J.K. Rowling recently said in the FAQ Poll on her website that Dumbledore had contacted Petunia by letter before Harry was deposited at her doorstep. As we all know, Aunt Petunia has maintained a pretense throughout the series "that there was no magic and no world other than the world she inhabited with Uncle Vernon (OotP pg 38)." In fact, she even went so far as to pretend she didn't have a sister (SS pg. 7). So why was Aunt Petunia in contact with Dumbledore?
Before we investigate this very interesting question, let's try to understand Petunia Evans Dursley. Below is our first introduction to Petunia:
"Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors (SS/PS page 1)."
Petunia's love of gossip is reinforced in subsequent books. In fact, she is described as "the nosiest person in the world (PoA pg 17)." We know she would love to be the one to call the hot line number to report Sirius (PoA 17), spends most of her life spying on the boring, law abiding neighbors (PoA and SS), and follows rumors on famous actors and actresses religiously (OotP pg 4).
We also know that Petunia is Lily's sister, something she now clearly resents. Even before Harry intruded into the Dursleys' lives, they pretended Petunia didn't have a sister, so her resentment at having to raise Harry doesn't account for the animosity she displays, refusing to even call her by name (OotP pg 32) or her outburst in SS (pg 53) where she calls Lily her "dratted sister," "abnormal," and "a freak!"
Somehow, these two insights into Petunia's psyche seem incongruous. Why would a nosy busybody who grew up with a sister who could do magic be terrified of magic? Could she really be so obsessed with her status that she doesn't want any association with "freaks"? If so, why would she have correspondence with Dumbledore before there was any connection to Harry? Why would she take Harry in, "grudgingly, furiously, unwillingly, bitterly" (OotP pg 836)?
Clearly, something motivated Aunt Petunia to adopt Harry and keep him despite Uncle Vernon's concerns, despite her apparent dislike of him, and despite possible dangers to her family.
The nicest option would be some deeply buried familial love for Harry and Lily. Unfortunately, this really isn't supported by the books. Dumbledore never sticks up for Petunia or leads Harry to believe she loves him and Petunia's actions never show her love for him, excepting, of course, her willingness to give him a roof over his head.
The only other option for Petunia's decision to keep Harry is fear. Something outweighs her worst fear, "that someone would find out that they were connected (however distantly) with people like Mrs. Weasley (GoF pg 31)." Something outweighs her apparent dislike for Harry and her sister. The only connection we have here is Dumbledore.
We know Dumbledore doesn't think particularly highly of Petunia when he agrees with Harry's assessment of the Dursleys (GoF pg 454), or when he admits that he knew leaving Harry with the Dursleys would cause Harry to suffer (OotP pg 835), so it seems unlikely that Dumbledore and Petunia had a good relationship. I can think of only two possibilities for their interaction:
1. Dumbledore offered protection to Petunia
2. Dumbledore threatened Petunia
Option 1: Dumbledore offered protection to Petunia.
We know that Harry's grandparents are dead, both since Dumbledore says the Dursleys are his only living relatives and from an interview with JKR (World Book Day Chat):
Rita: What happened to Harry's grandparents? Will we ever learn about them?
JK Rowling replies -> They're all dead and not particularly important to the story, although you will find out a little bit more. Perhaps Voldemort killed Petunia's parents. This would explain her fear of magic and Voldemort in particular. We know that the Death Eaters killed muggles, that Lily and James defied Voldemort on multiple occasions, and that Mr. and Mrs. Evans were supportive of their daughter, Lily. Perhaps Voldemort or his supporters killed the Evans in his search for Harry or just out of spite.
After her parents were killed, Dumbledore contacted Petunia to warn her that she too might be in danger, and to offer his aid. She accepted his protection, but was furious with her sister for killing her parents and endangering her. Essentially, she's in hiding and doesn't want anybody to know of her connection to the wizarding world and, especially, to the Potters.
When Harry was placed on her doorstep, she accepted him either because she felt some obligation towards Dumbledore for his protection, or because Dumbledore would rescind his protection if she did not protect Harry. When she learns of Voldemort's return in OotP, her fear is rekindled and Dumbledore's howler reminds her of her dependence on his protection.
Option 2: Dumbledore threatened Petunia.
We know that Petunia is a gossip. Surely having a witch for a sister must be a difficult secret to keep, especially for somebody who thrives on gossip. Suppose she spread word of the wizarding community to the muggles. Obliviators could undo the damage, but they'd have to plug the leak. They couldn't modify Petunia's memory since Lily would be a constant reminder of the truth. Perhaps her parents controlled her when she was younger, but after they died, Petunia decided to denounce the wizarding community to the world. We know Dumbledore can be intimidating to Voldemort and Fudge. Surely he could intimidate Petunia. He may have convinced her never to let slip another word about the wizarding world or else... Perhaps this is why Petunia is terrified of the neighbors learning about magic. Petunia may have accepted Harry out of fear of Dumbledore.
As JKR said at the Edinburgh Book Festival, "there is a little bit more to Aunt Petunia than meets the eye." Something caused her to renounce her own sister but grudgingly accept her sister's son. Something about magic terrifies her. And, just like the rest of the series, the key to it all is Albus Dumbledore. |
User reviews
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| Natasha |
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| 2006.07.09 |
Great review! Great suggestions! i'd also like to add that i believe there ...
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| yellowbelly |
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| 2006.06.05 |
Thats a really good editorial and really interesting.. did i dream it thoug...
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| Little Miss Perfect |
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| 2006.05.02 |
Dumbledore...well if someone doesn't find an answer to the riddle of Pertun...
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| Jennie |
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| 2006.04.30 |
This is a really good theory! I never really thought much along these lines...
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| finny |
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| 2006.03.01 |
Close to a thought of mine, but are the Evans' purely muggles, Hagrid calle...
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| ana |
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| 2005.09.24 |
a really great theory! i think the first one (voldemort killed lily's paren...
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| Eesha |
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| 2005.08.07 |
This is an excellent point. I always suspected Petunia acted quite weird wh...
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| Todd |
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| 2005.07.07 |
Kudos, Mary!! Wonderful insight into Petunia Dursley. I was curious as to...
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| marisa |
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| 2005.07.05 |
that is a pretty good theory but i dont think that Dumbledore would of thre...
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| rachel |
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| 2005.06.26 |
That is a totally good idea, it all seems to be extremely likely. however i...
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| Grth |
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| 2005.06.16 |
Your theories are good, but it is possible that Petunia is a witch as well....
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| Carl Kolchak |
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| 2005.06.11 |
Really good essay. In fact, great! You really examine this problem I've b...
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| Adrienne |
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| 2005.06.05 |
Great essay however I on Dumbledore threatening Petunia I think he might ha...
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| Laura |
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| 2005.05.24 |
Very well done! I can see a lot of thought went into this. My personal pref...
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| Russell Lahy |
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| 2005.03.28 |
I can see great thinking and ideas have gone into this. Well done. This edi...
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| Jonathan |
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| 2005.01.14 |
Yet again, a wonderfully written and insiteful editorial I have found on th...
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| mika |
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| 2004.12.05 |
I loved it and it's more plausible than the Petunia's witch theory floating...
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| Simon |
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| 2004.12.01 |
This editorial is quite well written. It caused me to think more about Petu...
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