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

[Talisman]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "carolynwhite2" 
<carolynwhite2 at ...> wrote:
> 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?


Our knowledge of the materially inclined foster-family, coupled with an 
understanding of human nature, would be enough, in itself, to support 
your argument.  But we don't have to get by on so lean a diet.  We are 
encouraged even further by our Author, who has Harry muse on just this 
question when he first finds his fortune at Gringotts:

"All Harry's--it was incredible.  The Dursleys couldn't have known 
about this or they'd have it faster than blinking.  How often had they 
complained how much Harry had cost them to keep?  And all the time 
there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under 
London"(PS/SS US 75).

Or in HBP:

"He's been left a house?" said Uncle Vernon greedily..." (US 49).


And I think most readers readily assume that, in addition to 
misrepresenting the nature of their demise, Petunia has been knowingly 
mischaracterizing the nature of the Potter parents' socioeconomic 
circumstances. In short, as you say, she knows there is loot.

Your expectation that she would also know about Gringotts is certainly 
justified.

My question is: Demand of whom?

She would certainly need wizard assistance to get at any loot in 
Gringotts, and the two wizards calling the shots in this scenario are 
ultimately Dumbledore and Voldemort.

I wouldn't be phased at all to discover that she had demanded..ok, 
asked..Voldemort to give her the Potter fortune as part of the 
renumeration for her services; especially where that assistance played 
a role in the Godric's Hollow hit.

Whether he would have given her the goods, or intended to have her 
snuffed as part of the post-op mop up, is another matter.

But that she would have *demanded* it seems quite reasonable.

Unfortunately for Petunia, the purge was bungled.  Instead of a sack of 
loot, she got a bundle of..er..joy.

In the gray light of dawn, Dumbledore was the one calling the shots.

Missives are sent.  Petunia is fingered and has a chance to review the 
full color enclosures of Azkaban Fortress.   

Sitting there,in the light of Dumbledore's penetrating glare, with 
Lily's blood dripping from her fingers, I don't really see her 
countering his *do it or else* with a financial ultimatum.

Additionally, even if she hadn't initially known of the Potter fortune 
in Gringotts, by now she should have suspected.  It has to be pretty 
clear to her that Harry has been getting money from somewhere, all 
these years.

Even if she thought Dumbledore, or other wizards, were supporting Harry 
during the ten months of the year he spends in the WW, she could have 
requested renumeration from these sources, were she in any position to 
make demands.

The whole point is she took Harry in because she *had* to.  She had to, 
and her whole payment is that--thus far--she has remained out of 
Azkaban.

I'm sure the deal provides that her debt will be paid--no more threat 
of Azkaban--if she can just stick it out through the last year of 
Harry's minority.

So close, so close....and yet...

Alas, Voldemort is back.  And not with the cash.

Far from making any demands, at this point she'll be lucky to escape 
with her skin.

But we can't let that happen, now can we?

Talisman