Clue for the "ancient protection?"

[shihtouji]

No: HPFGUIDX 57699

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Susan Snow <snowwy54 at y...> 
wrote:
> 
> 
> I have been following this thread and I seem to have
> gotten a different inmpression of Petunia.  In PS/SS
> in the first chapter Vernon is upset by the wierd
> people but not apoplectic.  Vernon seemed more worried
> about Petunia's reaction.  It almost seemed like he
> feared her reaction.  He started to dial home from
> work and decided not too.  Then after he got home he
> still didn't tell her everything he had heard that
> day.  In fact he only asked what the childs name was. 

True, although I find it interesting that JKR focuses on Vernon (one 
of the few scenes in the whole series *not* narrated from Harry's 
perspective) rather than Vernon and Petunia, or on their separate 
experiences.  Why did she not, for example, add a scene where Petunia 
ventures into the High Street with Dudley, and is met by a witch or 
wizard telling her to rejoice on this happy, happy day?  Or have 
Petunia notice owls or the kittified McGonagall throughout the day 
(she would, of course, know what the owls meant more than Vernon). My 
point is that I read Petunia's silence as significant, somehow (write 
me after June 21 and see if I'm correct!)

BTW, I read Vernon's ambivalence about calling Petunia coming from a 
different motivation: he's deeply unnerved himself, and wants to 
discuss this with the only other person in the world who would 
understand why he's having kittens, but he doesn't want to worry 
her.  I'm not sure that's fear, but rather protectiveness (as has 
been noted, he moves to protect her from Arthur Weasley, too.)  In 
the grand scheme of things, of course, Vernon's protectiveness could 
be a subtle irony: of the two, Petunia is the one with more 
experience of the WW, having had a witch sister and all.  Vernon's 
nervousness seems driven by self-centredness: he's deeply worried 
that somehow this wizard activity will involve him, so when he hears 
the name "Harry Potter" he tries to convince himself that it's not 
the *same* Harry Potter, &c. &c.  


> Vernon is the more physical of the two but I have seen
> many couples where the one that is generally disliked
> but more people tend to be put up to being rude etc.
> by the more unreasonble "quiet" spouse.  

Yeah, true; point taken: tho' I'm going to put my money on Vernon as 
the real Dursley villain here.  Petunia's an enigma, and I still 
wonder why JKR keeps her pretty much in the shadows (apart from the 
size of the shadows cast by Vernon and Dudley!)

"Noel"