The silent tragedy of Aunt Petunia’s hatred for Lily Potter forms one of the undercurrents in the Harry Potter series. It has had long-lasting repercussions on Petunia Evans and her sister, Lily Potter, owing to many contributing factors. Their bond was strained, by the resentment and hatred both carried for over a biggest part of their lives.
The deep-seated traits of jealousy-based hatred fueled everything she received, which was trouble when it came to Lily.
Petunia Was Jealous of Lily’s Magic In ‘Harry Potter’
Lily was the older sister who was blessed with all the charms and gifts of sorcery. The day Lily was declared a witch changed everything. While Lily is honored and invited to attend Hogwarts, Petunia finds herself in the Muggle world. Petunia sent a plea to Dumbledore that she be allowed to attend Hogwarts along with her sister as that was the wish she mostly harbored in her little heart of hers. As her request was forcibly turned down, the jealousy with which she was born festered to full hatred.
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For Petunia, Lily gaining admission to a school where she couldn’t enter sealed any chances for her to connect with her sister. Her jealousy became merely a way of coping with assumed feelings of incompetence and isolation. She let her magic define the rest of her life; it became a cloak of protection against all her fears, leaving her wallowing in bitterness and mistrust for the rest of her days.
Marriage To Vernon Dursley Changed Harry’s Aunt
The union with Vernon Dursley made Petunia be driven away so far from the magical worlds. She shared Vernon’s hatred towards every single kind of difference; therefore, some magic became a hateful thing. This intensified her rancor for Harry Potter, whom she viewed as a vicious reminder of Lily’s world. Through scornfully scoffing at Harry and magic, Petunia managed to stave off confrontations with lingering feelings of jealousy and mourning.
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Petunia’s hatred was not a direct result of malice, but the source of it was pain, envy, and the unfulfilled yearning to be part of her sister’s wondrous existence. In a way, it endows quite bitter insights into how broken relationships can inflict scars that long-to-heal once love is destroyed by hatred.
