Petunia's Dirty Little Secret

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 170070

<snipping much of Talisman's very interesting theory>
> 
> No, Petunia doesn't wear a physical Dark Mark.
> 
> Still, her perpetual scouring is the external symptom of an inner
> mark. Her inept efforts to erase an interior filth that soap can't
> touch: the guilty residue of her transgressions.
> 
> And so we see the perfectly charming noose of Petunia's plot arc,
> drawing to a close.
> 
> Some remaining questions of interest are:
> 
> What exactly did Petunia do for Voldemort?

Julie:
I've been thinking lately too about Petunia possibly being complicit 
in James and Lily's deaths. Obviously she did know about Lord 
Voldemort, the Dementors, and Azkaban. But it's hard for me to see 
Petunia having desire to conspire with Voldemort. She probably pees 
her pants at the mere thought of him! I'm thinking that she may have 
betrayed her sister to someone else. I also think she probably didn't 
recognize the full consequences of her actions, i.e., she didn't know 
she was consigning Lily and James to death.

Some have suggested Petunia might have been involved with Snape, 
though I can't really see the two of them together. Snape apparently 
liked or at least respected Lily, so it's hard to see what he'd like 
or respect about someone as different from and as hostile to Lily as 
Petunia. Though I do think Snape was the "awful boy" Petunia 
mentioned, the one she overheard telling Lily about Dementors. She 
may have recognized from this conversation that Lily was straying 
into dangerous territory, if the conversation had some element of 
warning in it, but I don't think Petunia was passing information to 
Snape. IMO, that would have been Peter.

So what if Peter and Petunia were in cahoots? Peter knew what he was 
doing of course, preparing to turn James and Lily and their infant 
son over to Voldemort to be slaughtered, but I doubt Petunia knew of 
the Prophecy, or of Peter's eventual intention. Whatever information 
she could pass on, she may have assumed it would at most lead to 
James and Lily facing Azkaban or fighting off Dementors. The threat 
of that alone might have satisfied her vengeful feelings toward her 
sister, especially if she passed on that information with little 
forethought (similar to Sirius setting up Snape without thinking too 
deeply about the potential consequences, focused only on his desire 
for revenge). 

If Petunia only realized later how far it was all going, beyond just 
a bit of petty revenge to cold-blooded murder, it would be too late 
for her to stop it. But in the aftermath, Dumbledore could have 
something on her, something indicating her complicity in James and 
Lily's deaths. Maybe Petunia didn't *intend* for anyone to die, but 
that's what happened. Thus she feels compelled to take in Harry, even 
if it's unwillingly, bitterly, etc, etc. And Dumbledore feels 
assurance that she will not turn Harry out at any time (as he reminds 
her again in OotP). 
 
Talisman:
> 
> Did she play a role in Godric's Hollow?

Julie:
I admit I did have a thought about Voldemort sparing Lily for 
*Petunia*--"Kill that horrid husband and vile spawn of theirs, but 
don't kill my sister." I don't think it really works with Petunia's 
attitude toward Lily in the books though. 

Talisman:
> 
> Will she, in a desperate attempt to re-ingratiate herself, turn on
> Harry when Voldemort comes knocking? (Especially if she's learned
> that Dumbledore is defunct?)

Julie:
Petunia comes off to me as more terrified of the WW, and especially 
so of Voldemort, than anything else. And I don't doubt for a minute 
that she'd give up Harry to protect herself and her family. But I 
still don't see her ever having been in Voldemort's circle, thus she 
wouldn't be trying to reingratiate herself to him IMO. She hates and 
fears the WW, and just wants ALL wizards, good or bad, to stay far, 
far away from her and her family. 

BTW, I do agree about Petunia's perpetual scouring. She might not 
have intended to get James and Lily killed, but unwitting complicity 
carries the same stain of guilt, and no amount of scouring on her 
part will erase that guilt. (This is true for Snape also--and 
wouldn't it be sort of ironic if *both* Petunia and Snape have helped 
protect Harry's life all this time--one at home and one at school--
because of they both were unintentionally complicit in his parent's 
deaths! BTW, Snape gets the one-up on Petunia here, IMO, because he 
*tried* to undo his action by telling Dumbledore about the danger to 
the Potters. I suspect Petunia simply stuck her head in the sand!)

> Talisman, saying, let's have her go out after a *last vile move* 
that
> sets up the delightfully thorough smack down.

Julie:
It's certainly possible, though I'm still holding out for the 
Dursleys to be put into "protective custody" at Grimmauld Place, 
which IMO would be a pretty good smack down!

Julie