Lily & Petunia's relationship

I don't know if this has been discussed before but do the books ever say who was the older sister and who was younger?

I think Petunia is older.Just my opinion....it was never stated.

I get the impression that Petunia is older, although it is never actually stated in the books.

Here's a thread that might discuss what you're asking: Petunia Dursley (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=20243&highlight=lily+petunia).

Petunia always gave me the impression of an older sibling who was jealous to begin with and the witch thing just made it worst.

I too assume that Lily was younger but by how many years seprated them i dont know, id gues from 15 mo to 3 years.

Of course Petuina seems to be someone who acts or looks a bit older then they truly are

I've always assumed Petunia was older too. I'd say the chances are quite high, considering Harry and Dudley were only born one month apart. Lily was only 20-odd when she had Harry, so unless Petunia was a teenage mother, we can bank on her being older.

I'm guessing there's two or three years between Lily and Petunia.

Some people have to work hard for years before they manage to have their first child. I don't think we can draw any conclusions from Dudley's and Harry's birthdays. And we don't know at what age they married.
But I too have the feeling that Petunia is older. Her very strong jealousy may (but only may) be a hint of that.

I agree. If Petunia were younger, I don't think she would have resented her sister as much. Younger siblings rather admire the older ones. But older siblings tend to get in a funk if the younger ones are treated better, praised more, etc. Afterall, the older sibling is the trailblazer, clearing the path for younger siblings. They have to work harder to achieve certain rights than their younger siblings. Also comparison among siblings is hard to avoid. Example: I remember my mom asking me once why my younger brother did better on his exams than me. She didn't really mean to put me down, she was trying to perk up my motivation, but did it in a really bad way. Fortunately, I was old enought to realize that my brother had nothing to do with this and ranted at her instead. :p And of course, there are studies of how siblings vie for their parents attention in all phases of their lives. Petunia's "strategy" obviously failed.

Some people have to work hard for years before they manage to have their first child. I don't think we can draw any conclusions from Dudley's and Harry's birthdays. And we don't know at what age they married.
But I too have the feeling that Petunia is older. Her very strong jealousy may (but only may) be a hint of that.

But we know Lily and James were dead by the time they were about 21, meaning they had Harry at 20. If Petunia was younger, that meant she would have had Dudley at (the very most) 19, which I don't think is at all plausible.

I've read many of your posts and my opinion is that Petunia is the older one. This is my evidence: the movie director should have contacted JK when he chose the actors and uncle Petunia seems to be about 40 years old.

I always had the impression that it was Petunia who was older. Why? For one thing Lily was 20 when she had Harry and Petunia had a son of her own. If she was younger she'd have to be fresh out of school. So that leads me to the impression that Petunia must have been older bc I don't think that she would have married as young as Lily did and it would make sense for her to be jealous fo her younger sister. THe question is how much younger?

I always had the impression they were twins!
(REF: Book 1 while in the Hunt on the Rock) "...my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and dissappeared off to that - that school ... I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak! But my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"

I know that quote doesn't prove they were twins BUT its the fact that Petunia was definately jelous of Lily and Jelousy runs high in young kids when someone gets something that another doesn't get!! So, if they weren't Twins, then there was only about 1 (2 at most) years age difference!

I always thought Petunia was older than Lily due to the dates at which there children where born and also based on Petunias attitude towards her sister. She is seen as being jealous, almost like an older sister looking at there younger sister and feeling left out of all the attension. So I think Petunia is much older and never really grew out of the older sister jealous of younger sister getting the same attension as she did when Petunia was Lilys age.

Lily and James were early 20s when they had Harry, that's for sure, so like everyone else I'd bet Petunia was the older one.

Look at how the Dursleys acted at the start of the book ... Unless she married a much older man, Vernon has a big bushy moustache and had established his own company, and Petunia didn't act like she was in her early 20s either. I guess at the start that Vernon was in his 30s and Petunia in her later 20s.

But we know Lily and James were dead by the time they were about 21, meaning they had Harry at 20. If Petunia was younger, that meant she would have had Dudley at (the very most) 19, which I don't think is at all plausible.

You're normally right about these things, Rotsie, but can you remind me how you know L&J's ages? I don't quite trust the HP Lexicon Timelines because they're based on Nick's deathday cake, which I don't think we're meant to take seriously (since so many events have happened on the "wrong" day). I'm 21 and I'm not about to have a kid for a good few years at least. I'm not fighting in a war either.

You're normally right about these things, Rotsie, but can you remind me how you know L&J's ages? I don't quite trust the HP Lexicon Timelines because they're based on Nick's deathday cake, which I don't think we're meant to take seriously (since so many events have happened on the "wrong" day). I'm 21 and I'm not about to have a kid for a good few years at least.

Sure thing, Hannah. :)

I'm basing my conclusion on this (http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/quickquotes/articles/2001/0301-comicrelief-staff.htm) interview JKR gave in 2001:

Question: How old are Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape?
JKR: Dumbledore's about 150 years old... wizards have a longer life expectancy than us Muggles, Snape's 35 or 6.

Now, if we assume that Snape is "35 or 6" in GoF, that means he was 21 or 22 when Harry was born. Lily and James were in the same year as Snape, so they must have been about the same age.

Not exactly canon, but close enough. ;)

Lily and James were early 20s when they had Harry, that's for sure, so like everyone else I'd bet Petunia was the older one.

Look at how the Dursleys acted at the start of the book ... Unless she married a much older man, Vernon has a big bushy moustache and had established his own company, and Petunia didn't act like she was in her early 20s either. I guess at the start that Vernon was in his 30s and Petunia in her later 20s.

Excactly what I was going to say.

Sure thing, Hannah. :)

I'm basing my conclusion on this (http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/quickquotes/articles/2001/0301-comicrelief-staff.htm) interview JKR gave in 2001:

Question: How old are Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape?
JKR: Dumbledore's about 150 years old... wizards have a longer life expectancy than us Muggles, Snape's 35 or 6.

Now, if we assume that Snape is "35 or 6" in GoF, that means he was 21 or 22 when Harry was born. Lily and James were in the same year as Snape, so they must have been about the same age.

Not exactly canon, but close enough. ;)

Yes, I've read it, too and I totally agree with you. Moreover, judging on Vernon's characteristics, as somebody else said, Petunia must be older.

I beg you pardon Rotsie. I forgot that interview. Also other circumstantial evidence brought up in this thread clearly point to Petunia being the older one.

It never actually mentions which sibling is older but we get the opinion that Petunia is the older jealous sister.

