Petunia's Dirty Little Secret: But what about the loot??

[carolynwhite2]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Talisman" <talisman22457 at ...> 
wrote:
> Petunia's reaction to the news of the dementor attack in OoP is
> telling in this regard:
> 
> "De-men-tors," said Harry slowly and clearly. "Two of them."
> "And what the ruddy hell are dementors?" [Vernon asked.] 
> "They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban," said Aunt Petunia. (OoP 31)
> 
> She didn't say, "Hang on, I've heard that word before..." or search
> her memory for so much a moment. Nor did she have any trouble
> instantly recalling the prison name.
> 
> Rowling has Harry reflect--not only on the extraordinary occasion of
> Petunia's reference to things wizardly, but:
> "He was astonished that she had remembered this scrap of information
> about the magical world for so long
" (OoP 32).
> 
> In fact, she more than *remembered* this piece of trivia, it flew 
out of her lips before she could slap her hand over her mouth.
> 
> In contrast to her fluid blurt of information, Petunia then 
*jerkily* claims that her familiarity arises from hearing "that awful 
boy-- telling *her* about them--years ago" (OoP 32).
> 
> Harry assumes she is referring to his parents--maybe so. She has
> already acknowledged, back in the hut on the rock, that Lily exposed
> her both to bits of the magical world, and to James. Claiming them 
as her source of information is the best spin she could possibly put 
on her curious announcement. Damage control.
> 
> Then to, let us reconsider Rowling's "indiscretion" from her 2004
> News item, more fulsomely:
> 
> 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.
> (J.K. Rowling Official Site: News August 15, 2004
> http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=80 )
> 
> 
> Recall Rowling's description of a Squib's lot:
> 
> "Squibs 
 are often doomed to a rather sad kind of half-life 
 they
> will be exposed to, if not immersed in, the wizarding community, but
> can never truly join it. Sometimes they find a way to fit; Filch has
> carved himself a niche at Hogwarts and Arabella Figg operates as
> Dumbledore's liaison between the magical and Muggle worlds.
> (J. K. Rowling Official Site: Extra Stuff
> http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=19 )
> 
> While not a Squib, herself, Petunia has behaved in a squibish 
manner;  ergo, squib is a toasty warm guess.
> 

Carolyn:
Have clipped together this useful set of tidbits reminding us just 
how much Aunt P knew about the WW. What has just hit me rather 
forcibly is that if she did know, then why the heck didn't she demand 
some of Harry's cash from Gringotts?

a) She MUST have known about the wizard bank because her sister would 
have needed to go there to get money changed with their parents, just 
like the Grangers did. It would have been talked about at home.

b) She MUST have known that James came from quite a wealthy family. 
All very well for Vernon to think him a layabout unemployed, but she 
would have known better. Obviously we don't know when their parents 
died, but it is not unreasonable to imagine that they were alive long 
enough to go to the Potter's wedding - Lily married very young. The 
parents would have noticed a slap-up do and met James' parents.

c) Even though she would not have known how much Harry inherited, 
surely she would have asked the question of DD at some point?

Carolyn
..fascinated at the detail that jumps at you as you re-read for the 
umpteenth time.