Petunia the Witch?

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 24598

Whimpering house-elf-style apologies if this has been brought up, but...

IF Petunia's a witch, one good reason she might be very resentful against
the whole magical world might have been if she had been expelled from
Hogwarts---particularly if it was as unjust as Hagrid's case.

Would she have been around when Tom Riddle (boo, hiss!) was a prefect and
Head Boy?  If so, what if she had found herself kicked out of Hogwarts, her
wand broken, and banished from the magical world...and all for a crime of
which she was actually innocent?  I was utterly _shocked_ that they had sent
Sirius Black to Azkaban _without a trial_...hey, I'm a lawyer's son, I
_BELIEVE IN UTTERLY FAIR TRIALS_ as well as harsh punishment for offenders!
Under Professor Dumbledore's predecessor, apparently it was perfectly
possible for an innocent to be flung out of Hogwarts and (to all extents and
purposes)  the magical world, as Hagrid was, so why not Petunia Evans?  I
doubt that Tom Riddle would have any scruples about framing her if she Knew
Too Much.

I know we all tend to HATE Petunia Dursley...the gods know I do!  If I knew
of anybody in my limited circle of acquaintances who was treating a child
the way she was treating Harry, there'd be a BIG crate of whoopass being
opened, with that person's name on it.  At the same time, if she has a
_reason_ to hate the wizard world, as in "They threw me out without even a
hearing, and I was INNOCENT!" her attitude could easily have congealed into
real hatred over the years, and she might well see Harry as a symbol of all
she was forced to leave behind.  Imagine if she were as talented and
enthusiastic as Hermione, and then treated this way!  Who could blame her
for hating her heart out?

--Technomad