What's in it for Petunia?

[mad_maxime]

No: HPFGUIDX 93128

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Sean Dwyer <ewe2 at c...> wrote:
Sean wrote:
> I'm still bugged by Petunia's insistence that Harry stays. It 
> doesn't make sense. Dumbledore as usual does NOT explain properly 
> why she would he doesn't REALLY say what his 'last' was, but I 
> seriously doubt an explaination of a magic blood pact fits the 
> picture. Vernon did what we would expect, Petunia should have even 
> more reason to be rid of Harry.
> 
> Obviously she knows more than she's saying. There is nothing
> explicit about her being forced by the pact to act. She's in more 
> danger with Harry around than not - Dudley may well be a Squib, as
> some have suggested, but that hardly gives her a motive to protect 
> Harry.
> 
> What did Dumbledore REALLY threaten her with?

Max:

I pretty sure this was discussed recently, but I'll post my thoughts
again.  Dumbledore didn't have to threaten Petunia with anything.  The
situation was pretty clear. Voldemort had just murdered James and Lily
and tried to murder Harry.  Even though Voldemort now seemed to be out
of the picture, there were still plenty of ruthless Death Eaters at
large torturing and killing people left and right.

If DEs decided to finish the job, where's one of the first places they
might go looking? 4 Privet Drive, of course.  

The theory which makes sense to me is that Dumbledore's blood charm
protects Petunia and Dudley as well as Harry (I'm not sure how this
might extend to Uncle Vernon).  They all share the same blood line,
after all.  So I don't see why the protection can't extend to all of them.

So, seen within this context, Petunia is definitely safer *with* Harry
than without.