Name: ReillyJade (Signed) · Date: 28 Jan 2019 09:47 PM · For: One Day

Hi there! I'm stopping by for the Magical Menagerie!

 

This was a fascinating character study of Petunia. We saw glimpses of this caring person in the final book, but for the most part, we only know her as the person you showed in the second half of your story: envious and bitter. I loved the contrast between these two versions of the same person, and I really liked your exploration of how she made such a drastic change. It makes total sense why Petunia is so jealous of Lily (I know I'd be if I was in her shoes!), and I think that fact that Lily's the younger sister just added salt to the wound. 

I really liked Lily's innocence in this piece. She doesn't seem to know just how big of a deal her ability to do magic is; she's just like, "Magic! Cool!" She also didn't rub it in like an older child or adult would; she just believed that her sister could do it too if she tried really hard. You really showcased that childlike quality with her and that added a very realistic element to your story. 

 

Overall, this was a bittersweet story that was a great exploration of the dynamics between sisters. Well done!

 

Cheers,

Reilly

Author's Response:

Hi! :)

There’s a deleted scene in Deathly Hallow Pt 2 where Petunia talks about how she lost a sister when Lily died, and it made me think that deep down, she really does care about her. At this point in the story, she’s not too far gone with her envy and bitterness yet- I think it’s when Lily leaves her for Hogwarts that their relationship takes a turn for the worse. And like, anyone would be jealous in this situation, but I just find it sad that Petunia let her feelings manifest into something worse that spurred her on to basically abuse her sister’s nephew in later years (cue sad music). Honestly everything would have been so much easier if Petunia was a witch too.

Thanks for reading!

Name: Rumpelstiltskin (Signed) · Date: 13 Jan 2019 02:06 PM · For: One Day

Hello, I'm here with more Magical Menagerie madness ;).

 

There's something wonderful here about Petunia's characterization. She clearly cares about Lily and is doing her best to be a responsible big sister. Naturally, when Lily was jumping off the swing at a height that was potentially dangerous, she panicked. Of course, this was a great way to introduce Lily's early display of magical abilities and Petunia's disbelief of it. Also, I like the nod to James Potter with the messy-haired boy in the shop. By the way, Lily's excitable rambling is absolutely adorable. 

 

Also, it's only natural for Petunia to be jealous of Lily's magical abilities. I was the oldest of my siblings, and I would've felt extremely put out, too, if they had been able to do magic and I couldn't (especially being the oldest). So, I can completely understand Petunia's frustrations here. Plus, Lily suddenly getting all of the attention from her parents due to her magical abilities couldn't have helped the situation. I think this story is a lovely way to show the reason behind Petunia's seeming hatred towards magic as an adult. 

 

Lovely little story! 

 

-Rumpels

Name: Crimson Quill (Signed) · Date: 13 Jan 2019 12:19 PM · For: One Day

 

Hey!

 

I thought this piece was really lovely way to explore that time when Lily came conscious of her magic powers. It is all those little things, I loved in the beginning that Petunia was playing the role of big sister so well. I don't think we think of her as that caring within the series but I think you've done a great job at showing that she wasn't always like that. It's the experiences that people that we'll become. 

 

I think Petunia's feelings are pretty valid for her age, I don't know how you process those feelings as a child that your sibling is somehow more better than you. I think the reactions from the parents didn't help. Petunia just wants what Lily has. I don't think Lily realises that she is really rubbing it in Petunia's face by saying 'she's very proud of me' in regards to her mother. Children sometimes have limited thought process like Petunia doesn't seem to understand that her parents can (and will) be proud of both of them. it's something that she holds onto for a very long time. She doesn't really have let go of it.

 

Lily was of course just being a normal child in terms of her thought process. I thought you captured that really well. her confusion over Petunia's sudden change  so I thought you've portrayed both sides of this very nicely. I've seen you write children before and I've always thought that you had a really good talent for it. Lovely piece.

 

- Abbi xo

 

For: Magical Menagerie 

 

Name: TreacleTart (Signed) · Date: 12 Jan 2019 07:51 PM · For: One Day

Hey there!

 

I'm here for a review for the Magical Menagerie review event on the forums and also for the Gryffindor Red vs Gold Review Battle for January! I love reading about the relationship between Petunia and Lily, so this seemed right up my alley.

 

It's sweet that at the beginning of this story Lily and Petunia have such a strong relationship. Petunia feels protective of her, the way a big sister should be. When Lily goes swinging too high and leaps off, Petunia frets that she will be injured. It's kind of bittersweet knowing that things are just about to devolve to the point of not having any relationship at all.

 

It's interesting to see the jealousy well up within Petunia after the leap from the swing and then seeing Lily's ability to open and close the flower. I get why she feels jealous to a certain extent. Lily now seems special because of her magical ability, but Petunia is just a plain, normal child. She'll fade into the background behind the extraordinary.

 

The ending is quite sad. I imagine Lily must've been heartbroken and betrayed by Petunia's sudden desire to not be around her or interact with her. She is pretty young at that point, so she wouldn't really understand the feelings of jealousy. She'd just miss her sister. I always wished that at some point they would reconcile, but as we know, Petunia keeps that bitter jealousy for the rest of Lily's life and well into Harry's.

 

This was bittersweet, but well done. Good work!

 

~Kaitlin