You know I've always had a problem with the 35 or 36 age of Snape and the surviving marauders. Making them all of 21 at the time of Voldemort's downfall is too young. Example Snape between the ages of 17 and 21 has a) become a death eater b) has worked his way reasonbly close to Voldemort to c) become a useful spy for Dumbledore
at "great personal risk" That's a heck of a lot of stuff to happen in the life of someone who for all intents and purposes just got out of high school. Same goes for the others.
My other problem is that if wizards live so much longer why are they maturing at the same rate as the rest of us.
Tolkien, for example, hobbits are long lived but they also mature a little more slowly. As I recall Tolkien said Frodo was in his "tweenies" the irresponsible age between twenty and thirty.
I've done a couple of fun kind of exercises in psychology classes that show most of us tend to not think beyond our own ages. I think Rowling did the same when really, putting a few more years between James, Lily's ,Snape's Hogwarts days and Voldemort's downfall would make more sense.
There's nothing magical about the number 21.

[QUOTE=lorna]You know I've always had a problem with the 35 or 36 age of Snape and the surviving marauders. Making them all of 21 at the time of Voldemort's downfall is too young. Example Snape between the ages of 17 and 21 has a) become a death eater b) has worked his way reasonbly close to Voldemort to c) become a useful spy for Dumbledore
at "great personal risk" That's a heck of a lot of stuff to happen in the life of someone who for all intents and purposes just got out of high school. Same goes for the others.
/QUOTE]
I think that there is no problem with Snape and everyone being only 21 at Voldemort's downfall. We know that Charlie is fighting against LV in OotP and he is only mid twenties. We also know in GoF, that in the pensieve when Harry saw Crouch Jr's trial he looked only like a teenager. Obviously, even young people were fighting LV and supporting him when he was in power. Lokk at Harry and Hermione and the Weasley, they are all already fighting Voldemort and the are only teenagers. It may seem kind of young but I think it is completely possible.

I think that Petunia is probably the older sister because of Lily's and JAmes's age at HArry's birth. Also, had Petunia been the younger sister, why would she be so jealous of Lily and think she was a freak so quickly. I would think she would have been hoping she too was a witch and would attend Hogwarts if she was younger. If she's older though, she will know she isn't a witch and wasn't accepted as she already passed her 11th b-day and would have every reason to be jealous.

Now, I agree that Petunia seemed to act more mature than her age showed it. (in the beginning of the first book) But I can't decided if she was older or younger. I mean, all this overhearing and stuff seems like younger-sister's things to do.
I always thought that they didn't have a very big age difference. I think the difference is so small, we shouldn't bother about it.

I think the difference is so small, we shouldn't bother about it.

But one is still the older, and one is still the younger.

Thinking about that interview: It sounds like JKR wasn't positive what age Snape is, so she might have rattled off something on the spot that may as well have been Snape's age in PS, or something. I understand the scepticism about how the Marauders and Snape managed to get so much done in the few years after leaving school. Do we have any clues about how long the war lasted, by the way?

In any case, I do agree that it's most likely Petunia was older. That's the vibe I get from her.

i've always thought that petunia was older. its been said in the books that shes ugly and that kind of seems to me shes older. lily has always said as very pretty and so on. but that might be because the last time they saw her was 10+ years ago and were comparing with petunia of the present. does that make sense?? and vernon also strikes me as old. or older at least...........................

I'm not sure. She could be older, and she could have been put into shock when her role of big sister and the first one to do everything with Lily following in her footsteps was reversed. Or she could be younger, and then the problem would be disappointment when she didn't get to go to Hogwarts.

Do we have any clues about how long the war lasted, by the way?

We do know Voldemort was gathering supporters for about 10 years prior to his downfall. Lucius Malfoy only finished Hogwarts in 1972 (9 years prior to the fall of Voldemort), so there must be a relatively small transitionionary period between becoming a Death Eater (and one very close to Voldemort, at that) and leaving Hogwarts.

I'm sure Voldemort was recruiting much faster when he was at the peak of his power (around when Snape left Hogwarts), so it's possible that Snape was just sucked in, considering his age and inexperience. ;)

But one is still the older, and one is still the younger.

Maybe they're twins? (Joking) :p

yea, I always pictured Petunia as the older, uglier sister (about 6-7 years older) and Lily the younger, prettier one.

Originally Posted by rotsiepots
Sure thing, Hannah.

I'm basing my conclusion on this interview JKR gave in 2001:

Question: How old are Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape?
JKR: Dumbledore's about 150 years old... wizards have a longer life expectancy than us Muggles, Snape's 35 or 6.

Now, if we assume that Snape is "35 or 6" in GoF, that means he was 21 or 22 when Harry was born. Lily and James were in the same year as Snape, so they must have been about the same age.

Not exactly canon, but close enough.

That's exactly what I thought, well not exactly the same thing....
Well, we know someone did their research =)


i've always thought that petunia was older. its been said in the books that shes ugly and that kind of seems to me shes older. lily has always said as very pretty and so on. but that might be because the last time they saw her was 10+ years ago and were comparing with petunia of the present. does that make sense?? and vernon also strikes me as old. or older at least...........................

I do think it makes sense. It's always the older that's jealous of the younger, maybe because Lily was prettier, or got more attention or ran off with Petunia's crush (joking).

I am also under the impression that Petunia is the older of the two. I don't necessarily believe that older siblings usually are jealous of younger siblings (I myself am the youngest and have much envy towards my older brother). However, Petunia's attitude towards her sister makes it seem that she sees Lily as young and reckless. The way she talks about Lily and James and them getting killed makes it seem like she thinks Lily wasn't mature enough to know better.
So I definately see Lily as the younger of the two.

I've also always had a gut feeling that Petunia was the older of the two. Although there was no clear reason behind this.

Also I think that jelously of a younger sibling is just as possible as of a an older sibling. Not all people are mature enough in their teen or in later life to be pleased for a younger sibling that is doing better than they were.

Maybe they're twins? (Joking) :p

Even if they were twins, one would be born before the other, right?

But I don't think they are twins.

But we know Lily and James were dead by the time they were about 21, meaning they had Harry at 20. If Petunia was younger, that meant she would have had Dudley at (the very most) 19, which I don't think is at all plausible.
Why? The teen birth rate at that time was very high in Britain and the U.S. At least Petunia was married.
It's true that we aren't told which is the older sister, but for a couple of reasons, I suspect Lily was older.

About Petunia being ugly--remember that this is Harry's view, and he has reasons to exaggerate (like with Dudley, Pansy, and Malfoy).

