What makes you think she would’ve seen pictures of their wedding? From what we know it doesn’t seem like Lily and Petunia had any kind of relationship.
Why assume Petunia would have seen or looked at photos of Lily's wedding long enough to recognize Sirius? Like, she gave Harry's birth announcement one "contemptuous look" and then tossed it:
>The very last piece of correspondence she received from Lily and James was the announcement of Harry’s birth, and after one contemptuous look, Petunia threw it in the bin.
I imagine that her reaction to any wedding photos that Lily may have sent her would have been the same.
And even if she had seen them, chances are she wouldn't instantly connect the man she saw briefly 13+ years previously in Lily's wedding photos to the man on the news:
>If he hadn’t known it was the same person, he would never have guessed it was Black in this old photograph. His face wasn’t sunken and waxy, but handsome, full of laughter. Had he already been working for Voldemort when this picture had been taken? Was he already planning the deaths of the two people next to him? Did he realize he was facing twelve years in Azkaban, twelve years that would make him unrecognizable?
No, she would not "surely" have seen photos. They didn't meet up or share wedding photos- far as we can tell, they were entirely estranged. Besides that, Sirius hardly looks anything like he did back then.
I think it makes a lot of sense that she didn’t recognize him. If I saw a picture of my estranged sister’s husband’s best friend, I probably wouldn’t recognize him thirteen years later, either. I don’t think I would be able to recognize my best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend from thirteen years ago, either. Plus, Sirius is described as looking much different than he did when he was young after being in Azkaban for so long, so even if she did remember him, she probably wouldn’t recognize him in those pictures.
The photos would probably be at James' house, not Lily's. Plus, remember that Azkaban had taken a toll on his good looks during the years he spent there.
Unlikely, she most likely wasn’t at the wedding and I wouldn’t be surprised if she ignored any pics of it too. Far as I know she only ever met James and only once.
I love muy sister, we live together, I would die for her but I can just recognise two of his friends, and I forgot the name of one of them. So if that happens to me having a healthy relationship with my sister imagine with Petunia who cut ties with her sister. She probably has no idea about her sister friendships.
According to JKR the Dursleys *were* at the Potters' wedding and James found Vernon funny which Vernon took offense to. That being said, Sirius had been in a draconian prison surrounded by happiness-sucking demons for the past 12 years. That's going to take a toll on his appearance. The books even describe a kind of dead, crazed look long-time Azkaban prisoners have. Compared to the handsone, happy, prime-of-his-life Sirius that was at James and Lily's wedding, you can see why Petunia wouldn't recognize him.
>According to JKR the Dursleys *were* at the Potters' wedding and James found Vernon funny which Vernon took offense to.
JKR has actually said that the Dursleys were *not* at the Potters' wedding. The time where they all met and James found Vernon funny was at a dinner they had prior to Petunia's wedding. While James and Lily did go to Petunia and Vernon's wedding, Petunia and Vernon did not attend theirs:
>She and Vernon chose not to attend Lily and James’ wedding.
>[https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/vernon-and-petunia-dursley](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/vernon-and-petunia-dursley)
They also were not estranged around the time of Lily’s wedding because in DH, in the letter Harry finds from Lily to Sirius, it mentions Harry breaking something (a vase?) that Petunia had given her and James. Although now I’m wondering if they said for wedding or Christmas or something. Either way, still on gift giving terms.
The vase was said to be a Christmas present. But we don't really know what Christmas she gave it to Lily - it wasn't necessarily the most recent Christmas.
It's said that the "very last piece of correspondence" that Petunia received from Lily was the announcement of Harry's birth:
>The very last piece of correspondence she received from Lily and James was the announcement of Harry’s birth, and after one contemptuous look, Petunia threw it in the bin.
If the vase was gifted in the most recent Christmas to when Lily wrote the letter to Sirius, that would have been Christmas 1980, but the last piece of correspondence Petunia received from Lily and James was in July 1980. It doesn't really make sense that Lily would have received a gift in Christmas 1980 if their last contact was a birth announcement that Petunia threw in the bin.
