Petunia and her parents might have gotten along well. But because of Lily’s unique skills, they preferred her, and Petunia felt left out (this may have contributed even more to her intense dislike of magic). They are known to have passed away by the time Petunia gave birth to a boy.
Petunia Evans had only one sibling, Lily Evans. Petunia felt ambivalent about Lily’s magical prowess as it first came to light, split between interest and disdain. When Lily became friends with the ominous lad next door, Severus Snape, their relationship grew even more tense.
Petunia wrote a covert letter to Professor Dumbledore after Lily was accepted to Hogwarts pleading with him to allow her to enroll as well. After that, Petunia started referring to wizards and witches as “weirdos” and made every effort to deny her sister’s existence. Petunia would not acknowledge it, but she still had feelings for Lily and was probably grieved when her sister was killed. Petunia organized the funeral and arranged for her sister and brother-in-law to be buried in Godric’s Hollow because James didn’t have a family. To her eternal regret, Petunia never had the opportunity to make apologies with her only sister, despite her desire to do so.
Vernon Dursley
Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley were coworkers who later got married. [2] She agreed with his limited viewpoints and took pride in his position at work. She and Vernon made every effort to ignore Harry and kept him out of most family gatherings.
They were incredibly conceited, materialistic, and status-obsessed. Dudley was given complete control over the house since they provided him anything he desired. Harry, on the other hand, was strictly under their supervision; he did the work, made the meals (or at least breakfast), and otherwise spent time imprisoned in the cupboard beneath the stairs. Harry was less under Petunia and Vernon’s influence once he returned to the wizarding community.
Vernon may or may not have been aware of his wife’s former desire to attend Hogwarts, her previous close friendship with Lily, or her early association with Severus Snape, a wizard. It’s possible that Petunia didn’t tell him because she had always wanted to be “normal.”
What was Petunia’s response to Lily’s passing?
When Petunia and Lily married, to put it mildly, extremely different men, their schism got further. James Potter had a bad first impression of Vernon Dursley, thus the two couples didn’t interact much. Meanwhile, Vernon would have fostered Petunia’s worst personality traits, making her spiteful, judgmental, and intensely resentful of anything or anybody who was “different.”
Petunia would have undoubtedly been heartbroken to learn of Lily’s passing, but her conflicting feelings—grief, sorrow, and unresolved jealousy—were likely hidden in the distractions of cleaning, gossip, and caving to her son Dudley’s every whim.
Petunia was disturbed and nervous in Harry’s presence because he made her think of things she had tried all her life to forget. His sight Lily’s eyes recalled the sibling she had lost and the irreparably damaged relationship. Petunia’s knowledge that her nephew was destined for the magical realm she had once so dearly desired brought up old sentiments of inferiority and jealousy. Petunia appeared to have concluded that magic was terrible in order to cope with the fact that she was not magical.
Additionally, Petunia was aware that Harry’s world was dangerous and endangered her own family, especially the priceless Ickle Dudleykins. Yes, we all laughed at Dudley’s curly tail and his exploits with Ton-Tongue Toffee, but those events were horrifying from a mother’s perspective. Not to mention Lord Voldemort and the Dementors, which Petunia is well aware are very real threats.
Aunt Petunia had never before in her life observed him with such an expression. Unlike her sister, who had huge, pale eyes that were narrowed in disapproval or wrath, she had large, terrified eyes. The vehement delusion Aunt Petunia had upheld during Harry’s entire life—that there was no magic and no other world save the one she shared with Uncle Vernon—seemed to have crumbled. Order of the Phoenix: Harry Potter
Does Harry like Petunia?
Harry was never given any love or affection by Petunia because he made her think about Lily and the wizarding world.
[4] She frequently treated him like a waste of space, gave him the cupboard under the stairs to start with, and had him do all the chores.
She and Vernon neglected the most of Harry’s birthdays.
[11]
[13]
She refused to accept Harry as a second son and never showed him the warmth and love he yearned for from her. In an effort to hide Harry from others, she kept him completely uninformed of the wizarding world and made her family appear as normal as she could. In 1997, when Harry left to look for Horcruxes, Petunia was on the verge of saying goodbye to him and wishing him success while also acknowledging that her mistreatment of him was motivated by envy, but she pulled back at the last minute. [26]
After Severus Snape was killed by Nagini’s fangs during the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry was given access to various memories of Snape’s past and allegiances. Inadvertently explaining to Harry the reasons for his future aunt Petunia’s hate of him and magic in general, such as their falling out as children, Petunia’s jealousy of Lily’s magical powers, and her childhood animosity with Snape, was one of Harry’s first memories. However, Harry was more interested in learning Snape’s roots and allegiances than he was in unlocking Petunia’s animosity toward him.
