HHBPBO History - The Evans Sisters

My good friend and avid Harry Potter fanatic Jasmyn will be stopping by once a month to give us here at Hoo Hoo Big Potter Blowout some before-the-books history lessons. Stop by her Tumblr or Twitter and say hi!

Hello, Loving Books readers! Jasmyn here, for a Potterverse history discussion! Let's talk about the Evans sisters.

Petunia Evans and her little sister, Lily, grew up in the English town of Cokeworth -- which, I was unhappy to discover, is not a real place, but that's neither here nor there. As family is a huge theme in the books, Lily and Petunia serve as the consummate example of how sibling rivalry (even if the rivalry is one-sided) can split a family apart. Not much is known about the sisters' lives before 1971, but it stands to reason that Lily would have always been the more popular of the two, having a sunnier, more open-minded, and more compassionate personality, long before the revelation of her being a witch came to light. I doubt Petunia's feelings towards her would have turned as volatile as they did without any sort of standing foundation.

Of course, Lily's Hogwarts letter cemented everything. Petunia wrote to Dumbledore asking if she, too, could attend the school, but obviously, she couldn't, and with that rejection came the loss of her hope that she might be able to do what Lily could do. When she couldn't receive the same pride and affection that their parents had bestowed on Lily for being a witch, Petunia denounced Lily as "a freak."

Petunia didn't contain her jealousy with Lily, though. As Lily went through her Hogwarts education, excelling in her magical studies and becoming apparently rather popular, Petunia did everything she could to distance herself from magic. Petunia favored the absolutely mundane and unremarkable, and found her ordinary soulmate in one Vernon Dursley. Unfortunately, the Evans sisters' tastes in boyfriends would become a source of contention.

In a meeting I would give a big toe to have seen, Petunia and Lily introduced Vernon and James to each other shortly after the future Dursleys became engaged. Vernon, ever status-obsessed, and James, ever prone to laugh in someone's face, did not get on, as Vernon amused James to no end and Vernon found James's racing broom and solid gold wizard fortune absurd. After the volatile ending to that meeting, Lily was not asked to be a bridesmaid at Petunia's wedding, and the Dursleys didn't attend the Potters' wedding at all. The sisters were now estranged, and one year after their final correspondence, Harry was brought to the Dursleys' doorstep.

Here's where we get to the weird symmetry: Let's discuss Petunia, Snape, and Harry. Harry may have been the spitting image of his father, but he had his mother's eyes, and Petunia didn't have enough experience with James to look at Harry and see his dad more than his mom. We talk a lot about how Snape treated Harry because he looked at the boy and saw James, but how about Petunia treating Harry the way she did because all she saw was Lily?

Which brings us to some uncomfortable things to consider: Petunia transferred the favoritism of her household to Harry and Dudley; is that, subconsciously perhaps, how Petunia felt she was treated growing up? If so, what does her thought process that mistreatment would "stamp the magic out" of Harry say about that? And, clearly, Petunia's got some incorrect ideas about how relevant encouragement is when it comes to natural magical ability, but would that shed light on any thoughts Petunia may have had about why the perceived favorite-child Lily ended up a witch and she didn't? All this might be a stretch, but Harry ties the Evans sisters together in a lot of ways that have nothing to do with shared blood.

Until next time, your enthusiastic historian,

Jasmyn

HHBPBO 4 Privet Drive

*This Post Contains Spoilers for books 1-7*

Before there is magic, wonder and the fight between good and evil there is a basket dropped on the doorstep of Number Four Privet Drive. That's right, there's no Hogwarts or flying brooms, at least not yet. Instead Rowling treats us to a perfectly normal house in Little Whinging, thank you very much!

The Basics

On the surface there's nothing particularly special about the house on Privet Drive.  It has a spotless kitchen and living room, as well as a second floor that contains Petunia and Vernon's room, a guest room, Dudley's room, and Dudley's spare room/Harry's room. Oh and we can't forget the spider infested cupboard under the stairs. The yard is perfectly manicured and there's an impressive car in the driveway. 4 Privet Drive is everything you expect of the tidy and tedious Dursley family.

Diving Deeper

There's something to be said for remembering your roots and letting them keep you humble. Harry's relationship with the house on Privet Drive, and it's often foul inhabitants, made him into the great Wizard that could share snacks on the Hogwarts express and defend a hurt Neville's honor. His neglect in it's perfect, clean walls taught him to keep a cool head in the face of adverse situations. The loneliness he faced locked first in his cupboard and then in Dudley's spare room showed him the value of Ron, Hermione and Hagrid. Part of what makes Harry the caring, compassionate character we know him as is his upbringing on Privet Drive. A lesser character would have been toughened by eleven years without love. In fact we know exactly what eleven years of hardship and neglect can do. We know a lot about Tom Riddle.

The Bottom of the Lake

Privet Drive holds a very special place in Rowling's magical world. It is both the least magically and most charmed placed in seven books worth of muggles and wizards. It is the place we're reunited with Harry at the start of every school year. No matter how many friends and pseudo family members invited Harry to stay for summer break he always has to spend a few weeks back at Privet Drive.

While he's at Privet Drive he's shunned for his magical abilities. The Dursley's fear what he is capable of and lock him away from his spell books. Before Hogwarts he always seemed most level headed with the Dursley's, but as he grows so do his outbursts. Incidental uses of magic in the muggle house in Little Whinging leads to official warnings from the Ministry of Magic and eventually an inquisition in front of a full court. Every force of nature is against magic at the Dursley's house. Their fireplace is boarded up, rendering the Floo Network useless. Hedwig, who isn't necessarily magically, is kept locked away.

But there's something more to 4 Privet Drive. Harry always has to return because he's safe there. What keeps him safe isn't the muggleness of the house, it's the magic behind family and love. The fact that Lily died to save Harry, and that Petunia took him in keeps him safe. One of the largest themes of the entire series is that Love conquers all. Harry can beat Voldmort because he knows how to love. He can't be touched by someone so evil while Lily's blood flows in his veins. He can't be located or harmed while he's in the house her sister owned.

So that's Privet Drive. The weeks Harry spends there over summer vacation can be worse than a run in with the Dark Lord, but the house keeps him safe, and the inhabitants keep him humble.