I thought we'd get a little more of Petunia in this book. Mainly, I thought she and Harry would have some sort of moment. I guess they sort of do, when she stares at him at the end of the third chapter, but I was a little surprised that she didn't show up again in the present at all.
There are a few revelations about her past, however.
* Though she was always more reserved than Lily, they got along quite well as young children.
* She was at least acquainted with Snape. Harry could've had some pretty interesting chats with her if only they'd been more open to conversing with each other! If he had, he might've had a hunch about Snape's feelings toward his mother much earlier, which could have made him more sympathetic toward him. Would their shared loathing for this man have made Harry more certain in his hatred or perhaps, given how little he agrees with his aunt on most matters, made him question it?
* While she publicly denounced the whole Wizard school idea, she secretly pleaded to join her sister, though I'm not clear on whether this is more because she longed to practice magic or because she didn't want to be separated from her sister for most of the year. Petunia is older than Lily, but it must not be by much. (Obviously it wouldn't make sense for Petunia to go to Hogwarts if she has no magical abilities, but it got me wondering if anyone ever goes to Hogwarts late. Say, someone was laid up with spattergroit in what would have been his or her first year. Could they go the next year? And would they start out with the first-years or be sorted but stuck into second year? Seems like they'd probably have to start at the bottom; otherwise I suspect they'd have a hard time catching up...)
* Petunia maintained contact with Lily, probably fairly close contact considering that she sent Lily a gift for what turned out to be her last Christmas. Although she doesn't seem to have a very good sense of her sister's taste - or just as likely disapproves and wants to give her something that she finds more tasteful - it was thoughtful of her, and it shows that she and Lily weren't quite as estranged as I'd assumed. I'm guessing that whatever contact she had was clandestine, though, and that Vernon didn't know about it.
I don't know if Petunia and Harry will meet again. But I'd like to think that there could be some degree of reconciliation there. I think the book certainly left the door open for future congenial interactions between Dudley and Harry, and maybe if Dudley really comes around, Petunia might too...
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Terrific speculations, Erin!
I too thought we'd get more Petunia. When the Dursleys left, I found myself thinking: "well, but that won't be the last time we see them." So I was very surprised when they didn't show up again, except for Petunia in the pensieve.
And oh, what revelations there. In some ways, I felt like we learned as much or more about Petunia as we did about Lily! My impression, though most of this is just gut feeling, not anything I can back up with evidence from the story itself, is that Petunia both feared and admired Lily for what she could do -- she didn't understand it, didn't like what she didn't understand, but clearly loved her sister. Mixed in with the jealousy and bitterness, I think there was some admiration.
I also wonder if her own loathing of magic later (obviously in part due to Vernon's influence...I think she must have decided to marry the most prosaic, non-magical man she could possibly find, so she could revel in that safety) came about because she was bitter about the way magic tore her family apart. We know of no other siblings besides Lily and Petunia. How would you feel if you and your sister, who had grown up loving and close, were suddenly in completely different worlds for 10/12 of each year... literally different worlds? The fact that Petunia would overcome her natural fear of magic and ask (beg!) to be allowed to go to Hogwarts speaks volumes, I think, about how much she longed to stay with her sister.
And so much might have been avoided, so much pain and suffering, if she had managed to make a little bit of room in her heart for her orphaned nephew Harry -- room in her heart, not just her house. If they could have talked to one another; if Harry could have grown up without fear of reprisals when he asked questions.
Petunia's story just makes me feel all kinds of regret. I too hope that Dudley's change of heart, which we got just a glimmer of here, grew into something more.
That separation really would be hard to deal with. I don't begrudge Petunia some bitterness. But yes, what a shame she couldn't have translated that submerged longing for her sister into a bond with her nephew...
Yes. That does seem strange to me, that at NO point in all those years, except perhaps for that tiny moment right after Dudley was attacked by dementors, does she reveal anything toward Harry that might even hint of her former affection for her sister. Petunia is really a very tragic figure when you think about it. She seems to have buried her early love, and her ability to love, so deep, that she can't even access it anymore. She's a much deeper character than Vernon, because we're at least given glimpses of her inner life as a child and her family connections. It's easy to pity Petunia. Vernon feels like more of a caricature.
Yeah, you're right, Petunia and Dudley both have gotten a bit more depth but Vernon hasn't. I imagine he was quite a lot like Dudley as a boy...
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