A thought about wizard-muggle relations

[maryblue67]

No: HPFGUIDX 126172


I recently claimed back my copy of Philosopher's Stone which a friend
had borrowed for 
ages, and was really looking forward to reading it again.
And there, at the very first page, I had an interesting thought about
wizard-muggle 
relations. I don't have a theory or anything, this is just a rhetoric
question. But any 
comments, theories or analyses are welcome.

So, here is the issue. At the very beginning of Philosopher's Stone
we learn that the 
Dursleys don't want to have anything to do with the Potters. In
particular, they know that 
they have a little child as well, and they don't want Dudley mixing
with a child of their 
type. BUT, what would happen if Lily and Petunia did get along? The
two kids, being 
cousins, would obviously see each other often, play together, etc.
Harry would be living in 
the magical world, exposed to magic all the time, use a different
vocabulary, talk about 
brooms and quidditch, while Dudley wouldn't know anything about it.
And it's pretty hard 
to keep children's mouths closed. It takes a while for a child to
understand what a secret 
is, and longer even to have the strength of character to keep one.
So, regardless of the 
relations between the Dursleys and the Potters... how do families
like theirs (one muggle 
and one magical) get along? How do they comply with the Statute of
Secrecy? With the 
adults is one thing, but how to make a child like Dudley keep quiet
at school about his 
cousin Harry, who makes magic and plays with toy-broomsticks? Are
muggle-born 
witches and wizards doomed to be apart from their muggle families to
maintain the 
secrecy of the wizarding world? 

I wonder....

Maria