Dudley Dursley

Dudley Dursley is Harry Potter's cousin, and Vernon and Petunia Dursley's son. He bullies others to the point of exhaustion, and is very fat.

Rubeus Hagrid, upon being angered by Dudley's father and disgusted by the Dursleys in general, uses magic to make a pig tail sprout from Dudley's fat bottom, which causes immense pain. (In the film, Dudley was eating the birthday cake given to Harry, further disgusting Hagrid and making his backside an easier target) In the summer of the second novel, Dudley is described as even more massive, so much so that his bottom droops over each side of the chair (The tail had been removed at a private hospital). He has lost none of his bullying efforts, and taunts Harry about getting nothing for his birthday. In the third novel's summer, he is even more fat, and now does not even walk between the living room and the kitchen, as his father has installed a new TV in the kitchen, at which Dudley sits all day, eating constantly. He now has five chins. Then, the summer of 1994, he is described as having "reached the size and weight of a young killer whale", and has disgusted the staff and students of Smeltings so much that the school nurse forces a diet regime upon Dudley, saying that he was now too fat for the school uniforms. Fred and George Weasley, when picking Harry up from the Dursley's house, get revenge on Dudley for bullying Harry by dropping a sweet that Dudley quickly devours, and it causes his tongue to expand greatly and cause him immense pain before it is shrunk. While still not following the diet, Dudley takes up boxing, which does not change his figure but gives him even more prominence over other children. After taking up his workout regime, Dudley became weightlifting champion at his school.

File:YoungDudley.jpg

Dudley on his eleventh birthday.

In 1995, Dudley and Harry were attacked in the street by two Dementors. They were saved by Harry's patronus, but Dudley, confused by what had happened, pinned the blame for the attack on Harry. He could not see the Dementors.

When Albus Dumbledore paid a personal visit to the Dursleys in 1996, he was disgusted by Dudley, and blamed the Dursleys for the "appalling damage" their parenting inflicted on their son.

When Harry parted ways with the Dursleys in 1997, Dudley was the only member to bid Harry a heartfelt farewell. He shook Harry's hand, and thanked him for saving his life. The Aurors escorting the Dursleys into hiding were not satisfied by this, and thought a more adequate apology was in order, but the Dursleys left with nothing more to say.

In Dudley's adult life, he and Harry remained on "Christmas Card terms". Harry occationally took his children to Dudley's when they were in the neighborhood, occasions dreaded by James, Albus and Lily.^[1]

Behind the scenes

In one of Harry's several letters to Sirius Black, he states that Dudley chucked his Playstation out a window. However, the Playstation wasn't released in Britain until 1995; this detail was written in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which takes place in 1994. Although his parents gave him whatever he wanted so they could have went out of Britain to get it.
Although not mentioned in the books, J.K. Rowling said during the Dementor attack, Dudley envisioned himself as a cruel bully, indicating that deep down, he regrets his treatment of Harry.

References

↑ JK Rowling comments on Harry and Dudley's future relationship

Appearances

[1] JK Rowling comments on Harry and Dudley's future relationship

[1]

Dudley Dursley

Behind the scenes

References

Appearances

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