Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be
discussing Harry Potter, the Weasleys, the Dursleys, and WHY on earth Harry didn’t
just LIVE with the Weasley family. Why did Harry, year after year, return to a place
where he wasn’t wanted- the Dursley’s home. Now, I know that they’re related to
him, but they are awful people, and they really abused Harry. How could Harry Potter- the
boy who famously survived an attack from the dark lord, have nowhere to stay but with them?
Instead of being celebrated for being magical, the Dursleys hated Harry for it. They hated
any and all things that weren’t normal. This hatred stemmed from his aunt Petunia’s
belief that her parents preferred her magical sister to her, which forever made her despise
the entire wizarding world. When Vernon and Petunia met, Petunia confessed to Vernon that
her sister was a witch- this led to them bonding over despising all things ‘magical’.
Each year, at the end of the school term, students are sent back home to spend time
with their families. And each year, Harry visits the Weasleys on his way back-home.
So, why doesn’t he just stay there? Why bother going back to the Dursleys? It even
seems like the Burrow isn’t too far from the home of the Dursleys, as Ron was able
to take Harry there in the Flying Ford Anglia in what seemed like a fairly reasonable amount
of time.
Now, before we dig further in to why Harry didn’t live with the Weasleys, the first
thing that should be addressed is the present state of affairs for the Weasley family.
Their family is quite large, and consists of Fred, George, Charlie, Molly, Arthur, Ginny,
Bill, Percy, and of course Ron. Obviously there are more Weasleys, but these are the
main ones that we’re introduced to in the series. We know and love the Weasley family,
for both their quirks, and their kindness to Harry through the books/films. They really
are good people, who have nothing but Harry’s best interest in mind. In the time that Harry
does spend with them, Molly Weasley takes Harry in like one of her own, no questions
asked. Come christmas time, there’s always a plate on the table for Harry, and there’s
always a new jumper knitted for him, they truly embrace him as one of their own.
But, one thing that is hard to ignore is their financial situation. It’s suggested quite
a bit in the books and films that the Weasleys don’t have a lot of money. Their clothes,
wands, home and thrifty attitudes all sort of suggest it. This is mainly because Arthur
is the only stream of income for the entire family. First he worked for the Misuse of
Muggle Artifacts department, and later on, he was promoted and assumed the role of ‘head
of office’ for the detection and confiscation of counterfeit defensive spells and protective
objects department. Even if Arthur has quite a healthy salary, it’s hard to imagine that
it would be easy to support a family of his size.
So, one thought that I had was that Harry doesn’t live with the Weasleys because they
can’t afford the additional expense. The issue with this, is that the Weasleys LOVE
harry, and I’m sure that they would do anything to accommodate him living with them. With
the Weasley family, it’s not about the money - it’s about love, friendship, and union.
That’s what they value, and if bringing Harry on board meant a few extra costs for
the family, then so be it. Additionally, Harry had a TON of money of his own. And I’m sure
that he would be MORE than willing to help the family out, particularly if he lived with
them. So, money simply can’t be the reason that he didn’t live with them. There’s
got to be something else.
The real reason that Harry lived with the Dursleys, and it seems like it always comes
down to this, was Harry’s blood line. Harry’s aunt Petunia was of course the sister of Harry’s
mother, Lily Potter. Because Petunia was Harry’s blood relative, people held the belief that
Lily’s act of sacrificial protection would continue on and be transmitted through Petunia.
When I say Lily’s ‘sacrificial protection’ I am of course referring to the powerful counter-charm
that Lily Potter cast on Harry when she was being attacked by Lord Voldemort.
A sacrificial protection charm can be performed when someone sacrifices their own life willingly
and out of deep, pure love to save the life of someone else.
Dumbledore explains this himself:
"While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood dwells, there you cannot
be touched or harmed by Voldemort. He shed her blood, but it lives on in you and her
sister. Her blood became your refuge. You need return there only once a year, but as
long as you can still call it home, there he cannot hurt you. Your aunt knows this.
I explained what I had done in the letter I left, with you, on her doorstep. She knows
that allowing you houseroom may well have kept you alive for the past fifteen years"
So, even though the Dursleys treated Harry like trash, in a tragic turn of events he
was actually still safer with The Dursleys than with any one else. Sure, he could have
lived with the Weasleys and soaked up the love, but he just would not have been as safe
there. Ultimately, keeping Harry Potter alive was the top priority.
And that’s all for this video! If you enjoy the content, please be sure to like the video
and subscribe to the channel. Until next time-
YER A WIZARD ARRY