[HPforGrownups] Petunia as Squib

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 50289

In a message dated 22/01/2003 01:07:28 GMT Standard Time, 
christopher_g_nuttall at hotmail.com writes:


> What i think happened was that Lily was oldest and she shared all her tales 
> of the WW with Petunia, who looked forward desperatly to the time that she 
> could join it and then, on the day she expected the letter, got nothing.  
> There would have been a period of denial, followed by hatred of what she 
> wanted so much,and then outright hatred of lily, the 'favored one'.  
> 
> I don't think that Petunia  is a squib because she takes no part in the WW 
> at all, 

I think you may well have something here.
I don't know which of the sisters was the eldest and in a way, it doesn't 
really matter,
although I have a predjudice towards Petunia being the eldest; if we follow 
the Lexicon time line, Lily was only 20 when Harry was born.

But, as you say, if Lily were the eldest, her parents proud of her 
witch-hood, Petunia desperately waiting and hoping and then - nothing - well, 
you know I would have found it pretty hard to bear, too. And Petunia's 
obsessional hatred of everything to do with the WW could so easily be fired 
by jealousy, by feelings of inadequacy.

Similarly if Petunia were the eldest......well, it's not exactly unusual for 
girls to be jealous of their younger siblings, is it? Especially if that 
younger sister is pretty and has a talent of which which their parents are 
particularly proud. The outcome in terms of jealousy and a desire to remove 
oneself as far as possible form all association, the demonisation of the 
talent and the sibling having it are all too understandable. Particularly if 
the jealous one already has a spiteful personality.

But I agree with you that Petunia cannot be a Squib, by definition, since, as 
I understand it, a Squib is the non-magical child of Wizarding parents.

On which subject, Elysia asks:

>Who calls Lily muggleborn apart from Harry?? He wouldn't know for sure and 
>is assuming.

PS/SS, p61 (UK PB)

Hagrid: "some o' the best I saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a 
long line o' Muggles - Look at yer mum!"

~Eloise



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