Theory on Petunia

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 156575

Laurawkids wrote:
> I think the fact that Petunia didn't know Harry wasn't supposed to
> do magic at home tells us that she didn't go to Hogwarts. But,
> also, why did she not know about that rule from Lily's school days
> unless the rule had changed.?

Carol responds:
Although JKR isn't always consistent, as Potioncat reminded us with
her post on when DD became headmaster, you may be right about the
rules changing. We have Severus coming to school knowing all those
hexes, which would certainly qualify as underage magic, and Lily
coming home, according to Petunia, with her pockets full of frog spawn
and turning teacups into rats (SS Am. ed. 53). BTW, the same passage
talks about Lily receiving her Hogwarts letter and disappearing off to
"that school"--hardly an indication that Petunia ever went there, for
those who still don't believe JKR's repeated assertions that Petunia
is (and always was) a Muggle.

Laurawkids:
> Do we know that *both* of L & P's parents were Muggles? If one were
> magical, there would have been way more opportunity to prank
> Vernon. What if Petunia were expected to be magical because one of
> the parents were? That would make Lily being magical even more
> annoying to Petunia, AND Lily would have been able to do magic at
> home. <snip>

Carol responds:
Every reference to Lily's background refers to her as a Muggleborn.
Teen!Severus, a Half-Blood himself, would hardly have called her a
"Mudblood" if she weren't Muggleborn. And Slughorn comments on how
surprised he was that a Muggleborn (Lily) could be so magically gifted.

There's no question that both their parents were Muggles. I believe
that JKR also says something about it on her website.

Carol, thinking that Petunia's importance has to do with what she
*knows* and can tell Harry, if only he can persuade her to do so