[HPforGrownups] Re: How much do the Dursleys know?

[Grace Saalsaa]

No: HPFGUIDX 44025



~Phyllis wrote:
However, Hagrid is under the impression that Dumbledore's letter
explained everything "You never told him?  Never told him what was in
the letter Dumbledore left fer him?" to which Uncle Vernon
yells "STOP! I FORBID YOU!" and Aunt Petunia gasps in horror (p.
50).  But I think it's perfectly believable that Hagrid assumed this,
since Dumbledore rarely discloses information to anyone.

I don't see any evidence in canon to support the Dursleys knowing
about Voldemort, although Aunt Petunia does say that Lily "got
herself blown up" (p. 53) which suggests that she knows *something*
about how Lily died.

Now me:

Perhaps the Dursleys *do* know about Voldemort.  From Harry's point of view,
Aunt Petunia is always looking out the window to spy on the neighbors.  Is
she really?  My theory is that once Petunia read Dumbledore's letter, it
started this habit of looking over her shoulder, looking out the
window....watching, watching, watching, watching....  Petunia takes Harry
shopping and when an "odd" stranger takes notice of Harry, she panics and
they leave the store without buying anything. I think Petunia lives in
constant fear that Voldemort of the DE will suddenly show up because Harry
is in her care.  She knows that Voldemort is aware that Harry is with her;
that she is Lily's sister.  She knows Voldemort knows where she lives.  For
all of Harry's brief lifetime, Petunia has been in fear and now she
compulsively looks out the window. Harry just thinks she's watching the
neighbors.  I don't think that what Petunia is really doing.

The odd Christmas presents they send Harry are their subtle way of making
sure Harry doesn't want to come home.
When Ron, Fred & George show up in the middle of the night with the car,
don't you think Vernon and Petunia thought their worst nightmare was about
to happen?  Waking up in the dead of the night to hear the sounds of Harry's
window being broken into, Hedwig screeching, the sounds of a car engine
outside a second story window might not have sounded exactly like what they
were to a sleepy person startled into wakefulness.

Some details must have been in Dumbledore's letter, and it wouldn't surprise
me if Lily wrote an occassional letter to her dear sister Petunia telling
her "We have a baby boy!  His name is Harry."  and "We have to go into
hiding.  Voldemort is after us and wants us dead.  Petunia, dear sister,  if
something happens to us, will you take care of  Harry?  Please Petunia."

Yes, of course Petunia knew. Sometimes blood really is thicker than water,
and as much as frightened as she was, she took her dead sister's son.
Later, it became more and more of a drain on her until she resented Lily and
little Harry.

Grace