About Snape--we know he hung out with older Slytherins like Lucious (41 when Snape is about 36) and the Lestranges, so it's not surprising that he joined up quickly. He may very well have been still in school. Only JKR knows.

As for the Twins idea--being a twin, I'd like to think that nothing could tear the two of them so far asunder, not even wizard gifts.

I had the impression that Petunia was old enough to resent a sibling being born into the family (about 5 years old). Her resentment is so strong, I cannot believe it's based only on Lily's being a witch. If she were a toddler, she wouldn't remember the blissful time B.L., Before Lily. She has to be old enough to realize that her sister is taking attention away from her, and that this is not how it used to be.

Also, if Lily were older, wouldn't Petunia wait until she was eleven before slamming those who were chosen to go to Hogwarts? She remembers her parents being so happy when Lily got in; I think she'd have waited to see whether or not she made the grade, as it were, before calling her sister a freak.

I think Petunia would have noticed that her sister was a "freak" before she got her Hogwarts letter. Lily must have been making some strange things happen in the household that her family must have explained away with psycho-babble. For Petunia, these odd occurences would have given her a lever to labelling her younger sister a brat, freak, spoiled, etc. Getting the letter to Hogwarts would have been the last straw. Instead of this being the ultimate proof that her sister is not normal, which Petunia plainly ( :D ) strives to be, her parents see it differently and praise little Lily for being admitted to a special school that Petunia clearly would never have access to (assuming Petunia isn't a witch herself).

It's true that we aren't told which is the older sister, but for a couple of reasons, I suspect Lily was older.

What are those reasons? It would be interesting to know them, since we have given our reasons to why we think Petunia is older.

I think Petunia would have noticed that her sister was a "freak" before she got her Hogwarts letter. Lily must have been making some strange things happen in the household that her family must have explained away with psycho-babble. For Petunia, these odd occurences would have given her a lever to labelling her younger sister a brat, freak, spoiled, etc. Getting the letter to Hogwarts would have been the last straw. Instead of this being the ultimate proof that her sister is not normal, which Petunia plainly ( :D ) strives to be, her parents see it differently and praise little Lily for being admitted to a special school that Petunia clearly would never have access to (assuming Petunia isn't a witch herself).
Yes, exactly. If Lily were older, Petunia would have waited until she missed going to Hogwarts before calling her sister a freak. That's why Petunia logically must be older. She must have immediately resented Lily's gifts or have been terrified by them because she didn't have those powers herself, or because she couldn't understand them.

For some reason I´ve always been positive that Petunia was older. For one thing because of Lily´s age when Harry was born (20 is extremely young if you ask me) and secondly...well, I´ve got to admit I can´t say. Let me go check the books maybe I´ll find the ultimate clue! :p

I assumed she was older as well.. Maybe it's just her attitude?? We all kind of knew Lily as a very loving woman, making her seem younger, and Petunia being irate and snappy all the time.. I'm guessing their age difference wasn't by more than two years though..

Well, I must admit, I didn´t find anything. But the casting suggests she is the older of the two. And JKR did have some say in the casting I believe, so maybe she has told them. Vernon Dursley is also the director of grunnings at the beginning of the first book, suggesting he isn´t in his late teens or early twenties. So unless Petunia would have married someone much older than herself....but no. That would probably have been to unusual for her liking. Also she hadn´t talked to Lily in several years at the beginning of the first book, which would mean that she couldn´t have moved out of her parent´s house to marry just last year or a meeting would have been unavoidable as Lily seemed to have gotten along with her parents quite well.

IT's quite odd it isnt mentioned. I always assumed Petunia was older just because I always imagined that the books had said that she had referred to Lily as her younger sister. Wow my imagination is playing tricks on me

I actually thought of Petunia as younger (and thus, jealous when she didn't get her Hogwarts letter). But the justification for her being the older sibling makes me want to change my mind.

This is an interesting observation, I always assumed Petunia was older as well. Although i can find no justification for it in the books. The actress is older looking maybe that is why it is so in my mind. It may be important to the story, if she was younger waiting for her letter and it never shows that would make her bitter. If she was older I don't know if she would be jealous just because the letter came, there would have been no anticipation for it. Now I need to look more closely at the books maybe there are hidden clues.

Interestingly, JKR's backstory for Dean Thomas on her website is almost exactly the story I had anticipated as Lily's. My belief was that Lily's father was a wizard. He was killed, perhaps before she was born and her mother, a muggle, remarried. Her second husband, Mr Evans, also a muggle, is Petunia's father. I know that the fact that Lily and Petunia don't look much alike isn't much proof. I have three daughters. You wouldn't know they were related to look at them, but they all have the same parents. Still, the lack of resemblence between Lily and Petunia has my attention.
But we know tht Harry is a half blood, right? What if James was also a half blood. We know Lupin is. Was this an issue for Sirius' parents?
If James and Lily were both half bloods, then Harry would be, too. And I do think it's important that Harry have muggle blood as well as wizard's.

I'm sure Petunia is the older one. Well, it feels that way anyway.

The Chinese versions of the books translated Anut Petunia as "Aunt".
(I don't know how to explain, my point is that the Chinese version of the books
show that Petunia was younger.)
But personally I think Petunia was older. It's because it seemed that Uncle Vervon
was older than James. (He was less handsome,stubborn etc)
Probably his wife Petunia would also be older than Lily.

I'd be inclined to say that Petunia was younger, based on the bitterness she harbors towards Lily's being a witch. An older sibling would be more likely to shrug off what a younger sibling does - you're older and wiser, after all.

Petunia also seems like a younger sister in her fear of Dumbledore and the wizarding world. It intimidates her because it's a) wrong to her, and b) her older's sister's world? Thus more mysterious and intimidating?

Remember Petunia's reaction when, in OotP, in the kitchen after Dudley and Harry's encounter with the Dementor - "Remember my last, Petunia."

I have this hunch that Lily was older.

I read this in a fan-fic I think, and I'm convinced it could be true.

Aunt Petunia was obviously really bitter about the fact that Lily was a witch, and she was a plain old muggle. So what if Lily was older by a year or two, she went to Hogwarts, Petunia had high hopes of going there too when she'd become eleven, realized she didn't get any letter, and then sulked about it? That could explain all the bitternes, jealousy and hate for Lily.

That's a really good chance.

