The Dursley family;

[mtwelovett]

No: HPFGUIDX 72284

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "balbu84" <balbu84 at y...> wrote:
> I read a lot of messages telling that the Dursley family was hiding 
> at least a wizard or a squib. Can someone explain me why some 
> readers think that?
> 
> "balbu84"

My thoughts for a while have been that Petunia may be a suib, a
"theory" that wasn't disproved in OOP, because I believe her knowledge
of the Dementors, and Azkaban may support it. (she seemed to know too
much too quickly and her reaction was interesting) My initial thoughts
on this, stemmed from the fact that she has very simialr reactions to
the Wizards as Filch does and we know through cannon that he is a
squib. He is bitter and maybe jealous of the wizards, so he lashes out
at the students. Petunia just wants to "stamp it out" possibly because
of her lack of talent there, and wants to forget about the wizarding
world. She has managed to assimilate into the Muggle world where she
is the "normal" one there as opposed to the "abnormal" squib in the
Wizarding world. 

We have very little information on their parents, other than they were
"delighted to have a witch in the family". (hardly a common reaction
from a "Muggle" family I would think.) But also keep in mind that this
information is filtered through Petunia, so it is her perception of
it, or she is lying to save face in front of Vernon who may not know
the whole truth about her family. (for a while I wasn't sure if he
knew or not, but from OOP I get the impression he doesn't) Some of the
WW people refer to Lily as having Muggle Parantage, or as a Moodblood.
(could that refer to half and half even?) It is interesting to see who
the people are that give this inforamtion though. Most seem to be ones
that wouldn't necessairly be "in the know" but ones that may have
heard one thing or another, so that is what they believe. My thoughts
(purly speculation here) were maybe they worked for the Ministry, and
were for whatever reason working "undercover" as Muggles so they may
have appeared to be muggles, and so that was why people in the ww
"thought" they were muggles. Maybe even Petunia believed it herself. I
can see muggle parents being supportive of their wizard child, but to
be thrilled, seems to be a little questionable, certainly given the
separation of the two worlds and the problems they get into when they
do overlap. Also Petunia mentions in her scathing discription of Lily
in SS, that she was always doing magical kind of stuff in the
summer(dont' have the passage in front of me at the moment, but it is
when they are in the hut on the rock on Harry's Birthday).. now if the
Ministry decree forbiding underage magic was in place at the time, and
we have no reason to believe it wasn't, then if they were Muggles she
should have gotten warnings and possibly expelled, however, if it was
a wizarding family, it may have gone undetected since there would have
been other magic going on about the house anyway. (granted I think
Privett Drive is more heavily watched than most, because of Harry and
the "Lord Thingy" danger) 

There are holes in this, and I admit that the parent thing is a bit
far fetched, but I just have this gut feeling that there is more to
Petunia, and her parentage than meets the eye, and her reactions are
of wanting to fit in not be the odd one herself. She has discovered a
way of doing this and wants to deny the "other". And if they were
truly muggles, why haven't we at lest heard a bit more about them?
Petunia only mentions them the one time too. She doesn't speak of them
either. So not speaking for anyone but myself, that is why I believe
Petuna to be a Squib. Hope that at least sheds a litte light on your
question. 

(I think there is more to come regarding both sets of Harry's
Grandparents.) 

Mtwelovett