10 Harry Potter Fan Theories Confirmed By JK Rowling
7. Petunia Is Not Quite As Awful As She Seems
Aunt Petunia really doesn't have many redeeming characteristics in the books and even less so in the movies. But for some reason, something about her seemed to stick with fans. Could anyone really be that miserable the whole time? If she was Harry's last bloody relative (along with Dudley!), then might there be a sliver of a nice person inside her? So if theory was that there was no way she was rotten to the core, people were delighted when Rowling expanded on her character.
Specifically, there is a moment in the Deathly Hallows where she stops herself from saying something to Harry. She was going to say 'I do know what you’re up against and I hope it’s OK'. But at the last moment, she couldn't do it and she leaves the room. This confirms, at least, that under the surface, she doesn't really want Harry to die. She just wants him out of her life.
The Dursley's are just the worst kinds of people, with their attitudes to magic and their cruel treatment of him. But Harry had a home for sixteen years with them, enforced, we find out in the fifth book, by Petunia. There's no redemption for Vernon in the books, which fits with the one dimensional character that he is. But Petunia and Dudley get a little reprieve, even if its only hinted at in her case. It may not go all the way toward turning her into a sympathetic character, but it does sort of save her from the scrap heap, reserved for the likes of, say, Goyle!