[HPforGrownups] a teacup of frogspawn (was Re: Dursleys)

[Morag Traynor]

No: HPFGUIDX 17215

Margaret supplied apposite quote:
>
>	    "You =knew=?" said Harry.  "You =knew= I'm a --
>	a wizard?"
>	    "Knew?" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly.  "=Knew!=
>	Of course we knew!  How could you not be, my dratted
>	sister being what she was?  Oh, she got a letter just
>	like that and disappeared off to that -- that =school=
>	-- and came home every vacation with her pockets full
>	of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats.  I was the
>	only one who saw her for what she was -- a freak!
>	But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this
>	and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in
>	the family!"
>	    She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went
>	ranting on.  It seemed she had been wanting to say all
>	this for years.

Something I spotted on my nth re-read of PoA:  When Harry and Ron visit 
Zonko's, they leave -

"their pockets bulging with Dungbombs, Hiccough Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap and 
a Nose-Biting Teacup apiece."

Someone (sorry, can't credit) shrewdly spotted that if Lily did turn teacups 
into rats on a regular basis, she'd have been in danger of expulsion for 
breaking the rules on under-age magic out of school.  But what if she'd only 
brought home a few Zonko's products?  It would be just like Petunia to 
over-react, and it paints a better picture of Lily too.
_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.