Awful Boy/What isn't Petunia telling?

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 83801

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Kirstini" <kirst_inn at y...> 
wrote:
To say "wizard" *does* 
> sound like she's quoting someone else, but not pureblood, wizard-
bred 
> James. Some other Muggleborn? Not Lily, because then she wouldn't 
> have to have bothered with awful boys at all. In my wildest 
moments, 
> I imagine some sort of support group for Muggle relatives of 
wizards. 
> Then my common sense kicks in... 
> 


Jen: I never thought about it before, but Petunia does have a nearby 
source for wizarding information, if she ever wanted a question 
answered--Arabella Figg. Who seems fairly well-versed in wizarding 
terms.

Now, Figg tells Harry "I'm sorry I gave you such a miserable time, 
but the Dursleys would never let you come if they thought you 
enjoyed it." (OOTP, US hardback, chap. 2, p. 22). But she never says 
the Durselys didn't know who she *was*.  It makes sense thinking 
about it now, that the Dursleys would actually feel more comfortable 
leaving Harry with someone who knows a little about magic because 
then their precious "normality" could be intact even if Harry did 
something odd. It would not be in keeping with the Dursleys avoiding 
all-things-wizard, but then they've always been between a rock and a 
hard place from the moment they agreed to take Harry in--all 
decisions about him are fraught with consequences. Perhaps staying 
with Miss Figg, a known squib but not a fully magical person, was 
the lesser of two evils for Vernon and Petunia.