[HPforGrownups] Re: Harry's godparents (was Tomboy Lily/Dursleys)

[yellows at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 59448

In a message dated 6/6/2003 1:06:40 PM Eastern Standard Time, Sabrina writes:

> Now my question: Where is this godmother? I know there has never been any 
> mention of her in the books but where I live (Germany) every child usually 
> has two or even three godparents. Usually one female and one male and from 
> each side of its parents. As Sirius was obviously from James' side, it is 
> only logical that there should be a godmother from Lily's side around.
> In my family the godparent usually is the sibling of the parent, sometimes 
> the grandparent of the kid. And as far as we know Petunia is the only sister 
> 
> Lily had. What if Petunia is Harry's godmother and she just never told him?
> Okay, now you say that Petunia hates Lily and has always hated her and 
> hadn't seen her for ages at the beginning of PS/SS, BUT: Couldn't it be that 
> 
> her parents or perhaps a grandmother or somebody similar (who is dead by 
> now) could have badgered her into being the godmother? After the christening 
> 
> she would still have severed all ties with Lily and her family until Harry 
> turned up at her doorstep.

Where I come from, (Florida, USA), very few people have godparents at all. I 
have none. I can't think of any friends who have. My college roommate from 
Puerto Rico became the godmother to her best friend's child, and my friends and I 
thought it was an incredibly special event, since we rarely see things like 
that happen.

But I'm not British, and I am aware that we do things differently, so 
godparents could be much more popular over there. Also, of course, I accept that my 
personal experience does not represent the entire United States.  :)  My 
friends and I could be anomalies. 

My other issue is related to canon, though. In SS, I believe the impression 
is given that Petunia and Lily have no spoken for a long time, since before 
Harry was born (oh, WHERE is my book?). 

Two questions come up with your interpretation of Petunia being a godmother: 
First, wouldn't that mean that Petunia came into contact with Lily again only 
about 14 months before having to adopt Harry into her family? Of course, that 
might account for how she has knowledge of the child at all, and how she 
remembers his name when Vernon asks her what Harry was called.

Second, that brings up the grandparent issue again. If Mrs. Evans begged 
Petunia to become Harry's godmother, then what happened to Mrs. Evans? Why didn't 
Harry go to live with her? By this understanding, Mrs. Evans was alive about a 
year before Lily and James were murdered.

The grandparent problem bothers me all the time. James and Lily died very 
young. It isn't likely that their parents were already dead unless Voldemort or 
someone came for them, and if we go with the idea that the Evans were *not* a 
part of the WW, then why would Voldemort come for them at all?

Brief Chronicles


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]