Obviously Petunia? (Was: Retrospective - Snape's Worst Memory)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 142831

Goddlefrood wrote:
<snip theory because I agree with colebiancardi that Snape removed the
memory to avoid humiliation, and I think what we'll see in Book 7 has
to do with redemption, not his love life> 

> As stated elsewhere Petunia is really the only candidate for being
the person who will perform magic in desperate circumstances later in
life when LV or some DEs turn up at 4 Privet Drive in book 7 after
Harry's seventeenth birthday. <snip>

Carol responds:
Actually, Petunia may be the most popular candidate, Muggle though
we've repeatedly been told she is, but she's not the "only" candidate.
the exact quote from the interview is "there is a character who does
manage in desperate circumstances to do magic quite late in life . . . ."

http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/1999/0399-barnesandnoble.html

Petunia is probably close to Lily's age, which would be 39 if she had
lived, in her late thirties or more likely early forties. (I get the
feeling that she's older than Lily and consequently her jealousy is
more intense--it's one thing to be outdone by an older sister, but a
younger one! How humiliating.) Either way, she's middle-aged, not old.
Forty or forty-five is not "quite late in life," even for a Muggle.
Seventy or eighty or ninety, yes.

Also, she's not the only nonmagical person (setting aside Vernon and
Dudley, both of whom can be ruled out) likely to be facing "desperate
circumstances" on Privet Drive as July 30 turns to July 31 in Book 7.
Mrs. Figg, the Order member who helped Harry after the Dementor
attack, is just as likely to show up this time as before (warned by
her part-Kneazle cats that DEs have appeared at 4 Privet Drive, or
perhaps anticipating an attack when the protective magic ends).

Unlike Petunia, Mrs. Figg knows what a spell is and how to cast one;
she's just never succeeded in doing it. Nevertheless, there is some
trace of magic in her--she can talk to cats, and she's familiar with
the WW despite being only a Squib. If a DE were to knock Harry's wand
from his hand, she would at least know which end to point and what
words to say. "Stupefy!" would do. "Expecto Patronum" might be better
if she could somehow summon the Order by conjuring her Patronus.

At any rate, Mrs. Figg is considerably older than Petunia, easily
qualifying as "quite late in life," and she's at least as likely as
Petunia to be able to perform magic. The best Petunia could do would
be to perform accidental magic along the lines of blowing up Aunt
Marge or melting the glass in the snake exhibit. Mrs. Figg, OTOH,
could perform a real spell if she turns out to be the character
referred to.

We've been told in every book that Petunia is a Muggle. A Muggle, as
we all know, is a nonmagical person. Her parents were also Muggles
(Lily is a Muggleborn); there is no known history of magic in the
Evans blood (or in the maternal line, either). But Mrs. Figg, as a
Squib, must have had at least one magical parent and possibly two.
She's not a Muggle but, in essence, a failed witch. (I'm pretty sure
that JKR describes our other known Squib, Filch, as "a failed wizard"
in CoS or PoA.) Of the two, Petunia or Mrs. Figg, Mrs. Figg seems the
likelier to perform magic. It's in her blood and her heritage; it's
just never been activated by sufficiently desperate circumstances.

(Filch, the other Squib, who also fits the "quite late in life"
criterion, is unlikely to be present at Privet Drive at any point,
though it's possible he could perform magic at the hypothetical battle
of Hogwarts, but that seems less likely now that Harry probably won't
be attending school in Book 7. I won't rule him out completely, but I
think our brave and feisty Order member is a better candidate, tartan
carpet slippers and all.)

Petunia has a role to play in the books regardless of whether she
performs magic "[somewhat] late in life" or not. But why introduce
Figgy and make a Squib a member of the Order of the Phoenix if not to
have her play a heroic role in Book 7? Of course, she could hit a
Death Eater with a sackful of catfood cans, but I doubt that would be
very effective.

Carol, casting her vote for Mrs. Figg as the unlikely heroine of the
Battle of Privet Drive