Petunia would subsequently become Ginevra Weasley’s aunt-in-law and the great-aunt to James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna, the three children of Harry and Ginny. It is uncertain if Petunia herself ever got in touch with Harry again, despite the fact that Harry and Dudley were still on “Christmas card terms” and occasionally visited. Despite everything, Harry loved her enough to insist that they hide for their safety. Although it is unknown if Petunia got in touch with Harry once more after the war, it is very likely that she made up with her nephew and was exchanging Christmas cards with him as well. Harry developed a new appreciation for his aunt as a result of how he discovered what sparked the conflict between his mother and her sister. After she passed away, Dudley gave Harry the blanket that Petunia had been holding onto ever since he arrived at Privet Drive.
Severus Snape
“I heard that nasty boy telling her about them years ago,” said Petunia Dursley.
After Dementors attacked Dudley Dursley, Harry and Petunia talked about Snape[src].
Severus Snape and Petunia originally became friends when they were little. She was Lily Evans’ sister, but unlike Lily, Petunia was a Muggle. From the minute they met, Snape and Petunia had a profound disdain for one another. He was such an eccentric, and Petunia, who was dismissive of anything out of the ordinary, looked upon him with contempt because of his low economic standing. The fact that she was a Muggle and that she made derogatory remarks about his clothing, on the other hand, caused Snape to look at her with disdain. The issue of Snape, like with everything relating to magic, was never brought up under the Dursley’s roof until Dudley Dursley was attacked by dementors and he was implicitly addressed by Petunia as “that dreadful boy” when talking about dementors, possibly as a result of this early hate.
Ironically, Snape and Petunia’s unpleasant interactions contributed to the development of their individual adult personas. Snape’s experiences with Petunia probably contributed to his increasing contempt for the Muggle community and led him to dabble with pure-blood supremacy and the Dark Arts in his adolescence. Similarly, Petunia’s interactions with Snape probably made her less tolerant of anything or anyone associated with the wizarding community. In a tragic twist of irony, Lily, Petunia’s sister, died as a result of Snape’s pursuit of the Dark Arts.
Is Lily’s Aunt Petunia envious?
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley come to mind right away when asked to name two persons who abhorred the magical world with a passion. But Petunia didn’t always hold that opinion. She pretended that her animosity for witches and wizards sprang from her perception of them as aberrant, but her true desire was to be a part of the community. Petunia detested that her magical sister Lily always seemed to be the center of attention and was tremendously envious of Lily’s magical talent. She was sick of being overshadowed by Lily, so when she married Vernon, she didn’t want Lily to be a bridesmaid. She also referred to Lily as a “freak” when they were kids because she felt left out because she lacked Lily’s talents. All of that does not excuse Petunia’s behavior, but it does shed light on why she rejects anything even faintly mystical.
Petunia, did you want to be a witch?
4. Petunia aspired to become a witch, according to Rowling: “Petunia had some hidden sentiments of guilt about the way she had severed her relationship with Lily, whom she knew, in her heart of hearts, had always loved her. She also claims that Petunia had a secret wish that she would exhibit magical abilities and be whisked away to Hogwarts.
Vernon, on the other hand, shares a detest of Harry with a Hogwarts student. Harry’s likeness to the father Uncle Vernon and Severus Snape both detested is a contributing factor in Uncle Vernon’s disdain of him, according to Rowling.
5. J.K. Rowling explains how she came to choose the names of the Dursley family: “‘Vernon’ is just a name I never much liked, she says, adding that she always meant for them to be their names, even if she spent time exploring various names for other characters.
“When my sister Di and I were very little, I usually called terrible female characters that we would play make-believe games with the name “Petunia.
6. Hagrid and Dumble are named very specifically: Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore were taken from the words “red and “white, two hues frequently connected with alchemy, whereas Petunia and Vernon may have been given names based on instinct. While Dumbledore is white, which is majestic and intelligent, Hagrid is red, which is warm and wild.
Did Petunia attend Harry’s nuptials?
“Large and neckless, this young businessman seemed to young Petunia a picture of manliness.”
“Petunia accepted right away when Vernon Dursley quite appropriately proposed marriage in his mother’s sitting room at the appropriate time.”
He solemnly assured Petunia that he would never hold that fact against her for having a weirdo for a sister.
Petunia had also long had the wish—which she never confided to Vernon—that one day, she too would exhibit magical abilities and be whisked away to Hogwarts.
The Dursleys’ names were chosen by J.K. Rowling because she believed they had an unpleasant sound.
“Vernon” is just a name I’ve never given much thought to, wrote Rowling. In make-believe games I played with my sister, I always called disagreeable female characters “Petunia.”
“Although some readers desired more from Aunt Petunia during [Harry’s departure], I still believe that I had her act in a manner that is most consistent with her thoughts and sentiments throughout the previous seven volumes,” the author said.
Uncle Vernon never seemed to live up to expectations, so people weren’t upset.
Why did Petunia decide to house Harry?
Though Lily was different from Petunia, she had Lily in a small corner of her heart. It’s possible that she believed Harry was her sister’s last memory, Lily’s last gift, or the last obligation for an elder sister.