We know that prolonged exposure to a horcrux can bring out the worst in you and it affects some people more than others. So do you think that the Dursley's abusive treatment of Harry was a side effect of the horcrux or were they just horrid people that were good at hiding it?
shareI'm sorry, but I don't think your theory holds water at all. So many other people spent time with Harry without showing off any effects of the horcrux. And already in the first line of the first chapter of the first book, we learn that Petunia and Vernon were proud to be "perfectly normal". So they couldn't tolerate anything, that wouldn't fit into their own narrow conception of what happened to be normal. So it was obvious that they were that kind of people even before they had to take care of Harry.
But we also have to remember that Petunia was unable to get over her grudge with her sister, even after Lily had been murdered by Voldemort. And to be fair, I can see how feeling inferior to a beautiful, popular and awesome sister can give you emotional scars, especially when you feel that she also was your parents's favorite. The sad thing is that Petunia had to take her unsolved issues with Lily out on poor innocent Harry. And as far as Vernon was concerned, he was only too happy to side with his wife on this matter...
Intelligence and purity.
I agree with that assessment. Petunia was always mean to her sister, not just it seemed to me that she jealous of Lily the day she got her Hogwarts letter. But she sure has some knowledge about magic and the Ministry that governs the practitioners, my guess is she too wanted to be like her sister?
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I believe there's a scene in the books in which Petunia has written to Hogwarts asking to be accepted, and been turned down.
Earth without art is just "eh."
I agree, she does envy her sister. In Order of Phoenix (when Harry's detention letter arrived the night he used magic in front of a muggle), she claimed to have known all about the dementors and Ministry of Magic. But I suppose muggles have a hard time enlisting their names than Pure blood families do, which can be inherited for generations. In Muggles case, I think its the job of an enchanted book and a quill to decide if the chosen muggle
is worthy and deserving to study magic in Hogwarts.
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It seems to me like you're either born with magic or you will never have it. Lily was born with it and Petunia wasn't. But oh yes, Petunia really was jealous of Lily, especially as she believed that their parents always loved her more. And yes, Petunia was not accepted to Hogwarts even though she asked to be. But she couldn't just be happy for her sister and move on with her own life, so she suddenly started despising the magic world instead. Sour grapes, you know.
Intelligence and purity.
Petunia does know about dementors and the Ministry of Magic. She says something like "He talked about it", and Harry (as well as the reader) assumes she's talking about James. But in "The Princes Tale" in Deathly Hallows, we find out she meant Snape. Snape told Lily all about the magical world, and Petunia overheard at least some of that.
As for the "book" that writes down the names of magical people, it's a magical book that writes down the name of someone who is born with magic, at the time of their birth. Muggles don't "enlist", they don't ask for magic. They are either born with it or they are not.
If they are born with magic, the book writes down their name.
Well certainly there were issues there before... Petunia had some very deep seated jealousy and animosity against her sister... and we know from the opening chapter that the Dursleys were already intolerable of anything "different"... however we don't really get much insight into their specific day-to-day behaviour before Harry was around... so perhaps the behaviour we see in them was heightened in some way due to being around Harry
However that would then pose the question of other Gryffindors living with Harry in the Hogwarts dormitories for 6 years
or even why it never affected Harry himself... although he does suffer bouts of depression and anger, I think he's pretty well-balanced in general
I'm sure JK would say something about Harry's mothers protection of Love overriding the power of the Horcrux
It's kinda an interesting thought though... and worth thinking about during re-reads
Yeah, I agree, I've seen this theory before and it's kind of a cop out IMO.
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If John Williams Scored Harry Potter 4-8: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6HqJLDCy3kZodnQ-NNewovSKPU4Q1dm4