Petunia

[kmcbears1]

No: HPFGUIDX 114066

> > Tabekat <geekessgoddess at y...> wrote:
> > <snip>
> > Petunia does NOT love Harry, never did love Harry, and these 
> > speculations of a "deeper" Petunia are truly absurd.  
> > <snip>
> > Petunia appears to have one true goal in life. She wants her 
> > muggle world to stay the same.  She wants Dudley to grow up 
> > to be a big Vernon. She wants to pretend they are "normal" 
> > forever.  Surely she knows that Voldemort was, and is, a 
> > threat to her world too.  
> 
> Magda writes:
<snip> but I
> don't think at this point she has any envy of it.  After all, magic
> was responsible for killing her sister in her early 20's; if that's
> magic, she'll stay proudly muggle, thank you very much.  
> 
> But we can accept all of her flaws as long as we accept that she 
took
> Harry in - resentfully, grudgingly, angrily - but she did take him
> in.  And for that she deserves credit.  
> 
kmc adds:

I will only give Petunia credit for taking Harry in if at the end of 
book 7 she gets nothing in return.  From JKRs hints, I think Petunia 
took Harry in for magical powers and a chance to feel superior to 
Lily.  

Petunia gets the last word by taken in Harry.  It's a look at me, 
Lily, you died and I was the one who took in your son.   If Harry 
turns out bad, it is because biologically he had "bad blood".  If 
Harry turns out good, it is because Petunia, by her child rearing 
skills, was able to overcome his "bad blood".  

I will give Petunia credit for one thing - She gave Harry lots of 
practice handling criticism and verbal abuse.  Great preparation for 
dealing with a certain Potions Master after that Professor does not 
spend all his time picking on Harry like Petunia does.  He spreads 
his abuse around to the rest of the Gryffindors.

- kmc