Petunia and love for Lily? NOT

[snow15145]

No: HPFGUIDX 137472



jujube:
> Marvolo is many horrible things, but the things he tells us in the
> scene we see are true: he is the descendant of Salazar Slytherin,
> that is the ring of Slytherin and that is the Slytherin locket.
> Should we doubt his characterization of his daughter?
>
> Also, the Lexicon says Squibs have "such a low level of magical
> power that they are essentially unable to do any magic at
> all." "A low level of magical power" is not the same as no
> magical power at atll. While Merope does do some magic, it is
> completely useless magic, and probably the little she can do is a
> function of the extremely powerful wizarding skills that are in
> her family (for I believe Marvolo and Morfin, as disgusting as
> they are, are powerful wizards).

Jen: I snipped to this point, jujube, because I think we could
probably split hairs arguing the other points without making any
headway. I've re-read the quote from JKR several times now and *do*
see your interpretation, if you view all of JKR's answer as being
connected to the question. I view her answer as a two-part thing,
the first line "No, is the answer" as the answer to the actual
question, and the rest an extrapolation on the subject of developing
powers later in life. The "quite late in life" part continues to
trip me up for identifying Merope as the late-bloomer. Even
considering magical age and not chronological, 20 does not
seem 'quite late in life' to me, and I can't shake that perception.

This is a new thought on Marvolo, though, and you won't be surprised
I read his character very differently, and probably the entire scene.

First, Dumbledore had this to say about Merope: "I think you are
forgetting," said Dumbledore, "that Merope was a witch." (chap. 10,
p. 213, US). As JKR's mouthpiece, that's probably the most salient
canon point of how we should view Merope.

You stated we should believe Marvolo's assessment of Merope as a
Squib because although he shows many faults, he hasn't proven
himself to be a liar. That's very true. And I don't think he's
*lying* when he says his opinion is that Merope is a Squib. He's
obviously extremely attached to his Slytherin heritage and
artifacts, more than his daughter anyway, and all of the 'truths' he
mentions are verifiable facts except for the one opinion in the mix--
Merope's magical power. Either he is completely blind to the fact
that his threats and verbal abuse are the primary cause of his
daughter's diminished powers, or he doesn't really care and gets
satisfaction out of bullying her. Either way, we can't verify from
Marvolo's words and Merope's one act of magic that she is, without
question, a Squib. So I think Merope has always been a witch, albeit
one with diminished powers due to circumstance.

I'm certain Marvolo convinced *Merope* she was a Squib, though.
Which makes her bid for power when he's carted off to Azkaban all
the more satisfying because she proves to herself that her father's
opinions were just that and nothing more.



Snow:

Just something I thought I would throw into the pot about Merope and 
the accusation from her father that she was a squib. Marvolo and his 
son could both speak parceltongue  (and appeared to use it almost as 
a first language) but as far as we know Merope didn't have this 
particular gift inherited from the Slytherin line. Marvolo may have 
felt that Merope was less than magical because she didn't possess 
this gift, which is why he referred to her as a squib.  Anyone born 
into his family that didn't have the gift of parceltongue was not 
magical, at least not to the pure Slytherin line that may have always 
possessed this particular capability. Merope may have been able to 
speak it and just didn't partake, to basically piss dad off, but one 
things certain she sure as heck passed it on to her son Tommy. 

My interest in Merope is what young Tom had to comment about his mom:

"My mother can't have been magic, or she wouldn't have died." Pg. 275 
HBP U.S.

I do believe that Merope was indeed magical, as Jen has pointed out, 
so why would she have died during childbirth
 Or did she? Could she 
still be alive? There are enough old bitties out there that may have 
changed their name, like Arabella Figg who's house smells like 
cabbage (like the apothecary that indeed must dabble in potions 
making), who is also known to be a squib (like Merope was once 
accused of but was magical enough to make a love potion to give to 
Tom Sr.).

Curious and Curiouser

Then again I've always questioned his mother's death.

Just my opinion, as always

Snow