will treat him with less respect than a house-elf. Over the holidays, Snape goes to a remote stone cottage on an isolated moor. He sets Harry to scrubbing the flagstone floors by hand with a toothbrush, withholding food at the first sign of rebellion. Harry runs away, but is returned impotently thrashing, in the air above the wand in Snape's hand... Think of the possibilities for Harry angst... Cheers, Will Smith

Re: Harry is removed from the Dursley's & adopted.

[kerravonsen]

Already been done, more than once, though not by me. I am completely not interested in writing a Snape-torments-Harry story.

[redjaywrites.livejournal.com]

It depends on when this happens. Obviously if it's before the age he goes to Hogwarts, being adopted by the Weasleys is unlikely to be an option, as the only link they had to his parents was the then defunct Order of the Phoenix. The Malfoys and the Tonks are a broad jump, though the Tonks might be more likely if they offered to adopt Harry and the call was made by the wizards as Nymphadora would have a steady auror job which would be seen as good for raising a child. Similarly if she applied through muggles, she could say it's a job in the government which would also look good. Aunt Marge might not be an obvious choice, because of course she'd be too close to the Dursleys and if they were proven to be abusing him, visits from them might be more manipulable in that scenario which could harm Harry. If Lily ever expressed any reason why Snape should have Harry through their friendship/secret keeper-ness it might have been to him, except of course the fact that he HAD been a Deatheater might lose him his favour. I think the Malfoys if they applied would be the most financially stable and probably the most likely to be offered to adopt him though with all the 'faults' of each of your choices, he might just get taken in by a well-meaning, nice wizard/muggle family who are willing to keep their gobs shut about his famous status.

[kerravonsen]

A bit of confusion here: I meant Andromeda and Ted Tonks when I meant the Tonks family...

[dreamflower]

Choice A: what would motivate the Dursleys to want to superficially clean up their act? Only two things I can think of--fear or greed. They might fear discovery by muggle authorities; perhaps some other muggle family has been in the news for abusing a foster child. Or fear of the wizards--has there been something to make them think they've drawn the wizarding world's attention? Or greed? I don't know about the foster system in the UK, but in the US foster families get paid to take care of a foster child. Perhaps they hope to cash in on such payments.

Choice B:
i: Nope. I can't see Aunt Marge being that benevolent.
ii. That would be really cool--and make for a really fun AU in which Tonks becomes like a big sister to Harry.
iii: Sinister. Why would the Malfoys do that unless they thought that it would in some way advance He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's cause. In that case Harry might even be abused worse than he was by the Dursleys, through magical and psychological manipulation.
iv. I can't see that one off-hand. Why/how would the Weasleys know anything about him if it were before Harry got his Hogwart's Letter?
v. Snape might do that if Dumbledore ordered it. That would make for an interesting AU; perhaps over time Snape might actually grow fond of Harry.
vi. This one is my favorite--what if Harry was removed from the Dursleys by muggle authorities? What if their abuse was suspected and reported (by a schoolteacher, perhaps?) And what if the nice and kind muggle family who took him in was: the Grangers? If Harry was only about eight or so when they took him in, he'd be quite used to them before he AND Hermione receive their Hogwarts letters. He and Hermione would really be much more brother and sister than ever.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I understand foster parents get £400 a week. I initially assumed that the Dursleys wouldn't qualify given that they're close relatives, but this site (http://www.fostering.org.uk/information/family_fostering.html) suggests they could if Harry was placed with them by social services (though until 2001 they would have received less money than non-relatives; I can't remember when the series started so don't know whether that ruling would come into play if they were trying to impress social services). Though this site (http://www.thewhocarestrust.org.uk/pages/kinship-care.html) suggests that it was 2008 that was the turning point with the Children and Young Person's Act allowing more widespread payments to related carers.

[kerravonsen]

The series is set in the nineties, so stuff done in 2001 wouldn't count.

And so far as I know, Harry wasn't placed with them by anyone other than the headmaster of the school Harry's parents went to (which is rather dubious, if you ask me).

[smallbrownfrog.livejournal.com]

Have you considered Arabella Figg?