OotP: Petunia

[lizcrosssmith]

No: HPFGUIDX 64037

Michael wrote:

> I've always thought Petunia was the elder sister, not that I have 
anything
> off-hand to back that up unfortunately :) And I do subscribe to the 
idea
> that she and their parents were properly squibs, simply due to the 
amount
> she does know about the wizarding world.
> 
> I had always thought that if Petunia and their parents were muggles,
> combined with her jealousy over her sister, she wouldn't have 
wanted to
> learn all that much about the wizarding world. She always came 
across as
> hating everything and anything to do with magic and the magical 
world so
> strongly,  that I can't picture her learning things like who the 
Dementors
> are and what their role is in the wizard world - unless she had 
been bought
> up in it.
> 

My opinion:

That makes sense if Petunia was older, but what if she was younger.  
Imagine little Petunia watching her parents make a fuss over big 
sister Lily when the Hogwarts letter came.  Petunia snooping around 
Lily in a kind of hero worship faze -- watching Lily transfigure 
things (after Lily turns 17), giggling over and maybe even crushing 
on James.  Then Petunia turns 11 and no letter comes.  The heartbreak 
would be absolutely devistating.  Of course she would reject 
everything that had to do with magic, denigrate Lily, James, etc.  To 
prop up her own self-worth, she would even marry a man as closed-
minded and bigoted as possible.  I kind of feel sorry for Petunia.

Mind you, this is just supposition, I haven't any hard evidence that 
Lily was older.  To me it just seems more likely.

Liz