Petunia and Dumbledore

[mhbobbin]

No: HPFGUIDX 115361


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sophierom" <sophierom at y...> 
wrote:
> 
> Duffypoo writes:
> 
> There has been lots of speculation the last few days about the
 'previous' letters Petunia received from DD prior to 'the last' 
which was left with Harry. Speculation that one of these letters was 
about what really happened to Lily and James the night they were 
killed. This letter would have had to arrive (by owl?) in the 30 
hour period between the attack and the time Petunia found HP on
the doorstep "not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by
Mrs Dursley's scream as she opened the front door."
> <snip>
> In the first chapter of PS there is quite a conversation between
> Vernon and  Petunia that would, I think, squash the speculation on 
a letter of  this kind:
> 
> "Er -- Petunia, dear -- you haven't heard from your sister lately,
> have you?"
> "No," she said sharply, "Why?"
>snip snip
> "What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"
> "Harry. Nasty common name, if you ask me."
> "Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I 
quite agree." > ..... "Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. 
Dursley lay awake, turning it> all over in his mind."
> 
> Petunia, although she would have known all about this IF she had
> received the  letter from DD, certainly doesn't appear to know 
anything about it, and drops  off quickly to sleep.
> 
> Sophierom:
>> For some reason, when I read this scene, I'm more, not less, 
convinced  that Petunia has indeed heard from or about Lily lately.  
Petunia > answers "stiffly" and "sharply" and she "snapped" at 
Vernon when he  spoke to her.  Given Petunia's behavior in the rest 
of the books (she  seems to fawn over Vernon and Dudley), her 
posture here seems  suspicious. snip snip So, her telling Vernon 
that she hasn't heard  from/about Lily in a while isn't, to me, 
convincing enough to suggest  that she's telling the truth.  
>

mhbobbin:

I forget some times that every time a volume is release, we must go 
back and read all the previous volumes. I just did that as these 
posts intrigued me.  The chapter is rich.

I agree that Petunia is hiding something.  She has been in 
communication with Lily at least once in the past 15 months --how 
does she know what her nephew's name is? And her behavior is 
unusually sharp. The falling asleep quickly is odd.

What do you make of the Tawny Owl that flutters by unnoticed on the 
second page.  Where was that Owl going?  Was that Owl leaving a 
message for Petunia that she finds after Vernon heads for work? Or 
was that Owl going to Mrs Figg's (did she live in the neighborhood 
pre-Harry?) or to a yet undisclosed wizard on Privet Drive?

And what was the short wizard (possibly Flitwick) who hugs Vernon 
doing outside of his work building? Very odd. Was it Flitwick--could 
he have been spying on Vernon? Were Hogwarts' classes cancelled for 
the day? 

And was Ted the newscaster Ted Tonks?

mhbobbin