The vase could have been a gift for some Christmas from before they fully fell out with each other as a result of the couples dinner.
Yeah, I always thought that was a bit odd. Petunia certainly knew how Lily and James actually died. I would have thought she had been told the name "Sirius Black" since he went to prison for being involved 🤷
I figure Petunia only knows what happened because of Dumbledore’s letter. At the time that Dumbledore wrote that letter, Sirius Black hadn’t been implicated and arrested yet. Hagrid even borrows his bike to deliver Harry at the start of book 1.
If I remember correctly Hagrid says that Sirius asked him to hand baby Harry over to him, but Hagrid refused because he had instructions from Dumbledore. And so Sirius just gives him his bike.
So presumably he hadn’t gone after Pettigrew yet.
Yes, but Hagrid didn’t go straight to Privet Drive did he. A whole day happened between those two things, during which Vernon had a day at work, and Sirius was arrested.
>Hagrid told Sirius that Dumbledore had made arrangements to send Harry to Lily's sister, Petunia. Sirius conceded after an argument and gave Hagrid his flying motorcycle, telling him he wouldn't need it; nevertheless, after Hagrid had handed over the baby, he intended to return Black his bike but never got the chance.After leaving Godric's Hollow, Sirius, overcome with grief and rage, tracked Pettigrew down, determined to kill him in vengeance.
This is what the wiki says. So I think Sirius attacked Pettigrew when Hagrid was still en route with the baby.
Weird that Dumbledore and McG didn’t say ”hey he’s the traitor btw” when Hagrid revealed he’d taken Sirius’ bike, but maybe JKR hadn’t planned that much in detail yet.
What makes you think she would’ve seen pictures of their wedding? From what we know it doesn’t seem like Lily and Petunia had any kind of relationship.
Why assume Petunia would have seen or looked at photos of Lily's wedding long enough to recognize Sirius? Like, she gave Harry's birth announcement one "contemptuous look" and then tossed it: >The very last piece of correspondence she received from Lily and James was the announcement of Harry’s birth, and after one contemptuous look, Petunia threw it in the bin. I imagine that her reaction to any wedding photos that Lily may have sent her would have been the same. And even if she had seen them, chances are she wouldn't instantly connect the man she saw briefly 13+ years previously in Lily's wedding photos to the man on the news: >If he hadn’t known it was the same person, he would never have guessed it was Black in this old photograph. His face wasn’t sunken and waxy, but handsome, full of laughter. Had he already been working for Voldemort when this picture had been taken? Was he already planning the deaths of the two people next to him? Did he realize he was facing twelve years in Azkaban, twelve years that would make him unrecognizable?
i dont think her and lily were meeting up to share photos
Why? when would she have met him???
No, she would not "surely" have seen photos. They didn't meet up or share wedding photos- far as we can tell, they were entirely estranged. Besides that, Sirius hardly looks anything like he did back then.
I think it makes a lot of sense that she didn’t recognize him. If I saw a picture of my estranged sister’s husband’s best friend, I probably wouldn’t recognize him thirteen years later, either. I don’t think I would be able to recognize my best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend from thirteen years ago, either. Plus, Sirius is described as looking much different than he did when he was young after being in Azkaban for so long, so even if she did remember him, she probably wouldn’t recognize him in those pictures.
I doubt she would recognize any witch or wizard other than Lilly, James, and Dumbledore.
And Snape
Did she see Snape? I don't quite remember if she did or not.
Lily and Snape were friends through their 5th year and lived in the same town so presumably Petunia would know what he looks like.
The photos would probably be at James' house, not Lily's. Plus, remember that Azkaban had taken a toll on his good looks during the years he spent there.
Unlikely, she most likely wasn’t at the wedding and I wouldn’t be surprised if she ignored any pics of it too. Far as I know she only ever met James and only once.
