A clever bit........did you realise?

[Digger]

.....in OotP, when Harry & Dudders are attacked by the Dementors, and Uncle Vernon asks what "Dementoids" are. Aunt Petunia replies that "they guard the Wizard Prison, Azkhaban". Harry demands to know how she knows that, and she says "I heard that awful boy telling her about it - years ago."

For years we've assumed the "awful boy" was James - but of course, it wasn't - it was Snape!!!!

Very clever, very subtle - who could have seen that one coming?

 

[Lacedaemonian]

Very true. A lot of these smaller elements all tied up nicely.

 

[Joel007]

Well noticed! I remember wondering if she liked James or not.

 

[Majimaune]

"Dementoids" are. Aunt Petunia replies that "they guard the Wizard Prison, Azkhaban".

And then Harry says something along the lines of "If you mean my parents then why don't you use their names" and by memory Petunia doesn't reply.

It was very clever, shows that unlike some, JK actually plans.

I don't think she would have liked James, being a wizard and all after meeting Snape.

 

[Dave]

Another thing I missed, thanks.

So the question is why did she hate James and Lily so much if she probably didn't even meet James? And why does Vernon hate Harry and wizards in general?

Tunny wished she had been a witch too, and wrote to Dumbledore to let her go to Hogwarts. A personal reply that Snape had read. She acted out of jealousy and revenge, but nothing was the fault of Lily. Vernon surely had had no dealings with wizards at all until Harry was delivered to them.

 

[PTeppic]

Presumably, after being turned down for joining Hogwarts (mostly to be with her beloved sister), Petunia went the other way and began to abhor the wizarding world. And Vernon has inherited that, or had an internal loathing of anything weird (i.e. a natural conservative, small-c)

 

[Majimaune]

I think Vernon despised anything out of his world, which was why he hated Harry so much.

Were Petunia and Lily twins?

 

[DarkBunni]

O_O omgosh....youre well smart to see that! i feel stoopid for not having noticed but then again i havnt re-read them...

 

[Majimaune]

A bit of praise from DarkBunni...

 

[Culhwch]

I think Vernon despised anything out of his world, which was why he hated Harry so much.

Were Petunia and Lily twins?

No, Petunia was the older. Harry (or the narrator, at least) notes this during the playground scene, before they are named.

 

[Majimaune]

Well then she would have been over the eleven years old of the first years.

 

[Strife]

i missed that bit too.

R. hid things about Petunia a lot

the dementors should have got her. pity they din't

 

[Majimaune]

Mmm a big pity.

 

[Crazihors]

I never noticed that.....I wonder if anyone guessed it when they first read OotP?

 

[Erin99]

I never noticed that.....I wonder if anyone guessed it when they first read OotP?

I thought about it. But, I'll admit, I did write the idea off as insane.

 

[Majimaune]

I, like most, thought it as James that she was talking about.

 

[Erin99]

But wasn't James too obvious? That's why I was coming up with alternates.

 

[Majimaune]

Yeah but my mind is a simple one so I didn't question it. I just went along with the story.