Petunia Dursley was Harry Potter's aunt, sister of Lily Evans Potter, wife of Vernon Dursley, and duly's mother.
Most fans will feel that she is not a good person based on the way she treats Harry. Can't understand how someone as kind as Lily could have such a sister as Penny.
We often judge a person's good or bad through the first impression. But if you've read Harry Potter, you'll find that judging a person in this way, at least in Harry Potter, is misjudged.
So, Petunia Dursley, it's not just the way you see her when you first see her.
So, when we see Penny, what is the most intuitive impression?
She was a tall, thin, horse-faced woman with a long neck. Together with her husband, Vernon Dursley, she spoiled their only child, Dudley, without boundaries.
Dudley wanted whatever he wanted, and they gave him whatever he wanted. So much so that Dudley was raised into a small chubby mound until the school stepped in and demanded that they had to give Dudley weight loss.
In Penny's eyes, Dudley is the best child in the world. He couldn't do anything wrong, not even bully Harry, or any other kid his age or younger.
Petunia's requirements for life are only two words - ordinary. She didn't want anything to do with the wizarding world, and even pretended she didn't have a sister.
Although she pretended to know nothing about the wizarding world, in fact we all know how she could not be completely unaware of the magical world. After all, her sister was a witch.
When they were both little girls, Lily received a letter from Hogwarts, and the Evans were extremely proud of Lily and happy that there was a witch in the house.
But looking back at Penny, did she ever get praise from her parents for her mediocre? Or was she able to live under her sister's aura for a long time?
Because of Lily's excellence, we often habitually assume that Lily is more beautiful and intelligent than Penny. In the eyes of her parents, Petunia could never be as good as her sister. Even if Lily is not at home for most of the year, this contrast has not stopped in the eyes of her parents.
If the above assumptions hold, then Penny's jealousy of Lily is understandable. Over time, jealousy caused Petunia to develop a fear and disgust for magic. However, it is difficult for parents who are immersed in the joy of their daughter being a witch to understand the different moods of another daughter.
Petunia had told Harry that during their childhood, she had felt that her sister was a freak. When Lily chooses to stay in the wizarding world and marry a wizard after completing her studies, the relationship between Penny and Lily becomes even more strained.
So, when Penny first appears in Harry Potter, we see an indifferent woman who is afraid of magic, hates her sister, and looks impersonal.
It was because of this first impression that many people labeled Penny as a "bad person".
But the reason why she hates magic is also understandable. How could her estrangement from her sister not be a manifestation of inferiority?
J.K. Rowling once revealed that after Lily received a letter from Hogwarts, Penny also wrote a letter to Dumbledore, saying that she also hoped to go to Hogwarts to study. But Dumbledore declined her request.
What is it like when you crave something and find yourself not qualified?
Petunia chose jealousy, disgust and fear. If she didn't care about magic at all, how could she produce these negative emotions?
Because she couldn't ask for it, she had a rebellious mentality, and she only wanted to be separated from everything in the magical world, even her own sister.
However, can she really get rid of her own sister?
There is a cut from the film Harry Potter that is probably the most direct expression of Penny's feelings for Lily.
As the Dursleys moved away from Privet Road, Penny finally said to Harry, "That night in Godric's Hollow, not only did you lose your mother, but I also lost my sister."
She says that her sister is a freak and acts as if she doesn't have a sister, but in her heart, she will always remember that her sister is called Lily Evans.