Nice to see Vernon didn't ruin Christmas.  I still think he's a schmuck.

Yay for Vernon being less of an ass. Will he behave? I always thought he and Petunia had a good marriage in the books... he even does as she says without much objection in OOTP when she says Harry must stay.

Awww nice chapter.  Please update soon. I recommended this to a friend of mine. :)

Ahhh, no, CLIFFHANGER!  Evil wench!

Author's Response: LOL. Hey, next chapter's up now! I'm only a semi-evil wench!! :D

Oh no!  What are you doing to Petunia now?  A Boggart, perhaps?  I don't know how I would feel about that, if that where what happened.  As Petunia is the main character in this yarn, we feel some bit of sympathy for her, for hier situation.  How would she deal with a Boggart?  Could she even see one?  Would she manifest some little bit of magic?  *hums....  Sara

oh, hopefully that is not a boggart, maybe muggles can't se them If they can can they get rid of them. waiting for the next chapter

Ach, poor Petunia.  We can all hope Vernon will just stroke out, I suppose.

Author's Response: LOL! They'd probably all be better off, wouldn't they? :D

So, he's an abusive, manipulating control freak as well?  Why am I not surprised?  However, she was quite willing to allow her nephew be abused mentally and emotionally (possibly physically as well) and yet she is surprised when the tables are turned on her.  A part of me feels bad for her, but it can be argued that justice was served.

Oh dear.  I was afraid this would eventually happen, but I'd hoped it wouldn't be during their enforced captivity where they can't really avoid each other.  I'm expecting Vernon to do something monumentally stupid, but maybe he'll pleasantly surprise me and not.  Guess I'll just have to wait (argh) and see.

I couldn't help but think of the chorus of an old song by a West Coast Celtic and folk singer named Heather Alexander--"Something's up in the loft, better shoot it down"!  What's that noise?  I'm going to the next installment to find out (hopefully)...

What a powerful and moving set of chapters...it's so fascinating watching Petunia grow and mature, but I fear that Vernon isn't growing with her and what will become of them as a married couple when this is all over?  Personally, I think Vernon's a waste of oxygen and both Petunia and Dudley would be better off with him gone, but it's hard to give up someone you loved for so much of your life, even if they don't fit together with you well anymore.Looking forward to see how Petunia continues to handle things.

Creepy.  Whose house is it???

Author's Response:

*evil laugh*  You shall see!

Yay, something to explore at least.

Author's Response: She really does need a project. Lol.

Awesome.

Author's Response: Thank you!! :D

Vernon's just pretending none of this is happening, isn't he?

Author's Response:

Yeah, basically. :(  I think this would be pretty crushing for him--everything he is has been taken away from him, and he has to feel pretty helpless, not to mention entirely useless because not only can he not provide for his family any longer, but his wife, not him, is the one with the connections to the rest of the world, the knowledge and the abilities and the understanding to make sure they survive. It's almost enough to make me feel really bad for him. lol.

Too bad they couldn't have just been sent to America or something.  Boredom can drive a person mad, but at least she's trying to cope by rationing Hestia's letters.

Man, Petunia's got it rough.  Not having anyone to talk to, at all, is horrible in that situation.  I mean, Dudley's there, but he's a 17 year old boy.  Vernon's not being helpful.  Poor Petunia.

Author's Response: I really do feel bad for her. Vernon's a  bit of a jerk, and Dudley... well, you really can't confide your fears and worries and marital issues to your 17-year-old son, can you?  :(

Frustrating, Vernon being who he is and how he is.  He doesn't make anything easier.  And it's frustrating, too, to be shoved into something of which you want no part.  Petunia had difficulty enough accepting Lily's differences, and she paired herself with someone who thought like her.  But that similarity makes it all the more difficult to deal with things that are outside of the mainstream, and when they go awry... Vernon's in trouble because he can't adjust.

Author's Response: Vernon really is in trouble--he doesn't strike me as someone who handles change well, and especially not when it's been forced on him and necessitated the loss of everything he thinks makes him who he is. :(

Having no books would drive me insane.  Poor Petunia.

Author's Response: Ditto. She's made of stronger stuff than I am, I think--I'd be going absolutely batty.

Another great chapter, showing that Dudley's grown up a bit and is actually concerned about the world outside his own head.  Again, well done.

Author's Response: Thank you! The scene where Dudley shakes Harry's hand and is worried about him in DH made me forgive Dudley nearly all of his past mistakes. Lol. He was a child, learning from the rather poor examples from his parents, and he really managed to grow beyond that, it seems.

When I was in the army, I got injured and was in a place where you were just housed, waiting to "heal."  But it was much like the place where the Durselys are now.  Nothing to do, no end in sight, and your life taken from you, even moreso than just being a regular soldier.  But you did little things to maintain your own existence within yourself.  At least, I did.  Like Petunia not wearing the robes.  That would be like giving up the only bit of herself she has left.  Well done.

Author's Response: Thank you, I'm glad her reaction rings true. Researching people in these sorts of situations was very enlightening, and heartbreaking, in a way. I'm sorry that you had to go through a similiar experience, and hope that you made a full recovery quickly! *hugs*

I really enjoy reading this story.  It gives Petunia some character - bascially she's just a mom trying to take care of her family put in a horrible situation.  Good show.

Author's Response: Thank you!  And you're right--Petunia, in the end, is a terrified mother and wife, trying to protect her family from a world that she's been given plenty of reasons to be terrified of over the years, struggling to do anything she can to keep them safe and whole in an impossible situation.

Thanks for giving some humanity to some people we normally see as one-dimensional and just plain mean.

Author's Response: *grins* I think Harry's POV is fairly limited on the Dursleys, so there's probably a lot about them we never see--they really do seem, in canon, to be very different people when he's not around.

I read this all the way through so far and now I'm going back to review each chapter.  I really like the idea of exploring something diferent, and finding out what happens in those unfilled spaces. 

Author's Response: Thank you!! I'm glad you're enjoying it!! :D  And thank you for taking the time to come back and review!

Nice chapter, the story is progressing quite well.