TheHarry Pottermovies cut many scenes from the books that could have greatly improved some minor characters, and among them is one big Dudley Dursley mystery that could have been beneficial to the character of Aunt Petunia.TheHarry Potternovelstook generations of readers into the wizarding world to meet the title character and many other wizards and witches, through which it showed how different this world was from the “Muggle” one. The most notable characters in the Muggle world were Harry’s relatives, the Dursleys, who were abusive to him throughout his childhood.
Harry’s admittance to Hogwarts not only changed his life in terms of becoming a wizard but it also took him out of his abusive home. Despite theHarry Potter books and movies focusing more on Harry’s time and adventures in Hogwarts and other parts of the wizarding world, it also took time to explore parts of his life in the Muggle world – after all,the Dursleys were the only biological family he had left. However, they also forgot to go deeper into some parts of Harry’s story with the Dursleys, such as addressing a huge Dudley mystery that would have improved Aunt Petunia.
Solving Harry Potter’s Biggest Dudley Mystery Could Have Improved Petunia Dursley
Petunia Dursley Was A More Complex Character Than She Seemed
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanintroduced the Dementors, some of the darkest and most horrifying creatures in the wizarding world. The Dementors fed on human happiness and generated feelings of depression and despair in their targets.Dementors could also force their victims to relive their worst memoriesand could go as far as to consume their souls. InHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry came across two Dementors near the Dursley’s home on Privet Drive, and he and Dudley were ambushed by them.
Although Harry successfully got rid of them withthe Patronus charm,Dudley suffered the consequences of being so close to a Dementor, even if he couldn’t see them. During the attack, Dudley heard things inside his head, telling his parents that everything had gone dark. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were deeply concerned about what happened to Dudley, but Harry knew Dementors force their victims to relieve their worst memories, but he couldn’t imaginewhat Dudley could have seenand heard as he had always seemingly had a perfect life.
Dudley’s worst memory could have been hearing Petunia reacting to the news of Lily’s death.
When it happened to Harry, he heard his mother dying even though that was a memory from when he was just a baby. It’s possible, then, thatDudley’s worst memorycould have been hearing Petunia reacting to the news of Lily’s death. Throughout theHarry Potterbooks and movies,Petunia never showed her pain over Lily’s deathand always showed disgust towards everything related to the wizarding world, but confirming that Dudley’s worst memory was his mother’s pain would have shown a repressed and important side of Petunia.
Harry Potter Doesn’t Dig Deeply Enough Into Petunia & Lily’s Relationship
Petunia & Lily’s Relationship Was Never Properly Addressed
Petunia and Lily’s relationship isn’t properly addressed inHarry Potter, but from the couple of details and bits of information given throughout the books, it’s more than clear that they had a complex relationship. Petunia was the oldest sister and a Muggle, but Lily began to show unusual abilities from an early age. This led Lily to bond with a young Severus Snape, who lived in their same town and also displayed magical abilities.Petunia envied Lily and disapproved of her abilities, and her jealousy only grew when her parents began to praise Lily and her magical skills.
When Lily got her acceptance letter from Hogwarts confirming that she was a witch, Petunia felt even more left out and wrote to Dumbledore asking if she could attend Hogwarts too. Although Dumbledore answered kindly and politely,Petunia felt hurt and wanted nothing to do with the wizarding world, to the point where she would call Lily a “freak”.
I’m Still So Conflicted About Petunia Dursley In Harry Potter
A closer look at Petunia Dursley’s story inspires a little sympathy for the Harry Potter character, but does that mean she deserves redemption?
However, some details point to Petunia still holding Lily close to her heart, despite claiming to hate her. At one point in theOrder of the Phoenixnovel, when Harry tells Vernon and Petunia that the Dementors showed up because Voldemort had returned, Petunia’s face completely changed,showing to Harry that there was a lot of pain and fear behind the mask of hateand disdain that she had always carried.
Dudley’s worst memory being his mother’s pain over her sister’s death would have shown that she did love her sister, and would have further confirmed why she hated the wizarding world so much as it took her sister away twice: once to take her to Hogwarts and again when she was killed.
Harry Potter Missed A Lot Of Opportunities To Make The Dursleys More Interesting
Some Key Scenes With The Dursleys Were Cut From The Movies
The Dursleys became some of the most hated characters in the world ofHarry Potter, and though there are good reasons for that, the movies missed big opportunities to make them more interesting.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2cut the goodbye scenebetween Dudley and Harry, the only proof there is in the movies of how his encounter with the Dementors changed Dudley. Vernon is as cold as ever and Harry stands his ground, butDudley approaches his cousin to shake his hand, telling him he doesn’t think he’s a waste of space, as his father does.
Dudley and Harry exchange soft smiles before Harry simply says “See you, Big D.” Another cut scene saw Petunia and Harry in the now-empty Dursley home, with Petunia saying she had lived in that house for 20 years and now had to leave in one night. Harry reminds her that it’s for their safety, andPetunia tells him she’s aware of the horrors Voldemort and his people can unleash, as he didn’t just lose a mother that night in Godric’s Hollow, she lost a sister.
“I Lost A Sister”: How The Harry Potter Movies Failed Petunia Dursley
Petunia Dursley had been a far more complex character than the Harry Potter movies let on, but she still wasn’t entirely deserving of redemption.
While these moments wouldn’t have redeemed the Dursleys, and they don’t erase the years of neglect and abuse Harry went through with them,they show there was a lot more to Petunia and Dudley than just hate and anger, and there was a lot of emotional complexity in them that was never explored.
