Unveiling the Untold Bond: Harry Potter's Dynamic Relationship with Dudley

Highlights

The Dursleys pass down their biases towards wizardkind to their son, Dudley, through their mistreatment of Harry, reinforcing negative attitudes.

Initially a bully to Harry, Dudley eventually reconciles with him and develops a newfound bond, demonstrating notable personal growth. The harrowing encounter with the Dementors acts as a wakeup call for Dudley, propelling him towards self-reflection and a willingness to discard his inherited prejudices.

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The opening chapter of the initial Harry Potter installment, titled "The Sorcerer's Stone," presents a picturesque depiction of life at Number Four, Privet Drive, for the Dursley family. Leading the household is Vernon Dursley, who holds the position of director at a company called Grunnings, specializing in drill manufacturing. His wife, Petunia, takes on the role of a stay-at-home mother to their son, Dudley. Chapter 1, commonly known as "The Boy Who Lived," delves into the events leading up to the moment when Albus Dumbledore is about to place the orphaned Harry Potter into Aunt Petunia's care. It becomes apparent that the Dursleys hold scorn towards Harry's mother, Lily, due to her being a muggle-born witch, as well as his father, James, who is a pure-blood wizard. According to the Dursleys, the Potters are considered nothing more than outcasts.

The Dursleys epitomize the typical English middle-class family, while James and Lily actively participated in the First Wizarding War as members of the Order of the Phoenix. The Dursleys, through their treatment of Harry, strive to instill their prejudices against the wizarding world onto their own child. Consequently, Dudley, at a young age, unknowingly inherits his parents' animosity without any understanding of what Harry's parents fought for. In the second chapter, titled "The Vanishing Glass," the narrative explores Harry's experiences as he grows up in the Dursley household. Despite living with his aunt for ten years, there is a noticeable absence of any photographs featuring him on the living room mantelpiece. While Aunt Petunia reluctantly took him in, she fails to anticipate that her own son, Dudley, would eventually play a role in bridging the gap and rebuilding a relationship with Harry.

Harry And Dudley Through The Years

Chapter 2 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone revolves around Dudley's eleventh birthday. His preferred activity is physically assaulting people, and his favorite target is his smaller and thinner cousin, Harry. Since Harry is more agile, Dudley struggles to catch him. Harry is forced to wear Dudley's old clothes, and his glasses are constantly broken from Dudley's punches to his nose. In "The Vanishing Glass," Dudley attempts to persuade his mother to not take Harry to the zoo. He throws a tantrum and feigns crying, but Mrs. Figg, who usually watches over Harry, is unavailable, leaving Petunia with limited options.

Dudley, accompanied by his gang, frequently chases and physically attacks Harry around the school grounds. During Dudley's birthday trip to the reptile house, his punch causes both him and his friend, Piers Polkiss, to stumble into the boa constrictor's enclosure while the snake slips away. Uncle Vernon blames Harry and accuses him of causing the glass to vanish. In Chapter 3, titled "The Letters From No One," Dudley's friends, Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon, join him in their favorite pastime: "Harry Hunting" during the holidays. Consequently, Harry spends most of his time evading them. While Dudley is accepted into Smeltings, Harry attends a local school called Stonewall High. However, in September 1991, Harry begins his education at Hogwarts against the Dursleys' futile attempts to prevent it. As a result, Dudley ends up growing a pig's tail.

The Dementors' Attack And Dudley's Amends

The return of Harry for the summer leaves the Dursleys feeling discontented. In The Chamber of Secrets, Dudley takes pleasure in taunting Harry about the absence of birthday cards from his Hogwarts friends. He mockingly refers to the school as a "freak place" and continues to torment him throughout the holiday season. The third installment, The Prisoner of Azkaban, reveals that Dudley, akin to his parents, possesses a deeply entrenched "medieval attitude" towards magic. During that year, Aunt Marge pays a visit to the Dursleys at Privet Drive, which fills Harry with terror. He vividly recalls how Dudley had once derisively laughed at him when their dog, Ripper, had chased Harry up a tree. Dudley delights in witnessing his father's mistreatment of Harry, with the latter describing it as his "favorite form of entertainment." In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Vernon and Petunia consistently cover up Dudley's poor academic performance and dismiss accusations of his bullying behavior in his end-of-year report.

After the Dementors' attack on Dudley in the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk, things take a turn for the worse at Number Four. Harry, determined to protect his cousin, conjures a powerful Patronus, banishing the Dementors. With Dudley in his arms, Harry bravely makes his way back home. The chaos that ensues leaves Vernon and Petunia furious at Dudley's condition. In his anger, Vernon accuses Harry of using magic on Dudley, unaware of the true nature of the attack. Overwhelmed by the situation, Vernon decides that taking care of Harry is not worth the trouble anymore and orders him to leave. However, when a Howler from Dumbledore arrives, Aunt Petunia has a change of heart and asks Harry to stay.

In the sixth book of the Harry Potter series, titled The Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore pays a visit to the Dursleys and informs them that the magical protection he had put in place years ago will no longer be effective once Harry turns seventeen. Knowing this, Dumbledore requests that Harry be allowed to return to the Dursleys one last time before his seventeenth birthday. Reluctantly, the Dursleys leave their home in Privet Drive in chapter 3 of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Harry, along with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Arthur Weasley, explain to them the danger they face as possible hostages of Voldemort and the need for them to go into hiding.

Dudley is the first among the Dursleys to accept the help of the Order, expressing concern about leaving Harry behind. He asks his parents why Harry is not coming with them. During their conversation, Harry describes himself as "a waste of space," to which Dudley counters that he does not see Harry that way. Dudley acknowledges that Harry saved his life and makes a light-hearted remark about the impact of Dementors on his personality. They bid each other farewell, and Dudley almost smiles.

According to J.K. Rowling's statements during a 2007 Q&A session (as reported by MTV), Harry and Dudley would have enough contact to exchange Christmas cards. Rowling mentions that their visits would be born out of a sense of duty and would involve a lot of silence so that their children could become familiar with one another. Additionally, Rowling states that the Dementor attack experienced by Dudley in the fifth book of the series was actually beneficial for him, serving as a reality check and making him more self-aware. Simply put, Dudley's small gesture in The Deathly Hallows shows progress in the right direction. While the harm caused cannot be undone, Dudley has overcome the prejudice he was raised with.