This is in response to a challenge by drinkingcocoa to write a fanfic involving Severus reflecting on Petunia and Harry's relationship. I can't come up with a good title; anyone have any suggestions? ( Click here to read. )
I agree. Harry, of course (although I love him), is a terribly self-centered character... most teenagers (humans, really) are, I suppose. Although he is kind and everything, he rarely looks at situations from other people's perspectives. Therefore, we as readers, learning about the world through his eyes, have to do a little bit more investigating and theorizing (which is partly why I love the books so much of course). Since Harry never knew his mother, Petunia can't remind him of her, so all he sees when he looks at Petunia is the "evil" woman who mistreated him all his life. He certainly does not see the sacrifices she made, and he doesn't really understand where he comes from until much later, if at all. Since they were sisters, I think it would be a logical assumption that there is some familial resemblance there, that would stand out to anyone who knew both women. For Severus, however, who probably sees Lily where ever he goes and had such a strong emotional connection to her, it would be so much more pronounced... (and painful).
Since Harry never knew his mother, Petunia can't remind him of her, so all he sees when he looks at Petunia is the "evil" woman who mistreated him all his life. He certainly does not see the sacrifices she made, and he doesn't really understand where he comes from until much later, if at all. Since they were sisters, I think it would be a logical assumption that there is some familial resemblance there, that would stand out to anyone who knew both women. For Severus, however, who probably sees Lily where ever he goes and had such a strong emotional connection to her, it would be so much more pronounced... (and painful).
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