Petunia’s animosity against Harry was probably a result of her long-standing envy of Lily, her magical sister. Remember my last,” read a Howler from Dumbledore addressed to Petunia. He was likely referring to the letter he left with baby Harry on Privet Drive’s front step. Albus had another motivation to write, though, and this one had far-reaching repercussions.
When Petunia wrote to the headmaster of Hogwarts as a young girl pleading to be admitted, he sent her a sympathetic reply. Dumbledore’s tactful rejection caused “Tuney” to start calling her sister a “weird.”
Petunia was disappointed and resentful, so she watched Lily and Snape as they become close friends and learned bits and pieces about the wizarding world she would never be able to enter.
Harry was more shocked than Uncle Vernon to hear Petunia mention “Azkaban” as she spat out a competent description of a Dementor. Even Petunia, who was so determined to despise the magic she never experienced, was horrified to learn of Voldemort’s reappearance; this was the one time Harry genuinely realized she was her mother’s sister.
Although she may have given Harry a place to grow up, it was obvious that Petunia’s unfulfilled magical aspirations were likely what made her the person she was—someone who was more concerned with the surgical cleanliness of her counters than the welfare of her sister’s son.
She paused briefly as she bid Harry farewell, as if to say something. Of course, she never did, but that shaky second revealed a lot about her character.
Aunt Petunia, was she a dud?
“Good question,” Rowling responded when the reader inquired if Aunt Petunia was a Squib, a non-magical person born to at least one magical parent. She is not a Squib, so no, she is not. Her race is Muggle.
Petunia Evans: a squib or not?
She’s not a Squib, no. However, she is a Muggle. You must read the additional novels. You might have had the idea that Aunt Petunia was a little more complicated than she first appeared to be; you’ll find out what it is.
Why is Petunia not a witch, exactly?
- In contrast to the texts, where she is described as being “blonde and horse-toothed,” her appearance in the movies is somewhat different. She has dark brown hair and normal teeth in the movies, though.
- Petunia can be seen standing in the midst of the empty living room at Privet Drive in a deleted scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. She is wearing a sorrowful expression. When Harry sees her, he stops moving down the steps. She claims that despite having lived in this home for twenty years, she will suddenly have to depart in the next night. Harry describes how they will torture her mercilessly. Petunia responds that she is aware of their potential and notes that on the fateful night at Godric’s Hollow, Petunia also lost a sister in addition to Harry’s mother. She then quickly exits the room after that. Petunia most likely considered saying this in the book but decided against it.
- Although Minerva McGonagall makes an appearance in the movies, Petunia was the series’ first female character to be introduced.
- Lily, Petunia’s sister, was a Muggle-born witch, therefore both girls must have some connection to wizarding heritage, however remote. Even if Petunia pretended she didn’t have a sister, this proves that she was still related to wizards.
- Rowling has said that a character in a public service announcement she watched as a young girl may have inspired Petunia’s name.
- Petunia accompanied Lily to Platform 9 3/4 when Lily departed for Hogwarts as a kid. But when Harry and Vernon inquire about Platform 9 3/4 in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, she appears to have no notion of its location or how to get there. She either forgot where it was or, more likely, she lied to Harry and pretended she didn’t know anything about it.
- Unsurprisingly, there is a figure from Marvel Comics called “Aunt Petunia,” and she is the aunt of The Thing, a member of the Fantastic Four. The Thing frequently boasts of being “Aunt Petunia’s favorite nephew,” so unlike Petunia Dursley, this character doesn’t seem to be harsh or contemptuous to her nephew.
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.
Mrs. Figg, was she a dud?
The Order of the Phoenix member Mrs. Arabella Doreen Figg was a Squib who sold hybrid cats and kneazles[3]. She had at least four part-kneazle cats named Mr. Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty that she owned and extensively documented. She resided on Wisteria Walk in Little Whinging in a home that smelled strongly of cabbage. [4] She used to babysit Harry Potter in the 1980s and early 1990s because she lived close by and Albus Dumbledore needed someone to watch out for him. Mrs. Figg kept her true identity a secret for the majority of Harry’s childhood because Dumbledore thought he was too young to understand his place in the wizarding world. Harry didn’t learn of Mrs. Figg’s connection to the wizarding world until 1995, when he and Dudley Dursley were attacked by dementors. Mrs. Figg did her best to encourage the Order, although it’s unlikely that she took part in the Battle of Hogwarts. She most likely made it through the conflict and carried on reproducing and exchanging part-kneazle cats.
In Order of the Phoenix, who was it that sent Harry dementors?
Madam Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge sent two Azkaban Dementors to Little Whinging to silence Harry Potter because she wanted to cast doubt on him. Harry was able to save himself and his cousin by using a physical Patronus to drive the Azkaban guards away, but the Ministry nonetheless punished him.
Petunia, did you write to Dumbledore?
Petunia didn’t just keep her interest in magic to herself; she also formally requested admission to Hogwarts from Albus Dumbledore. Unfortunately, the gentle headmaster had to politely reject her because she lacked magical abilities. Even though Petunia (or “Tuney,” as she was then known) was dealt a humiliating blow, it may have been something she handled quietly and privately. Her humiliation increased when Lily and Snape discovered her letter and read it. Petunia initially referred to her sister as a “freak” when she yelled at her after learning what they had done. Unfortunately for the Evans sisters, that was the turning point in their relationship.
How did Petunia learn of demi-gods?
Aunt Petunia admits that she knows more about the wizarding world than she lets on after Dementors attack Dudley. When Vernon notices the condition his kid is in following an encounter with these animals, he inquires about dementors.
To everyone’s surprise, Petunia answers the phone. She recalls “that dreadful lad” (referring to James Potter) saying that the guards at Azkaban, the wizard prison, were Dementors.