Petunia and love for Lily? NOT

[mompowered]

No: HPFGUIDX 137446

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "hickengruendler" 
<hickengruendler at y...> wrote:
 
> I think with "but" she meant that Petunia is a muggle, but her 
> situation is comparable to that of a Squib, since she, too, has 
> background information about the wizarding world, without being 
able 
> to be a part of it.

Just speculation but...

Petunia's knowledge of the Wizarding World seems to stem from the 
conversation she overheard between Lily and "that awful boy".  JK 
Rowling admits in the following interview that there is more to it 
than just what we know from OOTP:

"David Moulds for the News of the World - How does Aunt Petunia know 
about dementors and all the other magical facts she knows? 

JK Rowling: Another very good question. She overheard a 
conversation, that is all I am going to say. She overheard 
conversation. The answer is in the beginning of Phoenix, she said 
she overheard Lily being told about them basically.

Is that true? 
JK Rowling: Yes. The reason I am hesitant is because there is more 
to it than that. As I think you suspect. Correctly, but I don't want 
to say what else there is because it relates to book 7."

Here are my wild speculations as to what the "more to it" could be 
(of course I could be as woefully wrong as the guy who thought the 
time was ripe for a cheese cauldron:):

1.  I think the "awful boy" may have been Snape.  Lily refers to 
James as "that Potter", I do not think the awful boy was Snape.
2.  If the awful boy was Snape, it would likely mean that Lily and 
Snape spent some time together outside of school where nosy Petunia 
could have listened in on their conversation.
3.  Lily and Petunia's parents were Muggles, so they had a Muggle 
upbringing.  Snape's house is in a Muggle village, and his father 
was a Muggle.  Is it possible that Lily and Snape were childhood 
friends, and that she is the girl laughing at the boy on the bucking 
broomstick in Snape's memories?
4.  If the awful boy was talking about the Dementors of Azkaban, he 
may have also offered some information on ways to keep the Demetors 
at bay.  Perhaps Petunia also overheard this bit of information and 
will use it to defend her family against Dementors if they return to 
Privet Drive in the next book.  Maybe there is some method that even 
a Muggle or someone young who is not yet able to produce a Patruonus 
could use if instructed (after all, chocolate is not a magical 
remedy...or is it?)

Cheryl