Petunia's Eyes/Snape, Snape, Snape

[Ken Hutchinson]

No: HPFGUIDX 170038


> Magpie:
> I wasn't skating up to any guess, actually. I was just saying that 
> since Rowling doesn't flat-out lie in interviews I thought if she 
> said Petunia was a Muggle I should assume she was a Muggle as we've 
> always been given to understood the term in canon. 

Ken:

The thing is that I understand the term from canon somewhat 
differently than you do so I would not consider this a lie, flat out or
otherwise. Does Rowling think more like me or you in this matter?
If the former then this quess is plausible. If she thinks more like
you, but still considers this only a small fib after all then it is 
still possible. It is just a guess about a matter of limited scope
after all, not a grandiose Theory Of Everything.

> Magpie:
> Petunia must have, for instance, been walking with 
> Lily and seen the Leaky Cauldron and realized she and Lily were the 
> only ones who could see it and somehow recognized this meant she had 
> magical powers that she was thereafter able to repress so thoroughly 
> that she didn't even show the uncontrolled signs other kids show. 
> She can't even have been frightened by doing magic--she must have 
> been frightened by, in this case, seeing a pub. 

Ken:

You try to make it sound totally implausible but Neville was a 
late bloomer and someone, opinion seems divided between Filch and 
Figgy, is going to be a much, much later bloomer in DH according to
the author. Petunia could have gotten into her teen years without having
a magical moment. Petunia didn't have to be frightened by a pub, she may
already have been frightened by Lily's magic. What frightened her
about the pub was not the pub but what being able to see the pub
implied. The pub is just one scenario that would allow her to realize she
was a witch without actively doing magic. Getting an invitation from 
Hogwarts without ever having performed magic would be another.
I honestly don't see how you can seriously suggest that *Petunia* is 
incapable of suppressing her magical gift. If *anyone* in this series could 
do this it would be Petunia. After all, Vernon and Petunia seemed to be
confident that they would be able to suppress Harry's talent for some 
reason.

> Magpie:
> And also the fact 
> that canon says that Petunia, as a Dursley, has not a drop of 
> magical blood must be just colorful language (even though in this 
> series "magical blood" is a very real thing) because Lily and 
> Petunia have the same blood. Except they get their blood from their 
> parents, who are Muggles. So the parents must have magical blood 
> too. Making the line "The Dursleys were what Wizards called Muggles 
> (not a drop of magical blood in their veins)" really colorful.
> 

Ken:

Well Petunia is an Evans not a Dursley but yeah, I think the drop of
blood comment could just be a rhetorical exaggeration in this case.
Petunia's blood is quite powerful magically according to canon, it 
is the source of Harry's protection at her home. Doesn't it strike you
as a little odd that a Muggle's blood could be so powerful? It is 
almost like a clue that is so obvious that we all miss it. I mean 
even if there is nothing more to it at all and Petunia is a Muggle
in exactly the way you define Muggle, then Lily's sacrifice has put
the lie to the claim that Petunia has not a drop of magical blood 
in her. Lily's sacrifice has made Petunia's blood quite powerfully 
magical until Harry turns 17.

> Magpie:
> I mean, I know that the split between Wizards and Muggles is not as 
> clear as some Wizards would like because of Muggle-borns and Squibs. 
> But it's so far seemed clearer than someone being able to be both at 
> the same time. You say we just decide what we're going to call 
> Merope, but it still seems clear to me that Merope, even at her 
> death, has a abilities a Muggle can not have. Had she recovered, she 
> would have recovered her abilities like Tonks did, presumably. Just 
> as Petunia, if she's repressing her magic, is just as much a witch 
> as Hermione is when Hermione's not doing magic.

Ken:

I didn't say, or didn't mean to say, that you could be both at the same time.
I did say that one person could be both at different stages in their life and
that is very different. I'm not sure what abilities Merope had at her death
that a Muggle wouldn't have, do you have an example? Well before her 
death Merope barely had magical power in that lovely scene with her father
and brother in the Gaunt hovel. She was a barely functioning witch at that
time. Evidently she bloomed a bit when on her own but I don't see any 
reason to be confident that she would have recovered her power if she
had lived past Tom's birth. I think she essentially gave up her life even
as she had given up her power shortly before. That is probably an 
essential difference between your understanding and mine. I consider 
Merope's loss of power as final and she became Muggle at that point.
I view it as being similar to the choice Arwen made when she married
Aragorn. She became human and mortal. Tonks' case is far different. One
of her powers was weakened by her furry problem. Otherwise she was
still such a powerfully effective witch that she remained on active duty
with the Order.

> Magpie:
> But surely it's possible she *could* come up with something that was 
> satisfying without Petunia being a witch--which wouldn't necessarily 
> be that much of a bombshell to Harry anyway? I mean, even in this 
> scenario Petunia is a Muggle for all intents and purposes, right? 
> She's not going to do magic, ever. 
> 

Ken:

Yes, of course, on both counts. And if she isn't going to use my splendid
idea, I hope she does come up with something equally splendid. I would 
not expect Petunia to do magic even if this notion turned out to be true.
I would just be wonderfully ironic if Petunia had been a nascent witch 
who refused the calling. I wouldn't expect it to be significant to the plot
in any way. I'd expect it to come out in a scene where Petunia reveals 
something else she knows that might be significant.

Now wouldn't it be worth whatever damage you feel it would do to 
Rowling's veracity for the chance to "see" the expression on Uncle Vernon's
face when Petunia drops *that* shoe? But then I'd be just as happy if
it turned out the Petunia had merely been Snape's Muggle girlfriend for
a while ....

Ken ;-)