[the_old_crowd] OOP: The tragedy of Petunia Dursley

[Monika Huebner]

On Mon, 30 Jun 2003 08:51:34 -0000, "Ali" <Ali at ...> wrote:

>I've just finished my third reading of OoP. 

I just read it once so far, so many details are a bit blurry in my
head (or completely gone from my memory), so I don't have much to add
to this thoughtful posting, just some random thoughts.

>The Dursleys interest me 
>in a way that I can't fathom,

For some very odd reason, I always liked reading the scenes at the
Dursleys, unlike other people who are bored and longing for Harry
arriving at Hogwarts. But in fact, OoP is the first book where I was
really thrilled with was happened in Privet Drive.

>OoP opens our minds and Harry's to the idea that Petunia had had 
>more contact with, and understanding of the WW then she had hitherto 
>pretended. From the small glimpse we are given, I feel that a quite 
>different Petunia emerges.

Absolutely! I told myself that she was Lily's sister and must have
known *something* about the wizarding world after all, no matter how
hard she rejected it, but I certainly didn't expect her to know about
Dementors and Azkaban.

>I've read suggestions that Petunia went to Hogwarts and was 
>expelled; I think it's unlikely.

I also think that would be very unlikely.

>Petunia's reaction to Harry's Dementor Kiss explanation in 
>OoP suggests an understanding of it far greater than overhearing a 
>conversation 20 years previously. I would suggest that she has 
>perhaps had more interaction with the WW than she cares to 
>acknowledge.

That's really an odd bit of knowledge about the magical world, not
likely something Lily might have mentioned en passant, not even to
frighten her sister. At least I wouldn't think so. 

>I believe that either Petunia or Dudley had shown 
>some sign of magical power, and Petunia's pact with Dumbledore was 
>to prevent it from being taken any further. 

Hm, not sure I agree here. How can you suppress magical powers in a
person? The Dursleys couldn't suppress it in Harry, it happened
accidentally all the time. They chose to ignore it, but it was still
there.

>I have chosen to think that it was Dudley who at a young age had 
>shown some magical prowess, Petunia's reaction to it was Dudley's 
>worst memory. 

You mean maybe what he heard when the Dementors were near him? I
wondered what that would have been, spoilt brat that he is. I also
suspect there was a reason we weren't told what it was, maybe that's
one of the things JKR wanted to foreshadow. It would indeed have been
very interesting to get into Dudley's head at that moment, I admit
that I was just as curious as Harry was.

>Petunia's tragedy is unlikely to stop at the end of OoP

I suppose it was just the beginning we saw. The whole structure of the
chapters taking place at the Dursleys was so different from previous
books that I am sure there is more like this to come in the two
remaining books. I remember JKR saying in an interview that a person
would discover magical abilities late in her life, and I tend more and
more to believe it will be Petunia. But maybe I just don't want to see
Dudley with a magic wand, knowing it can be a dangerous weapon. ;-)

Monika