Is Petunia Really Muggle?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 104127

Lee wrote:
<snip> 
> We don't really know anything about the Evans clan.  Is it possible
there were other wizards but things were kept quiet? Could it be
possible that Petunia really is a squib?  And could this, perhaps,
lead to much of her resentment of her magical sister?
> 
> Think about it...her words were about how proud her parents were to
have a witch in the family.  Perhaps someone from either her mother's
side or her father's had been a wizard.  The WW was somewhat known
about by Petunia's parents which would lead them to being proud that
Lilly was a witch. Meanwhile, here's Petunia, either muggle or (gasp)
squib; she, so far, has revealed some knowledge of the WW and we all
think she's got more secrets up her sleeve.
> 
> If this has been beaten before, sorry, folks. <snip>

Carol:
It *has* been posed before and I hope I'll be forgiven for repeating
myself, but here goes:

First, Petunia can't be a Squib because a Squib is (by JKR's own
definition) the nonmagical child of magical parents. (We've been told
numerous times that Lily's and therefore Petunia's parents were
Muggles whose nonmagical children would also be Muggles.)

Second, we're told in every book that all of the Dursleys, including
Petunia, are Muggles. McGonagall even states in SS/PS that the
Dursleys seem to be different from witches and wizards in every
possible respect and is scandalized that DD would place Harry with
such a family.

Third, JKR was asked in an early interview how Lily could be magical
if her sister wasn't, and JKR explained about Muggleborns (including
Lily) being born to Muggles and Squibs being born to witches and
wizards. She made it clear at that point that Petunia was indeed a
Muggle. You can find the link in the quotes section of the Lexicon by
doing a search for Petunia. If you can't find it, let me know and I'll
look it up.

I don't disagree with you completely, however. It *is* true that
Petunia knows something about the WW, particularly its Dark side (in
contrast to Vernon, who knows virtually nothing about it), and I think
that knowledge will come into play in Book 6 or 7. It's also extremely
likely, as you say, that she and Lily had a fairly recent Squib
ancestor (who IMO passed as a Muggle), and that Squib (by definition)
would have had magical parents.

I think that the Squib/Wizard ancestry will come into play in Book 6
with Mark Evans, whom I believe is a Muggleborn distant relative of
Harry's about to be admitted to Hogwarts. My present unprovable theory
is that the Squib was Lily's grandfather and Harry's and Mark's
great-grandfather--it has to be a male relative in the Evans line for
the shared name to be significant.

Carol, who is still trying to catch up and hopes she hasn't repeated
anyone's arguments (except her own)