Piers Polkiss

Piers Polkiss
Biographical information
Born	c. 1980
Blood status	Muggle
Nationality	British
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Relationship information
Family members	Mrs Polkiss (mother)
Affiliation
Loyalty	Dudley Dursley's gang Smeltings Academy

"Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them."

— A description of Piers

Piers Polkiss was a Muggle and Dudley Dursley's best friend, when they were young. Despite being scrawny with a face like a rat, he was a member of Dudley Dursley's gang and was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs so Dudley could hit them. Piers did not like Harry Potter, because Dudley did not, and he always followed Dudley's lead. Piers would also join Dudley at Smeltings Academy.

Biography

1991

"Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"

— Piers' shock after witnessing Harry Potter talk to a snake

Harry Potter, Piers Polkiss and Dudley Dursley

On 23 June 1991, Dudley's eleventh birthday, Piers accompanied him, the Dursleys and Harry to the zoo. During the trip, Piers saw Harry talking to a snake in the reptile house.

When Harry was pushed out of the way, and then unintentionally made the glass disappear, Piers and Dudley jumped back in surprise. When Piers told the Dursleys that Harry had been talking to the snake, they gave Harry his longest ever punishment.

1995

"Nice right hook, Big D."

— Piers congratulating Dudley

During the summer of 1995, Dudley lied to his parents saying that he was at the Polkisses' having tea, although Piers was with Dudley's gang as they roamed the neighbourhood, often smoking, committing petty vandalism, getting into fights, or bullying younger kids.

Etymology

Piers is of Anglo-Saxon heritage and means "rock". It is a variant of Peter, from the Greek for "rock". Polkiss may be a variation of Polk, which itself is a variation of the Scottish names Pogue, Pollack, or Pollock, meaning "from the pool or pit".

Behind the scenes

• Due to being Dudley's closest friend of the group, Piers Polkiss was most likely the gang's second-in-command.
• Piers was portrayed by Jason Boyd in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
• Piers did not appear, nor was he even mentioned, in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
• Piers has not appeared in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7.
• It is mentioned several times in the books that all the members of Dudley's gang were big and stupid, but Piers was always described as being scrawny with a face like a rat. It is possible that Piers was scrawny when compared to the other members or that he gained a significant amount of weight after he went to the zoo with Dudley and Harry.
  • That said, the Harry Potter Trading Card Game does depict Piers as scrawny with a rat-like face alongside the bulky Dudley while Harry Hunting, so maybe this was either a mistake from the artists who designed him and he was always intended to not be big like Dudley and his friends or that J. K. Rowling forgot to clarify that Piers was physically different than the rest of Dudley's gang.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Pottermore (Mentioned only)
• Wizarding World (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game

Notes and references

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