Perhaps petunia has more of a connection to the magical world then we are lead to believe
Lily (her sister who she always resented)
^
Harry (Lily's son and her nephew)

The thing I don't understand is how come lily went to hogwarts and petunia didn't !!!

there is well more to it than we know i think.. i also think that it is Vernon who disent want the boy there i think Petunia could be swaid to harrys side i think she loved an misses her sister far more than she dares let on

Exactly. There is something that we don't know yet. Something important.

What makes you think that she knows about the Prophecy?

At one point in the books - I need to re-read them- *thwacks self* Pentunia receives a Howler. I forget everything so I can't give much details, but Petunia OWES something to either the potters, Dumbledore or someone else, like I said before, my mind is a blank. They keep Harry because they're in debt of something we don't know about. This mightnot have anything to do with the howler, but IM POSITIVE at one point it mentioned something of the sort...

add-on;; Exactly. Why would she know and Voldemort - who has been trying to get his warty green hands on it for years - not know? Unless she is in cahoots with Sybill and Albus

*SPOILERS*



Yes, I definitely think the "remember my last" Howler from Dumbledore had something to do with it. Because his "last" Howler probably had something to do with them keeping Harry, because Dumbledore knew it was important, with the blood bond and all...

Found this quote in OotP (US Hardback, pg 836)

exactly *nods*

ANd knowing how much would be at stake and how much danger that taking Harry would bring upon her family, why would she have kept him? In the books we are lead to believe that Petunia and Vernon HATE the wizarding world and all things having to do with Magic. So if she knew how much dnager she would have been in, why keep Harry? Doesn't make any sense. When Vernon realizes how much danger his family may be in in OotP he orders Harry immediately out of the house. NO. It doesn't make any sense. Why did the Dursleys keep Harry?

I don't think that Aunt Petunia hates Harry (he is blood relation, after all) but I think that Vernon really does hate Harry for some reason, and that has influenced Petunia.

Petunia does seem to have a general hatred towards Luly and everything that Lily stood for. Even her son. They had hoped as Harry grew up that he did not have magical powers. When they found out he did, they still didn't throw him out. All this confuses me and makes me think there is a huge secret in that house that we don't know yet.

^ Yes, but I think Petunia must have had some love and respect for Lily or she never would have agreed to keep her son, magicians or not.

I don;t think she kept him out of love. I think she kept him out of fear for some reason. I just don;t know what she was scared of. She definitely knows more about the wizarding world than she should. It makes me think that she may have more knowledge about Voldemort than she lets on. What could Petunia know about Voldemort that Harry doesn't? I think that is the question.

I'm not saying it was out of great love or anything...

I actually think Dumbledore must have threatened her ("Remember my last," etc) to...erm...persuade her to keep Harry.

She HAD to keep him because the love of Lily flows in Patunia's veins hence why Harry is protected by the Durlsey's prescence. However, I do believe DD would've had to have done something drastic to persuade them to keep him.

But there should be this cliche thingie called 'love...very...very ... deep inside' right?

Hmmm...and in the GOF, Voldemort clearly states IN EXACT WORDS that he dare not touch Harry at the dursley`s. He was talking about them and then something of the likes of ...yes...not even i can touch him there... It`s another one of those old magic things - like Lily`s sacrifice.

But Lily's sacrifice means he can now touch Harry because that old magic had died since LV got Harry's blood in his veins. I suspect he's now no longer safe at the Dursley's which might be why he stays there the least in HBP.

Yes - but it was AFTER he got Harry's blood and was able to touch him in GOF that he stated that. So even if he can touch Harry, he can't get him at the Dursley's - which is why in OoTP everyone told him to stay there. In HBP JK said that Harry was leaving the Dursley's for a happier reason than going to a trial - clearly the Dursley's being no longer a safe place for him to reside doesn't sound to cheerful to me...

I agree. It is never mentioned in the books that after Voldemort used Harry's blood that he would never be safe at the Dursley's again. That protection is still there I believe. So maybe the Dursley's agreed to keep Harry knowing that no harm would come to their family then?

Dumbledore obviously had contact with Petunia...remember the howler "Remember my last"? after that Petunia said that Harry had to stay

this might be going on a tangent, but aunt Petunia there is something funky about her. I think it is was in philosophers stone when Petunia was talking about how proud her parents were when her sister received her letter; i think their is some jeaously in Aunt Petunia. Ok that was reallly off topic but yea she feels guilty and obligated to take care of Harry. There is something about Lily that we find out in the 6th book possibly connecting to Petunia. Maybe then we find out a real reason instead of my jib jab

You know i have often wondered whose that voice was that said "remember my last" we dont know if it is lilly as harry would have recognised it as he has heard it, but could it have been dumbledore?

petunia knows more than she is letting on, i bet we find that out in the next book, maybe only one could go, maybe they could only afford for lilly to go and not petunia, or maybe she was too scared to go.

we dont know much about there family before lilly and petunia, maybe there related to someone in the wizarding world, that we know well but never have guessed.

but there is something were all missing.