Aunt Petunia & Hogwarts

[KathyK]

No: HPFGUIDX 88358

Sarah said about the idea that Petunia is a witch who declined to go 
to Hogwarts:

> Completely agree with you on this idea.  Aunt Petunia knows too 
much about the magical world; she knows about the dementors and 
knows about what the wizarding world was like when Voldemort was 
powerful.  And she is just too obsessed with being "normal".  It's 
as if she's trying to prove to herself that she's normal.<

KathyK responds:

IMO, it's much more likely that Petunia knows about the WW from her 
sister, Lily.  You know, the one who went to Hogwarts, the one whose 
parents were so proud of having a witch.  I'm betting Lily's 
experiences with the meeting of the muggle and magical worlds was 
much more positive than Harry's.  Her parents probably asked her 
about her studies, and she was probably very excited to talk about 
all the things she learned.  Perhaps the Evans family took a trip to 
Diagon Alley, like we see the Grangers doing in CoS.  Very unlike 
the Dursleys don't-ask-questions-don't-talk-about-you-know-what 
policy.  

I also think Petunia's learned about LV and dementors from Lily as 
well.  If we take Petunia at face value when she lets slip she knows 
a thing or two about the WW--and I tend to think she was lying about 
her source, but not about the fact that she herself has nothing to 
do with the WW--she heard "that boy" telling "her" about it.  While 
not explicitly stated, my belief is Petunia is referring to Lily and 
James.  Which means Lily has brought her magical life in some way 
into her muggle one, exposing her family and Petunia to a variety of 
things.  Petunia overheard them talking about dementors.  Not hard 
to believe at all given Petunia's nosy nature.  

The only part of this story she concocts that seems suspect to me is 
where she remembers dementors and Azkaban from all those years ago.  
Either that was one unforgettable conversation, or she's had more 
contact than we know of.  I tend to think she's heard a thing or two 
over the years.  And I'm fond of the theory she's been reading 
Harry's discarded _Daily Prophet_ myself.  

Now there are a good many reasons for Lily (or James) to have at 
some point mentioned Lord Voldemort.  I don't think we need Petunia 
to be a witch or a part of the WW to be terrified of this wizard, 
either in the present or in the past.  Some of the reasons for Lily 
to mention and for Petunia to be afraid could be LV causing some 
sort of harm to the Evans family beyond his killing Lily, Lily 
shares news with her family who is actually interested in her life, 
or Lily not wanting to worry her family says nothing of LV, but nosy 
Petunia overhears too much of a conversation between Lily and James, 
or reads Lily's own newspapers or correspondence.  The possibilities 
are endless without adding Petunia, the witch who rejected magic.


Sarah wrote:

>There's so many little things in the books that point towards 
this.  In book 1, Vernon thinks that he can ignore the letters that 
Harry gets from Hogwarts and the letters will just disappear.  
Petunia doesn't agree, but Vernon ignores her.  Maybe she knows this 
from experience?<

KathyK:

What do you mean?  That she got a Hogwarts letter, ignored it, and 
was subsequently flooded with letters?  Why reject something so new 
that she's had no prior exposure to?  Maybe only Lily got a letter, 
the Evans thought it was a hoax, threw the letter away, only to 
discover they were incorrect.  Unless you're arguing they had 
preexisting knowledge of the WW?  I think it's just that Petunia 
knows enough about the WW and *Dumbledore* to know that trying to 
stop Harry's letters is useless.  

Sarah:

>Plus, if Petunia got a Hogwarts letter, it would have been when 
Voldemort was powerful, and out to kill muggle borns.  Petunia 
thinks that Lily is a freak, and blames Lily for Lily's death.  (In 
book 1, Petunia say Lily went and got herself blown up.)  Maybe 
Petunia thinks Lily is a freak not only because Lily's a witch, but 
also because Lily voluntarily joined a world where people like them 
(muggle borns) were targeted for death by an evil wizard and his 
henchmen?<  
 
KathyK:

I suppose it's possible this is one of the reasons Petunia thinks 
Lily is a freak.  However, I do need to point out that during LV's 
first reign, muggles died in addition to muggle borns (and anyone 
else that stood in Voldemort's way).  No one was safe so long as he 
was powerful.  Petunia may have thought it was freakish (and 
foolish) to go off and actively work against him, but if she knew 
enough about what was going on to say that she'd have to know that 
she and every other muggle was in danger of becoming a potential 
victim of the Death Eaters.  I don't know if she's *that* 
knowledgeable...after all book 1 states that Petunia and Lily have 
not seen each other in years.  

Sarah:

> Also, doesn't it say somewhere in book 5 that if a wizard's powers 
aren't used, they wither away?  (I think it was in Umbridge's speech 
at the beginning of the year...)<

KathyK:

Not exactly.  What she says is:

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young 
witches and wizards to be of vital importance.  The rare gifts with 
which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by 
careful instruction.  The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding 
community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose 
them forever.   The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by 
our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those 
who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."

OoP, Chapter 11, US ed. 212.

If I thought on it for long, I could write a better response than 
the one I'm about to give.  But I'm tired, so this is what I've got 
for now to illustrate the difference between what you said and what 
Umbridge says.  Umbridge is talking about the importance of 
education both to the individual and to society.  She's not saying, 
if you don't use it you lose it.  Well, yes she is, but on a grander 
scale than one person not doing magic and therefore losing the 
ability to do magic.  Take Hagrid for example.  For many, many years 
he was not allowed to do magic--well he did do some we know. But did 
this ban diminish or remove his magicalness?  No, it just means he's 
not trained the same way the average witch/wizard is.

KathyK, who thinks Petunia the muggle has enough going on without 
adding magic of her own into the mix