I think Petunia was older - partly a hunch, and partly because I think I once read something that was Petunia moaning about how the parents thought she was all important because she was a witch, and she wasn't important any more. This gives me the idea that Lily was younger and took all the attention away. She would have been to young to moan about this sort of thing if Lily was older... she would have gone to hogwarts as 11, so that must have made Petunia 10 or younger I suppose, and she wouldn't remember feeling that way if you ask me (well, she could but it seems more likely).
And I read that interview too, one of very few where she actually explains things...

I've always felt Petunia is the elder of the two. Why, I really couldn't say since there isn't really anything I can think of that really indicates either way. She's just always seemed the older sister to me.

Seems to me that Petunia was older. Her jealousy of Lily getting into Hogwarts when (IMO) she was there too, was like "This is my haven, why does she have to intrude?"

Let's say that Lilly is younger then Petunia...Whay?...I don't know...What was my point? :shrug:

I think Lily was the younger of the two.Based on the information JKR has given us,I'd say she was only twenty when she gave birth to Harry,which means she (assuming she married James before Harry was concieved) married James when she was only nineteen.If Petunia was younger,and had a son the same age as Lily's,she'd have had to be married at the age of eighteen,at the very oldest,and somehow she doesn't strike me as the type to marry so young.

Rather, she doesn't seem like she's just in the age I am now in thé first chapter of PS. I'm positive that Petunia is older and Lily younger and I will believe so until JKR says otherwise.

I also think Lily was younger of the two, because Petunia has a personality of someone who likes to be the boss. I'm the eldest of my twin, but I'm not the boss...

I also think Lily was younger was the way she stood up for Snape in "Snape's Worst Memory". She must have had to stick up for herself during the summer holidays occasionally.

Infact, does anyone at all think that Petunia was the younger? It would be so funny if we found out in the next book we were all wrong.

I very much doubt it.

I agree that Petunia must be the older of the two. Number one: her jealousy-I agree with the people who think it seems more like an older sibling being jealous that the younger sibling has outshined them. Number two: the ages of Dudley and Harry. As some people already mentioned, Lily was 20 when she had Harry and if Petunia was the younger sister she would be 19 at the oldest when she had Dudley. Number three: Dumbledore clearly cares a lot about Harry's well being. I don't think Dumbledore would send Harry off to live with relatives who were teenage parents. I think he would choose somebody more responsible/more experienced.

The Chinese versions of the books translated Anut Petunia as "Aunt".
(I don't know how to explain, my point is that the Chinese version of the books
show that Petunia was younger.)
But personally I think Petunia was older. It's because it seemed that Uncle Vervon
was older than James. (He was less handsome,stubborn etc)
Probably his wife Petunia would also be older than Lily.

I hadn't known there were different words for Mother's older sister and Mother's younger sister in Chinese. You're saying Harry uses the term for Mother's younger sister when he refers to Petunia?

I know there are different words for younger sister and older sister. Are these used consistantly? I mean, when Lily is spoken of as Petunia's sister in the first book in chapter one, is she always referred to as Petunia's older sister? And, when Petunia makes the speech about Lily when Hagrid shows up, she still says she was her older sister?

If this is so, I'd say Petunia has to be younger (unless the translator made the BIG mistake of not asking).

If Petunia's the younger sister, then she's also way younger than Vernon, who was already the director of Grunnings when PS/SS opens. If Lily was about 21 or 22 when Harry was born (going by the age given Snape), Petunia would have been at least a year younger and was probably two or three years younger.

For one thing, it completely changes what I thought her relationship with Vernon was. That's a very unequal marriage.

All right, what do we usually think of middle aged guys who marry teenage blondes? Especially given the fact that Harry usually seems to see people he doesn't like as uglier than other people would see them?

maybe they are twins... since twins run through the book... i think it would be interesting if they were

I always personally thought that Petunia was younger although from the movies it looks like she is older. Lily does seem to have the personality of the younger sibling though. I don't know. my subconscious logic is always messed up.

Actually, Lily's defense of Snape seemed more like an older sibling thing. Taking charge, giving orders, a slight obsession with justice (although I've known enough middle children and youngest types who were like that that I'm not about to take this as a birth order absolute).

More importantly, I think Lily may be more like J.K. Rowling, who is the oldest of two children.

However, I've always thought of Petunia as older. Her disapproval of her sister, her resentment at getting stuck with Harry after Lily (to hear Petunia tell it) irresponsibly got herself killed, and her jealousy that her sister got attention, etc. She seems like an older sister who resents a younger sibling.

As for twins, no. I don't see it. There's a camaraderie even the least similar twins have, a sort of symbiosis even if they're at each other's throats. Petunia just doesn't seem to have that kind of resonance with Lily.

And even if they were twins, one has to be the older and one has to be younger.

I am in two minds as regards this question, since both rationalisations make sense. Let me Explain.

Lily the oldest: Lily receives her letter and goes off to Hogwarts and is having such a fantastic time that Petunia can't wait to join her. However, Petunia doesn't get a letter and it is clear that she will never go to Hogwarts. I think that this would be terribly disappointing for Petunia and she would have had to have gone to a Muggle comprehensive with the knowledge of what she was missing and I think that that would have festered away into her jealous hatred of Lily.

Petunia the oldest: She's perfectly happy at *Standard Muggle comprehensive* and fully expects her sister to join her. However, Lily gets her letter and goes off to this fantastic boarding school (that apparently costs money if what Uncle Vernon said in PS about 'not paying a crackpot old fool to teach Harry magic tricks' is anything to go by) and comes home each summer full of what she's learnt and all the wonders of the wizarding world and poor old Petunia is still stuck in this horrible muggle world and so again, the Jealousy festers.

Each theory holds equal likelihood, however I am of the opinion that Petunia was older because of the way she refers to Lily and James in OotP after the Dementor revelation:

"I heard - that awful boy - telling her about them - years ago," she said jerkily....I think the Patronising referral to James Potter as 'That awful boy' implies that Petunia is older because I don't think that it is linguistically correct to say that if she had been younger. Of course I could be mistaken but I really do see Aunt Petunia as the older sister somehow. But I guess only JKR knows for sure! :lol:

As regards the age gap, it is next-to-impossible to say. My sister and I are separated by 20 months (I'm the oldest) but all the time we were growing up we might as well have been twins.

Veq.

Really, we don't know if Petunia saying "I heard - that awful boy - telling her about them - years ago" was just away to cover up her having dropped information or not, or that the awful boy and the her really are James and Lily. But we have nothing better to go by for now. And I don't think the parents have to pay having their children going to Hogwarts, except supplies, like robes, books and quills, or many poor people, like the Weasleys, wouldn't be able to afford sending their children there. Sorry, I just wanted to say that, to get my views on it straight.

