The Dursleys and the Potters

[love2write_11098 at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 11666

> But - the similarities seem somehow only to make them more eligible 
to func=
> tion as a 
> negative picture of the Potters. We don't like them one bit more 
because of=
>  them, right? 
> So – why not? Why are we so sure that Lily and Petunia (sisters) 
are comple=
> tely different 
> persons? Is it just because we have only Harry's POV?


Hey, everyone. :) My name's Stacy, and I'm on the PoU list and I 
finally joined this one yesterday.

I have to say, this is a very interesting post. I especially like 
your parallel between Arthur Weasley and Voldemort (THAT's one I'd 
never have thought of). But I wanted to point out that we don't only 
have Harry's POV. We also have Hagrid, Dumbledore, Sirius, Lupin, 
Snape, etc. -- everyone who actually knew the Potters. Now granted, 
these were all people who liked them (except for Snape), and they 
probably would not say anything bad about them in front of Harry. On 
the other hand, these are some very cool people the Potters were 
friends with. Also, in the beginning of SS, we see the wizarding 
community's reaction to the Potters' deaths, i.e. Dumbledore and 
McGonnagall crying. I think it's safe to say that the Potters were 
very well liked. But we actually don't know all that much about them 
as parents, and we don't know much at all aboiut Lily, do we? We know 
a lot more about James because of the Marauders (and dear old Snape). 

What I'm dying to find out is what on Earth happened to all four of 
Harry's grandparents. I suppose it's possible that Petunia got so fed 
up with her parents favoring Lily (at least, in her eyes) that she 
stopped talking to them, thereby cutting off Harry's contact with 
them as well. And I suppose it's highly likely that James's parents 
were both killed in the first war with Voldemort. But it's odd -- 
James and Lily seem to have been quite young when they married and 
had Harry (most fics have them pretty young, anyway, and since they 
met at Hogwarts it sort of follows), so their parents couldn't have 
been very old (especially James's since we know that wizards live 
about 50% longer than muggles). No grandparents around at all?

I guess we'll find out in book five.

Stacy