Petunia frowned at the woman across from her. "Mrs. Corner, if you or the other trustees ever set up my nephew to fail again, I will remove any influence you have over him is that clear?"
"Yes, and in retrospect I don't blame you. If someone had done that to my sons or daughters I would hex them into next week if not next month. We just don't want Harry's attitude to turn others against him. His house already works against him in that department."
"Harry has inherited high position among you correct?"
"Yes."
"He is regarded as a hero for ending the last war?"
"Yes."
"Does he lord either of those facts over others? Rub it in?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"Then I think that it is you trustees who have the problem, not my nephew. You feel inferior when faced with his strong natural ability and competence. His justifiable pride in himself and his own accomplishments offends you and leaves you feeling that you are a lesser being, and in true human fashion you sought to humble him.
"You magicals disgust me, you love to lord your magic over those of us without it, but you're just as human as the rest of us. You see someone above you and you respond by trying to tear them down just like the rest of humanity. Then you have the nerve to think yourselves superior, that you have the right to make choices not just for yourselves but for those of us without magic. Let me tell you something: relationships aren't something you can fix with a wave of the wand. My biggest hope for my nephew is that he has learned this from me, because I know there is no way he can learn it from your kind."
Felicia felt herself flush with shame because Petunia had unknowingly just repeated a criticism of the magical world her own mother had told her about relationships. She hadn't looked at the trustees' actions in that light but she could see how Petunia might. "You have a point that we tend to put ourselves above non magicals and we won't make that mistake again. But-"
"You are right you won't. In the future you all will consult me before making decisions about my nephew because you have already done it twice if it happens again I will find someone else. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"
"Yes." Felicia felt rather chagrinned. This really hadn't gone at all the way she had planned. She had planned to take Petunia to task but instead she was the one getting the scolding. It occurred to her that this sort of controlling the situation was exactly the kind of thing that Harry did. Petunia was probably where he had learned it from. "I-we still feel that Harry tends to be…"
"Arrogant wasn't it? Does he sneer at people? Insult them without cause? Pick fights? Or does he defend himself, use his intelligence to his own advantage, and think for himself rather than blindly believing what people tell him? I will not punish my nephew for being his own person.
"It it a far better thing that he thinks and acts on his own convictions than being the stupid sycophant to Albus Dumbledore that his bullying, smug, "I am superior because I am magical" father was, or the weak follow the rules and too soft to stand up to authority person that my sister was.
"I loved Lily, she was one of the warmest, kindest, and most book smart people I ever knew but she was human and had her flaws. Her temper for one, but she was brave enough to do the right thing and died defending her child. Point of fact she had her doubts about Dumbledore's plans and rather than stand up and confront those in authority she did as she was instructed by that old man and she died for it. My family has paid the price for the magical world's arrogance.
"Megalomaniacs in our world are caught and either killed or imprisoned. So don't tell me that I have raised my nephew as an arrogant…" Petunia stopped took several deep breaths then continued. "I raised him to see both the strengths and weaknesses of the people around him, all people; not to be a blind fool who believes that because he can do magic that affects others that he automatically should. He believes that magic is a tool and that with power comes responsibility. That is something the magical world would do well to learn."
Felicia nodded miserably. This really had not gone the way she envisioned.
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