In my opinion, I would say Petunia as her son is older than Harry (I think)

I am almost sure it was lily. Beacause petunia said that her "parents were so happy the day she got her letter, there's a witch in the family". So Iam guessing since she got her letter first must have been because she's older.

I am almost sure it was lily. Beacause petunia said that her "parents were so happy the day she got her letter, there's a witch in the family". So Iam guessing since she got her letter first must have been because she's older.
But wasn't Lily the only witch in the family? I never knew Petunia even received a letter from Hogwarts, and she certainly does not seem the type to go there, anyway.

I am almost sure it was lily. Beacause petunia said that her "parents were so happy the day she got her letter, there's a witch in the family". So Iam guessing since she got her letter first must have been because she's older. i read it as her being jealous of her younger sister.

I think Petunia is older. She resents the attention her parents give to her younger sister. But I think she's only 1-2 years older than Lily, not more than that.

Ellen
If Petunia is younger, why does Vernon have to be way older? Let's say he was 25 when Dudley was born, he could be a director for the drill company at 36. I think he's just a couple of years older than her.

If Petunia is younger, why does Vernon have to be way older? Let's say he was 25 when Dudley was born, he could be a director for the drill company at 36. I think he's just a couple of years older than her.

But he was described as the director when Dudley was a year old.

I am almost sure it was lily. Beacause petunia said that her "parents were so happy the day she got her letter, there's a witch in the family". So Iam guessing since she got her letter first must have been because she's older.

In PS I had the impression that Petunia was already jealous of Lily when the later got her letter. Why would she be jealous if it would´ve been possible for her to get one, too?

I think Petunia is older...

But he was described as the director when Dudley was a year old.
Excactemundo.

I think Petunia was older.

I always pictured Petunia as being the older sister...

I am almost sure it was lily. Beacause petunia said that her "parents were so happy the day she got her letter, there's a witch in the family". So Iam guessing since she got her letter first must have been because she's older.
If Lily is like most magical children (squibs and Neville Longbottom aside), she's shown magical tendencies all through her childhood, things that look "weird" or "abnormal" to outsiders. Petunia, being deeply concerned about what other people think of her, doesn't want to be associated with that sort of thing. Presuming she's the older sibling, Petunia is probably quite relieved to go off to school without her sister. But then she recieves a double shock: not only will her sister be attending a school for witchcraft and wizardry, but her parents actually approve of the idea!

It's from that point of view that I think the tone of her statement comes from. Where she gets her Slytherin-esque view of the world (she hates wizards the way evil purebloods hate muggles) remains to be seen at this point, but she is specifically the only one in her family to have that viewpoint.

Pretending she's the younger sibiling... Let's say she's at least a year younger than Lily, making her 10 when Lily gets her Hogwarts letter. I can't imagine a child that grew up in an openminded family having such narrowminded views by that age. Draco Malfoy obviously has a toxic personality that he's probably had for most of his life, but he comes from a family where prejudice is taught at a very young age. This prejudice was absent in the Evans home. And if Petunia were more than a year younger than Lily, I think the possibility of her severe prejudice would be even more diminished.

But if she were older... Let's assume Petunia runs off to her Standard Muggle Comprehensive School and learns Standard Muggle Education. Like most secondary schools, she's exposed to a greater number of people and opinions than she ever would have been exposed to in primary or pre-school. Eleven (the age at which she would have entered secondary school) is also the age at which human children begin to cognitively develop into adults: their thought processes mature, and they "gain mastery over abstract thinking" (according to my first year psychology text). She can formulate opinions and ideas for herself based on the knowledge she is learning at school, both in class and from her peers. It's a great possibility that her anti-weirdness ideas developed in secondary school (who amongst us hasn't wanted to "fit in" or "be normal" in high school?), and were only further emphasized as anti-magic ideas when her sister got her Hogwarts letter.

And that's my basic theory as to why Petunia is older than Lily. :)

I am almost sure it was lily. Beacause petunia said that her "parents were so happy the day she got her letter, there's a witch in the family". So Iam guessing since she got her letter first must have been because she's older.

I think Petunia is older. I interpreted Petunia's attitude towards Lily as jealousy; Petunia knew she'd never get a letter.
I sort of thought Petunia acted more like the older sibling, too. I'm not sure where I get that from, though.

I always thought that Petunia was older, by the comments she made about James I got the impression that a older sister would say things like that. Also the parents were so happy about having one witch, it makes it sound as though there wouldn't be another witch, as they knew that Petunia would of got her letter before Lily if she was a witch.

I guess it really doesnt matter too much to me..ive never thought about it..i would probably say that petunia is older............but ya know it could also make sense if lily was in fact older

I think Petunia is older. I interpreted Petunia's attitude towards Lily as jealousy; Petunia knew she'd never get a letter.
I sort of thought Petunia acted more like the older sibling, too. I'm not sure where I get that from, though.
Exactly. I think the jealousy disn´t necessarily have to come from not getting her letter a year or so after Lily received hers. I find it much more likely for Petunia to be jealous of Lily because she and her family never knew of magic until Lily´s Hogwarts letter arrived and that moment Petunia must have been sure of the fact that she´d never be going. She seems to me like the proverbial princess being kicked off her throne. The I-was-here-first-why-do-you-get-all-the-attention attitude. Still seems to be her attitude towards Lily.

I can see either way...

It could be that Petunia was older, and she was therefore bitter because her little sister could do something that she couldn't do herself. I know that my older sister got really angry when I got proficient at athletics, because it was something that she couldn't do.

On the other hand, I could see Petunia as the younger sister: Because Lily turned out to be a witch, and was accepted to Hogwarts, the family expected that Petunia would be as well...and then she wasn't. That must be a terrible disappointment.

Ah well...we'll have to wait and see.

I think Petunia is older. I interpreted Petunia's attitude towards Lily as jealousy; Petunia knew she'd never get a letter.
I sort of thought Petunia acted more like the older sibling, too. I'm not sure where I get that from, though.

Exactly. When Lily got her letter, her parents were so happy to have a witch. Petunia did not have any hope of also being a witch, because she was already older than 11, and therefore had no chance of getting a letter to Hogwarts.

I still think Petunia being the older and Lily being the younger is the only way that makes sense. Everything points at that. Vernon was allready the director of Grunnings back when Dudley and Harry were one year old, and Lily and James were still in their early 20s when they died, so based on this, I say Petunia either is older than Lily or married to an at least ten years older man. Furthermore, it makes more sense for Petunia to call James "that awful boy" if he was younger than her, if the awful boy now was James, but that's another thread.

