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

[hpfan_mom]

No: HPFGUIDX 142842

Goddlefrood wrote:

Further to this I refer you to the Edinburgh Book Festival Interview
of 15th August 2004, wherein we find this exchange:

"Is Aunt Petunia a Squib?

Good question. No, she is not, but—[Laughter]. No, she is not a
Squib. She is a Muggle, but—[Laughter]. You will have to read the
other books. You might have got the impression that there is a
little bit more to Aunt Petunia than meets the eye, and you will
find out what it is. She is not a squib, although that is a very
good guess. Oh, I am giving a lot away here. I am being shockingly
indiscreet."

This suggests strongly, when read in conjunction with the quotation
cited by Carol, that Petunia will be the one performing magic
comparatively late in life.

Hpfan_mom:

Now I'm depressed - late thirties is middle-aged!

More to the point, we have to ask why squib is a very good guess.  
Squibs are involuntarily non-magical.  Could Petunia be 
*voluntarily* non-magical?

"She is a Muggle, but - [Laughter]."  What's the rest of that 
sentence?  Here's a guess - "She is a Muggle, but only by choice."  
If anyone has the willpower to squelch down magical talent until it 
just about disappears, to clean it out of her life, so to speak, 
it's Petunia.

"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said 
Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him!  Wizard indeed!"  
SS/PS, p. 53.  Maybe the Dursleys thought they could stamp the magic 
out of Harry since Petunia had already successfully done it to 
herself so she wouldn't be "a freak" like Lily.  (Also p. 53.)

It would also be a nice parallel if the magic Petunia performs is in 
the Battle of Privet Drive to protect her son.

Hpfan_mom