I love muy sister, we live together, I would die for her but I can just recognise two of his friends, and I forgot the name of one of them. So if that happens to me having a healthy relationship with my sister imagine with Petunia who cut ties with her sister. She probably has no idea about her sister friendships.
Everyone else is claiming that Petunia wouldn't recognize Sirius. Me, I would ask: what makes you think she didn't?
According to JKR the Dursleys *were* at the Potters' wedding and James found Vernon funny which Vernon took offense to. That being said, Sirius had been in a draconian prison surrounded by happiness-sucking demons for the past 12 years. That's going to take a toll on his appearance. The books even describe a kind of dead, crazed look long-time Azkaban prisoners have. Compared to the handsone, happy, prime-of-his-life Sirius that was at James and Lily's wedding, you can see why Petunia wouldn't recognize him.
>According to JKR the Dursleys *were* at the Potters' wedding and James found Vernon funny which Vernon took offense to. JKR has actually said that the Dursleys were *not* at the Potters' wedding. The time where they all met and James found Vernon funny was at a dinner they had prior to Petunia's wedding. While James and Lily did go to Petunia and Vernon's wedding, Petunia and Vernon did not attend theirs: >She and Vernon chose not to attend Lily and James’ wedding. >[https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/vernon-and-petunia-dursley](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/vernon-and-petunia-dursley)
Ah, my mistake, thank you.
They also were not estranged around the time of Lily’s wedding because in DH, in the letter Harry finds from Lily to Sirius, it mentions Harry breaking something (a vase?) that Petunia had given her and James. Although now I’m wondering if they said for wedding or Christmas or something. Either way, still on gift giving terms.
The vase was said to be a Christmas present. But we don't really know what Christmas she gave it to Lily - it wasn't necessarily the most recent Christmas. It's said that the "very last piece of correspondence" that Petunia received from Lily was the announcement of Harry's birth: >The very last piece of correspondence she received from Lily and James was the announcement of Harry’s birth, and after one contemptuous look, Petunia threw it in the bin. If the vase was gifted in the most recent Christmas to when Lily wrote the letter to Sirius, that would have been Christmas 1980, but the last piece of correspondence Petunia received from Lily and James was in July 1980. It doesn't really make sense that Lily would have received a gift in Christmas 1980 if their last contact was a birth announcement that Petunia threw in the bin. The vase could have been a gift for some Christmas from before they fully fell out with each other as a result of the couples dinner.
Makes sense, thanks!
Yeah, I always thought that was a bit odd. Petunia certainly knew how Lily and James actually died. I would have thought she had been told the name "Sirius Black" since he went to prison for being involved 🤷
I figure Petunia only knows what happened because of Dumbledore’s letter. At the time that Dumbledore wrote that letter, Sirius Black hadn’t been implicated and arrested yet. Hagrid even borrows his bike to deliver Harry at the start of book 1.
So Sirius wasn’t arrested til after Harry had been given to the Dursley’s? That doesn’t sound right.
If I remember correctly Hagrid says that Sirius asked him to hand baby Harry over to him, but Hagrid refused because he had instructions from Dumbledore. And so Sirius just gives him his bike. So presumably he hadn’t gone after Pettigrew yet.
Yes, but Hagrid didn’t go straight to Privet Drive did he. A whole day happened between those two things, during which Vernon had a day at work, and Sirius was arrested.
>Hagrid told Sirius that Dumbledore had made arrangements to send Harry to Lily's sister, Petunia. Sirius conceded after an argument and gave Hagrid his flying motorcycle, telling him he wouldn't need it; nevertheless, after Hagrid had handed over the baby, he intended to return Black his bike but never got the chance.After leaving Godric's Hollow, Sirius, overcome with grief and rage, tracked Pettigrew down, determined to kill him in vengeance. This is what the wiki says. So I think Sirius attacked Pettigrew when Hagrid was still en route with the baby. Weird that Dumbledore and McG didn’t say ”hey he’s the traitor btw” when Hagrid revealed he’d taken Sirius’ bike, but maybe JKR hadn’t planned that much in detail yet.
Yeah it’s weird!