I think that Petunia is the older one, mostly because she acts like a jealous sister. I myself am an older sister, and sometimes I find myself gently quoting Petunia when my immediatly younger brother achieves more than I do, even if it is in a completely different area of my interest . But that doesn't happen with my youngest bro; in fact, I am pretty proud of him (like Petunia is about Dudders). So I don't think that the age difference is that big, at most five years.

The first war had a duration of eleven years, as Dumbledore says in the second chapter of PS/SS (We have had so little to celebrate for eleven years). That would mean that the recruiting and the deaths begun when The Marauders, Lily and Snape where still attending Hogwarts.

in one of the editorials, Bloom of anemocity, it talks about how lily and petunia hate each other, it also mentions lily's parents might have died because of Voldermort, as well as other things. If this is the case i think petunia only hates lily because of this. i believe this because of the fact that petunia can recall a quote from james, almost 18 years later, any1 else agree with me, maybe petunia will help the order in some way in one of the next books

You could be right, after all there are no clues suggesting that this could not be a possiblity. Although, I always thought that she was just jealous of Lily. I know, I know, Petunia hates everything that has to do with magic, but maybe it all started because she was dissapointed that Lily got an acceptance letter to Hogwarts and she didn't. You never know...

i think petunia is jealous of lily cos she was prettier and she had the magical abilities....

Was it James that mentioned the horrible things. It could have been someone else with Lily. Snape? Lupin?

I think we will learn more about Petunia in book 6, at least I sure hope so.

I have always imangined her to hate magic as much as she because of jealousy. I want to know who was the older sister though... that might change things. I mean imagine Petunia being younger and hoping for a letter, since Lily got one, and then having to live with the dissapointment. That could be enough to make her hate magic for the rest of her life.

in one of the editorials, Bloom of anemocity, it talks about how lily and petunia hate each other, it also mentions lily's parents might have died because of Voldermort, as well as other things. If this is the case i think petunia only hates lily because of this. i believe this because of the fact that petunia can recall a quote from james, almost 18 years later, any1 else agree with me, maybe petunia will help the order in some way in one of the next books

Hi imadaHBP (cute username, btw. :D )
and WELCOME to CoS

We do have a thread that discusses the relationship between Petunia and Lily. You may not have found it during a search, since the thread title seems a little misleading. I'm going to merge this thread with the other thread, so we can keep the two discussions in one thread (and I'm going to edit the other thread's title, to make it easier to spot in a search.) We try to keep all discussions on any given topic in one thread to avoid clutter and to make it more user friendly for everyone. Therefore, I'm going to merge this thread with the Who was older: Lily or Petunia?? (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=21538&page=3&pp=30&highlight=Petunia) thread. That discussion originally was only about who was older, but it branched out to include the relationship of the two sisters. I'm going to retitle the thread "Lily and Petunia's relationship", which will be easier for everyone to find. Enjoy!! :)

a love-hate relationship....

To start off i appoligise if this has been discussed before, i have done the search.

Now i have been thinking about this for a while and i told myself that i wouldn't post a thread on it unless i found some proof, I lied :p

I just thought i kick myself if it came true and i never posted it, I have no proof of course and i don't know if i believe it myself and i've seached alot to find some proof but i haven't found any.
I found that Lily was born in 1960 and thats all.

What puzzles me is why haven't we found out how is older? I would have thought that Petunia would have said my little sister or at least something that would tell us there age. I (like many others) assume that Petunia is older,she acts and looks older (though we have to bare in mind that we haven't seen an now Lily only a 21 yeay old Lily.

Here a bit of OOTP i'd like to quote. Page 39, chapter two, A peck of owls

She was looking at Harry as she had never looked at him before. And all of a sudden, for the very first time in his life, Harry fully appreciated that Aunt Petunia was his mother's sister. He could not have said why this hit him so very powerfully at this moment. All he knew was that he was not the only person in the room who had an inkling of what Lord Voldemort being back might mean.

That quote seems to be hinting something at me but i can't get it out, i think it helps my thoughts though.

It just seems wierd that we don't know which is older to me. i am not saying they are identicle twins either, you can be a twin but not be identicle to your twin.

This would have also made the spell that Lily placed on Harry before she died stronger, i think, nothing would be stronger than if she was her twin.

If anyone has any quotes or anything at all that will disaprove/prove my thoughts/theory then i will be greatful.

Again this is just me thinking out loud whether i believe it of not i don't even know.

Lily had Harry when she was 21? Or at least around there, so that means Petunia isn't more than about 10-15 years younger than Lily at the youngest, because otherwise she probably wouldn't have really appreciated the dangers of VWI. Other than that, like you said, we really don't have any evidence either way. However, I don't find it likely that they were twins, because that probably would be something significant to the story, and brought up by now.

Although, you know, I think Petunia is older. Think of it this way:
If Petunia were younger, then Lily would get her letter first. Now, to a younger sibling, you might look up to your sister and be in awe that you have a witch in the family. I don't think, however, that you'd be completely against it because, being young yourself, you may yet get a letter, and nobody consciously wants to hate themselves. Whereas if Petunia were older, then more general responsibility has already been placed on her in the normal Muggle cultural way, and it's more of a shock that your younger sister is a witch. In addition, resentment comes immediately because the attention immediately is diverted from you, and you know for a fact you'll never be a witch. That make sense?

Lily had Harry when she was 21? Or at least around there, so that means Petunia isn't more than about 10-15 years younger than Lily at the youngest, because otherwise she probably wouldn't have really appreciated the dangers of VWI. Other than that, like you said, we really don't have any evidence either way. However, I don't find it likely that they were twins, because that probably would be something significant to the story, and brought up by now.

Although, you know, I think Petunia is older. Think of it this way:
If Petunia were younger, then Lily would get her letter first. Now, to a younger sibling, you might look up to your sister and be in awe that you have a witch in the family. I don't think, however, that you'd be completely against it because, being young yourself, you may yet get a letter, and nobody consciously wants to hate themselves. Whereas if Petunia were older, then more general responsibility has already been placed on her in the normal Muggle cultural way, and it's more of a shock that your younger sister is a witch. In addition, resentment comes immediately because the attention immediately is diverted from you, and you know for a fact you'll never be a witch. That make sense?

I see what you mean a younger sister would have probably looked up to lily for being a witch because it would be different and cool in the eyes of a younger sister. maybe. What would a twin think though? Why is my twin a witch and i am not? I don't know i'm stll very unsure.

