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This chapter briefly mentions Hagrid's expulsion from Hogwarts, which is an important plot element in the next book, [[Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Chamber of Secrets|''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'']].
Hagrid's fear to sayspeak Voldemort's name aloud will be echoed throughout the series, with people referring to him as, "the Dark Lord," "you-know-who", "he who must not be named", as well as other variants. This dread, though constant, is greatly reinforced in [[Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Deathly Hallows|the seventh book]] when Voldemort places a taboo on his name, such that anyone speakinguttering it is immediately detected and subjected to reprisals. The taboo is generally aimed at those fighting him, as they are among the few who dare speaksay his name, and most specifically at Harry Potter, who has become public enemy number one under Voldemort's new regime. While only speculated, it is possible that a similar taboo could have existed during Voldemort's initial reign, and that it engendered a fear of speaking his name aloud among the Wizarding populace. By contrast, Harry is also known by a different moniker, "the Boy Who Lived" (and later, "the Chosen One"), though none in the wizarding world fear speaking his real name.
Petunia's tirade is meant to show how Muggles' fear and disdain what they are unable to fully understand. While this becomes a recurring theme in the series, Petunia's reaction is actually based on her jealousy over her sister, Lily, having been a witch, while she is not. After Lily received her Hogwarts letter, Petunia also desperately wanted to to attend, but having no magical powersability, she was forced to remain behind in the Muggle world. AsTo aconsole resultherself, she became convinced herself that her sister was a freak and the Wizard world "abnormal", and she resolved to be as opposite from that as possible; now she inflictshas since inflicted her bitter resentment and jealousyanimosity onto Harry.
By learning his own true nature, Harry has taken the first step on the path leading to his eventual destiny. He will continue on it throughout the series, with some occasional setbacks.
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