[HPforGrownups] Re: Dursleys' Fears (WAS: Redeeming the Dursleys

[elfundeb]

No: HPFGUIDX 53689

Naamagatus raised some objections to my theory that James and Sirius had possibly played tricks on Vernon at some point:

> When did James and Sirius have 
> the *time* to play magical tricks on Vernon? Petunia is Lily's 
> younger sister, and Lily married early in life. Therefore, it's 
> almost certain that Petunia married after Lily did. 

IIRC, there is no canon clearly establishing either sister as older or younger.  However, the inferences suggest that it's more likely that Petunia is the older sister.  Based on the Lexicon timeline, James and Lily left Hogwarts in 1978 and Harry was born in 1980.  As you suggest, that's not a lot of time.  But Dudley is older than Harry by a month or two.  Moreover, Vernon is, on November 1, 1981, the director of a drill factory, suggesting he is significantly older than 21 (James and Lily's ages at that time).  While it's not impossible, obviously, for an older Vernon to have married Petunia while she was still a teenager, that's not the most likely scenario.

Now, James and 

But PS makes it clear that Petunia and Vernon 
> were never in touch with Lily and James. 

No, it only states that "they hadn't met for several years."  This is a reference to Lily only; canon is silent on James.  

Besides, James wouldn't be 
> playing tricks on his brother in law at that stage. He is no longer a 
> kid, he is fighting ultimate evil, and I'm sure that Lily wouldn't 
> have wanted her sister to be further alienated from her. 
> 
But nothing in canon contradicts the possibility that Vernon and Petunia were married while James and Lily were still at Hogwarts.  Nor is it necessarily true that James would have told Lily in advance what was being planned.

  > Secondly, I don't think that Vernon is scared enough of magic and 
> magical people to make it reasonable for him to have encountered 
> magic before - certainly not directed against him. His fear is mainly 
> one of social shame - he can't bear the thought of being known to 
> have a link with these "freaks." Do you really think he would have 
> threatened Hagrid with a gun if he had had previous encounteres with 
> powerful wizards? If he had, he must know how futile a gun is in such 
> circumstances. 
> 
That's exactly why I suggested that Vernon's prior experience with magic was in the form of a prank of some kind.  Vernon simply doesn't understand how much power wizards have.  Instead, he thinks that they learn "magic tricks" at Hogwarts.  In fact, it's important for him to believe that all they learn is the wherewithal to engage in sophomoric pranks, because Vernon fears being powerless.  He threatens Hagrid with a gun because he really wants to believe that Muggle power is greater than magical power, and he hasn't had any experience with a wizard that was really out to hurt him, so he doesn't know how tragic the consequences of such a threat could be.  Fortunately for him, Hagrid wouldn't hurt a fly.

> Thirdly, I don't *want* Vernon to have a reasonable reason to hate 
> magic <g>. I think it would dim a) the burlesque and b) the moral 
> point that JKR is making (I think) through the Dursleys about bigotry 
> and prejudice. 
> 
I think JKR's points about prejudice are better made if her vehicles include prejudiced characters who are fully fleshed out and not merely caricatures.  I've never been impressed by the Dursley episodes and think they are ripe for further character development in OoP.

And I just noticed this question of Greicy's:

> How does Sirius know exactly where to find Harry at the Dursley's 
> on Privet Drive?  

One possible answer is that he and James had been there before in pursuit of mischief. ;-}

Debbie


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