Hey, winky22!
You might try this thread:
Lily & Petunia's relationship (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=47642)
I don't think they were twins, I get the feeling Lily might've been older than Petunia for some reason. No cannon proof, just my thoughts.
15 days!

One thing that has always hit me, is that we get to know in the book that Lily had red hair and green eyes. While Petunia (I don't remember what color her hair is described in, and I don't bother to check, I'm just sure it's not red, neither does she have green eyes, or it would've been mentioned in the book, the green eyes seems important.) has never been described that way. Actually I don't think they are anything similiar to eachother at all. Siblings usually look almost the same way - especially if they are the same gender. This is even more significant for twins. I always assumed Lily was younger, and lately I have started to assume that one of the children were adopted - then Lily could be pureblood, for all we know - or Petunia could be the adopted one, it is quite normal that parents adopt because they think they are not able to get kids - and after they have adopted, they find out that they are and get another child. I know plenty of families like that.

One thing that has always hit me, is that we get to know in the book that Lily had red hair and green eyes. While Petunia (I don't remember what color her hair is described in, and I don't bother to check, I'm just sure it's not red, neither does she have green eyes, or it would've been mentioned in the book, the green eyes seems important.) has never been described that way. Actually I don't think they are anything similiar to eachother at all. Siblings usually look almost the same way - especially if they are the same gender. This is even more significant for twins. I always assumed Lily was younger, and lately I have started to assume that one of the children were adopted - then Lily could be pureblood, for all we know - or Petunia could be the adopted one, it is quite normal that parents adopt because they think they are not able to get kids - and after they have adopted, they find out that they are and get another child. I know plenty of families like that.

Hey, winky22!
You might try this thread:
Lily & Petunia's relationship (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=47642)
I don't think they were twins, I get the feeling Lily might've been older than Petunia for some reason. No cannon proof, just my thoughts.
15 days!

Thanks HBPhysteria. I'm going to ask for this to be merged.

i like jenny_d_B s theory. lily and petunia don't seem anything alike at all.

yep

Snape is 35 or 36.Rowling also said that Sirius was about 21 when he went to prison. So that kind of cements the age of James and Lilly, and that Petunia is older. What with DuD and Harry being about the same age. Petunia didn't sound twenty-ish at the begging of book one. She and Vernon sounded more middle-aged. She has to be atleast a little older.

I always assumed she was older, and felt neglected by her parents after Lily was born. That's some deep-seated resentment we're talking about, unless Petunia is merely put on an act to keep Vernon happy.

i think that it doesnt mater but if u want an answer i would have to say the petunia is the ollder sister who is jelous that she does not have magic blood.

I too, always assumed Petunia was older, but I can't figure out why that is. Don't any of you find it strange that we don't know which sister was older? I know I usually introduce my sisters as being older, or younger than me. Perhaps it's just never come up, but I wonder if there's a reason why we've not been told. I also wonder why we all just assume that Petunia is older, perhaps it's becasue she seems to think he sister is irresponsible, and therefore she takes on a matronly attitude.
What if Petunia is younger, I think it could have some implications to the relationship these two had.
I think as far as the thread title is called, Lily & Petunia's relationship, it was a strange one. I've not heard of any other siblings they had, they seem to be fairly close in age, at least, their children are nearly the same age, and usually, a sibling pair brought up close in age like this tend to be rather close.
I would like to have seen what their relationship was like when they were growing up, particularly when they were teenagers living in the same house.

i think that it doesnt mater but if u want an answer i would have to say the petunia is the ollder sister who is jelous that she does not have magic blood.

I think Petunia is the younger sister of Lily and could have been a witch. She refused to go to Hogwarts and become a "freak" like her sister. Hence, she has gone overboard, especially with Dudley, in trying to be "normal".

I think Petunia is the younger sister of Lily and could have been a witch. She refused to go to Hogwarts and become a "freak" like her sister. Hence, she has gone overboard, especially with Dudley, in trying to be "normal". Except that Jo has already stated that Petunia is a muggle.
From here: J K Rowling at the Edinburgh Book Festival (http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/news_view.cfm?id=80) Question: Is Aunt Petunia a Squib?

J.K. Rowling: Good question. No, she is not, but—[Laughter]. No, she is not a Squib. She is a Muggle, but—[Laughter]. You will have to read the other books. You might have got the impression that there is a little bit more to Aunt Petunia than meets the eye, and you will find out what it is. She is not a squib, although that is a very good guess. Oh, I am giving a lot away here. I am being shockingly indiscreet.

I think Petunia is older because she just seems so much older than Lily, and when Lily got the letter Petunia got jealous.

I think that Petunia is the older sister and probably the first born child. We all know that Petunia is very jealous of Lilly which is a common trait of a first born child towards a younger child. Especially under the circumstances, Lilly stole Petunia's spotlight. I can just picture it. Petunia walks in: "Mom, I graduated from School!" I got really good marks!"
Mr. Evans:Oh, that's nice. Look Honey, Lilly's levitating the dog again! That's amazing!":lol:
I know this is a silly situation, but no matter how well Petunia did in school, I'm sure that Lilly performing magic(Especially in front of muggle parents who probably haven't seen much magic.)was probably a little more attention grabbing. I know this isn't about Petunia, but from context clues in PS/SS it seems like Vernon is a few years older than Petunia. Vernon is already a manager of some sort at the drill company when Dudley is just a year old. I don't think he would be management already if he were in his early twenties. But, I coul'd be wrong. :)
http://sorting-hat.com/linklogo/sorthatg.gif

I too, always assumed Petunia was older, but I can't figure out why that is. Don't any of you find it strange that we don't know which sister was older? I know I usually introduce my sisters as being older, or younger than me. Perhaps it's just never come up, but I wonder if there's a reason why we've not been told. I also wonder why we all just assume that Petunia is older, perhaps it's becasue she seems to think he sister is irresponsible, and therefore she takes on a matronly attitude.
What if Petunia is younger, I think it could have some implications to the relationship these two had.
I think as far as the thread title is called, Lily & Petunia's relationship, it was a strange one. I've not heard of any other siblings they had, they seem to be fairly close in age, at least, their children are nearly the same age, and usually, a sibling pair brought up close in age like this tend to be rather close.
I would like to have seen what their relationship was like when they were growing up, particularly when they were teenagers living in the same house.

I think we don't know who is older because they are twins, think about though, why haven't we heard who is older, why? (i have said this in a eailer post, so fogive me for repeating myself)

i think they have the love-hate relationship between them...

petunia hated lily because she was prettier and knew magic whilst she is just a normal muggle with a rather unpleasant face...
yet she did love her sister in a way. she showed it by accepting harry when lily died...

