Aunt Petunia

[Heliotrope]

OK, so here's a theory of mine:

It was only revealed in book 5 that Petunia knows about various things to do with the magical world. Dumbledore explains at the end that this is because he sent her a letter explaining about Harry etc. HOWEVER, I have a theory that she is going to play a significant part in one of the last 2 books. I also think she knows more than she is letting on.

It was mentioned quite randomly near the beginning of book 5 that her eyes are very different to Lily's eyes - perhaps just a throwaway comment, but possibly this could lead to the discovery that Petunia and Lily had different fathers or something, which is why Lily became a witch and Petunia didn't. Or perhaps Petunia received a Hogwarts letter when she was 11 too but turned it down out of fear/disgust or was expelled or similar. If they have different fathers, this could link to the long passage in book 5 where Sirius goes on about how all pure blood wizarding families are related.

[Boycey]

I guess it is possible that they do have differant parents I guess, but I dont go with it, but I will say one thing I think there is more to find out about aunt petunia thats for sure, but I guess your guess is as valied as anyone elses. Personally I think the link could be the reason why petunia hates and even fears wizards so much, to have differant parents would only brings in envy, and not hatred and fear, My guess that there is a link between lily and Voldemort, it might explain why he did not want to kill her, and why petunia has such a fear of wizarding kind, I think Dumbledore has alot more to tell harry, and the rest that he needs to tell will include his parents. I mean think about it petunia had a message "remember the last" there has to be more to that message then the curse that keeps Harry safe, and I still don't understand why petunia was so worryed about harry, I mean why would she care if he was safe or not if he left the house, fair enough she might know that if harry left he would not be safe, but that does not explain why she wanted him to stay in the house.

[Meg Boyd]

i liked the bit about Petunia being a potential witch too...and the families being related. What about all the characters with flower names? Narcissa, Lily, Petunia, Myrtle, Poppy, Pansy etc...but hey, Narcissa and Petunia, if you read their descriptions are very similar...thin, nasty, puss faced women...maybe narcissa and petunia and lily are family...maybe malfoy and harry are cousins...ooh, wouldn't that be neato...i'm sure Petunia has some really cool importance connecting the wizard world and the muggle world and the pure blood families...and the plot thickens

[English]

For what it's worth I have always wondered if Pertunia might be linked with Snape.

After all, her maiden name (EVANS) is SANVE backwards, and V and P are sometime interchangable in certain alphabets.

[Gwared]

I refer back to a comment I read somewhere about JK saying that "sometimes a person with magical talent who has never done magic can in extreme circumstances". This was in reference to an adult and I believe it's going to be Petunia.

[hpfan4life]

okay, this is far out there but humor me...

First of all, i think it's possible that petunia is a witch, but rejected her fate for some reason which would be explained. Then lily became very popular and liked and petunia was jealous, as she made clear in the first book when hagrid came to get harry from the old cabin. After lilly brought james home to meet the family, is it possible that petunia developed secret feelings for james and resented lily for winning him over? That might explain why petunia is so mean to harry, but allows him to stay at 4 Privet Drive. Dumbledore did tell petunia to keep harry, but there's no reason for her ablige dumbledore. Petunia is horrible to harry out of spite but allows him to stay because he is the son of James Potter.

[highsorcerer]

I have a theory which might explain everything about the Evan's family - parents, Lily, and Petunia. It would account for Petunia's knowledge of the magical world (Lord Voldemort, Azkaban, and Dementors). It would account for why Lily's parents were so proud of her. It would explain why Lily is a mudblood. Finally, it would explain why Petunia hates and rejects the magical world so bitterly.

Here's the idea: Lily and Petunia's parents are not wizards, but Squibs. Being raised in a Squib household, both girls would have grown up learning a lot about the magical world, and when Lily was discovered to be a witch (and Petunia a muggle), it would have caused an extreme amount of resentment on Petunia's part. Lily became a part of that magical world the whole family knew about, but Petunia couldn't join. So she rejected everything to do with that world.

Harry living in her house is a constant reminder to her of the world she knows about but must live apart from. It's frustrating to her because she can't ever put that world completely away from her.

[June]

Interesting theory. This would then also fit in with the information that someone who hasn't shown magical prowess before being able to use magic under extreme circumstances. Perhaps it's pointing to Petunia, and if Petunia is a squib, as are her parents, then it would make quite a lot of sense...

[Holly Golightly]

highscorer!!! Excellent! And its' so close to my theory on this subject! I reckon that one of their parents is a witch or wizard, and that's why they know about it! And the other parent was totally accpeting of it, and when Lily was born a witch, they were very proud, and got all the attention that Petunia woud have wanted, making her jealous and bitter!

But she did love here sister though, which is why she keeps Harry on. She hates him for beign a wizard, getting the herritage that was rejected to her, but she loves the part of him that is Lily.

I don't think that she rejected the heritage, like you suggested hpfan4life, because then she woun't have anythign to be bitter aout, since it was her choice...

And if both her parents were squibs, woudl she be a mudblood? because her blood would still be pure wizard blood, just thta it skipped a generation.. so that's why I think that one of her parents was a muggle!

Holly

[Meg Boyd]

Hmmm...I liked the squib parent idea. What if One parent was a Squib and one was a muggle and petunia was a squib and Lily was the honored witch of the family. This would make the Squib theory work and the mudblood theory of Lily's linage work. I don't know if I'm missing something, but isn't Vernon and Dudley the ones who really give Harry the hard time. Petunia is just there I think. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.

[Holly Golightly]

Well, I thinkt hat she despises Harry just the same, but the idea that I got was that Vernon did all the talking, being the male of the house kind of thing...

ie, in PS, Petunia wouldnt' have wanted Harry to come to the zoo either, but Vernon is the one who tells Harry that he's better behave...

That could be the Italian unbringing talking though!!!