I think that Petunia is the older sister and probably the first born child. We all know that Petunia is very jealous of Lilly which is a common trait of a first born child towards a younger child. Especially under the circumstances, Lilly stole Petunia's spotlight. I can just picture it. Petunia walks in: "Mom, I graduated from School!" I got really good marks!"
Mr. Evans:Oh, that's nice. Look Honey, Lilly's levitating the dog again! That's amazing!":lol:

I can imagine it just the other way around: Lily is the older sister, doing everything right, and Petunia the younger one, always out of the spotlight, trying to live up to the very high goals her older sister put out and trying her best to live up to her parents high expectations.

Except that Jo has already stated that Petunia is a muggle.
From here: J K Rowling at the Edinburgh Book Festival (http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/news_view.cfm?id=80)

What she said was, "No, she is not a Squib. She is a Muggle, but—[Laughter]. You will have to read the other books."

If you reject becoming a witch and to remain in the Muggle word, would you not then be considered a Muggle?

HI...being an "older sibling"...I'd have to say that Petunia is too bitter to be the younger sibling...there is definately alot of "history behind that relationahip" that hopefully we find out!

I have read an editorial about this...debating on whether or not they are twins or who is older. I believe Lily is older. Petunia feels so overshadowed by her and that is where her hate comes from. She has an inferiority complex, I believe. I think this is why she is always sticking her big nose where it does not belong and is so gossipy. She is afraid that people are talking down about her, now I doubt that will be in the tabliods but that's not the point. I think that is one reason she despisess Harry, the old feeling of being outdown by her bigsister has come back and she would very much like to see it all go.

There is, though, OotP. I think that Petunia was lying when she said that she "overheard" James and Lily talking of Dementors. Perhaps Lily and she were actually very close, but the fact that Lily was a witch drove Petunia mad and all she heard from her parents was, Lily this and Lily that. When she met Vernon, who is obviously is scared of what he does not know fueled to the fire of Pentunia's hate behind Lily's back.

The icing on the cake: Lily and James' deaths. She must in some way blame her sister for this death, because of her magical ties and was angry that much more because her sister's death was meddling in the affairs of the magical world. Now she is not only angry and hateful but she must be feeling some sadness too. Petunia is only human after all. She finds out, from the last letter Dumledore sent her, which brings more speculation about her closeness with Lily and her ties to the magical world, but I won't get into that now. She realizes that is was not entirely Lily, but the reason Voldemort killed them all was because of Harry. This adds more mixed feelings about the Potters, especially Harry. She must blame him for her sister's death and though she is so angry about being overshadowed, she obviously loves Lily enough to hate Harry for the cause of her death. I believe that Pentunia was the younger sibling who just wanted to break out of Lily's shadow, I belive also that they were very close but Petunia was so jealous that she only saw green, which made her see red and could not stand the jealousy, taking it for hatred. She now feels the same way about Harry, but moreso because he was the cause of her sister's death.

JK has said she has no magical powers. That's my thoughts. Feel free to tear apart! :)

It's very possible to be overshadowed by a younger sibling. Espesially when you arern't too far apart in age. I think Petunia is atleast four or five years older than lilly. If they were as close in age as say Ron and Ginny, they would have probably been closer. I have a sibling that's not even a year older than I am. You fight over everything- who gets the front seat, who gets to be Mario and who has to be Luegi. But they're your first best friend, especialy if it's just the two of you. My brother and I would even loose teeth on the same day. He was still on the bottle when I came home. Mom would teach him how to do something, like tie his shoes or ride a two-wheeler and order him to teach me. And I remember the scene in CoS where Ron yells at Percy, saying he doesn't really care about Ginny after Percy caught them comeing out of M.M bathroom. That struck a cord with me. Out of all his sibs, Ginny would be the most important to Ron.
This is why I think They have to be a few years apart. And considering that Lilly would have to have been about nineteen when she got pregnant, if she died at 21. Petunia would have to be older.
I do agree with the love-hate thing though. I think haveing Harry under the cupboard since the day she found out about Lillys death has actually helped her to put off any real greiving by giveing her something else to concentrate on. She and Lilly were estranged, I think in a way Petunia still thinks of Lilly just being of somewhere. In her head she knows that lilly is dead of course, but her heart hasn't really dealt with it yet. That's why she was so affected by the news of L.V being back. I think she's afraid for all her family, includeing Harry. The only piece of Lilly she has left.

I agree conpletely. I always got the impression that Petunia was the older of the two, and very insecure as well as Jealous of the baby Lily who was the apple of her parents eyes. She seems to hold much resentment because here she strives to be perfectly normal and everything, yet no matter what Lily's shadow is still there all these years later, being admitted to Hogwarts, marrying and having Harry about the same time as she managed to have Dudley, becoming famous in the "weirdo" world as they put it, and then getting killed and sidling her with the constant reminder of the sister she resented, and then when he turns eleven he's starting to turn out just like her. I think it's sibling rivalry taken to a whole new level and she's done everything she could to stamp Lily out of Harry and what she deems as acceptable-i.e. being like her and Vernon- into him. But again, that's my opinion

Question: Is Aunt Petunia a Squib?

J.K. Rowling: Good question. No, she is not, but—[Laughter]. No, she is not a Squib. She is a Muggle, but—[Laughter]. You will have to read the other books. You might have got the impression that there is a little bit more to Aunt Petunia than meets the eye, and you will find out what it is. She is not a squib, although that is a very good guess. Oh, I am giving a lot away here. I am being shockingly indiscreet.

Could Aunt Petunia possibly be a "late-bloomer" that JKR has mentioned once or twice? A person who only begins to manifest their magical abilities after they are well into adulthood?

Apologies if this has been pointed out before.

I was thinking the same thing. I believe petunia is/was a witch but something so traumatic caused her to throw that life away and be protected by the Dursley's ignorance of the belief there is no such thing as magic. I feel Petunia will come to Harry's aid somehow in book 7

In my opinion I am not sure if it matters if Aunt Petunia is a witch or not. I believe that Jo has placed Dudley and Vernon in the story to serve the purpose of showing the extreme of those who are totally opposed to magic. Aunt Petunia's purpose seems to be closer related to the fact that the same blood flows through her as did through Lily. This is also the same blood that flows through Harry. I think that it is more important that Petunia has agreed to take Harry in and Protect him despite the dangers associated standing up to Voldemort. In the end I believe that if Aunt Petunia is to play a larger role, it will be because of her blood and her decision to protect Harry and not because of whether or not she has magical ability