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One of the first thing that newHarry Potterfanslearn about the series ( maybe the very first , in fact ) is that those dastardly Dursleys are some of the most unpleasant , judgemental , and snobbish people you could ever meet in a British suburb . Vernonand Petunia Dursley have a gravid fear and loathing of magic , which run to Petunia ’s own sister and buddy - in - law , Lily and James Potter .
On recede his parent , Harry Potter is brought to live with Vernon and Petunia , who extend that fear and hate to the male child and instill it in their own son , Dudley . As we recognise , this extend to years of bullying , bickering , and ruthlessness between the two boy . Harry is often seen as the victim , but he was terrible to his cousin at times too . Let ’s take a flavour at some of the worst things Harry and Dudley did to each other .
DUDLEY: Bullying Harry At School
In a world that incline to be associated with witches , champion , titan , werewolves , centaurs and all way of other fantastical animal , theHarry Potterseries stay very down to Earth . Before all of the brilliant magical meaninglessness begins , J.K. Rowling goes to swell length to explain the very veridical and relatable torment Harry suffers at Dudley ’s hands at school .
The novelHarry Potter and the Sorcerer ’s Stonedetails Dudley and his friends ’ making love of ‘ Harry hunt ’ at shoal , and explain that Harry ’s methamphetamine hydrochloride are taped together because he ’s been punched in the face by the bully so many times .
HARRY: The Snake Incident
Now , grant , this was n’t precisely Harry ’s fault . Magic often leak out of underaged virtuoso and crone against their will , as a result of strong emotion . When it comes to cruel thing to do to your cousin , though , trap them in the boa constrictor / Burmese python ’s inclosure at the zoological garden is just a shade above the usual silly family practical jokes .
The movie made this picayune scene seem much more striking , not to name traumatic on poor erstwhile Dudley ’s part . Still , nobody was hurt , and we care to guess the snake really did find its way to Brazil eventually .
DUDLEY: Taunts About Harry’s Isolation
The time between the ending of Harry ’s first yr at his beloved Hogwarts and the starting signal of his second was passing unmanageable for him . In the beginning ofHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , he ’s being hounded by a House Elf named Dobby , who lie with that terrible thing are move to happen at Hogwarts that year and require to ascertain Harry stays at home plate .
Dobby messiness with Harry in all kinds of ways , include hide the letter of the alphabet he gets from his ally to make Harry think they ’ve leave him . In the novel , Dudley , sleep together all about Harry ’s vivid isolation ( which he ’s hurt throughout his life to date ) , jump on the opportunity to tantalize him about the fact that he has ( apparently ) find nothing for his birthday . amount from a male child who make a famous tantrum because he only had 36 natal day present , this must really sting .
HARRY: Taunting Dudley With Magic
So , yes . That was a very humiliated snow on Dudley ’s part , reveling in the fact that it look as though Harry had no friends ( he did n’t at their last school , because everyone was afraid of Dudley and sleep together he hated Harry ) . He ’s not the only one adequate to of this sort of affair , though .
Harry knows that the Dursleys are terrorize of magic , and found the pig ’s rear that Hagrid give Dudley when they first take on screaming . Traumatic as this experience surely was for Dudley , Harry joyously venture to curse his cousin-german on several occasions , for the pleasure of watch his dashing alarm from the elbow room .
DUDLEY: Refusing To Give Harry His Second Bedroom
With the Dursleys being notoriously snobby social climbers , it ’s no surprisal that their only nipper would have a ‘ 2nd bedroom , ’ a sorting of overflow for all the supernumerary possession that have been shower upon him . Harry , meanwhile , is left to sleep in the closet under the stairs .
Before long , Vernon and Petunia deem it necessary for Harry to take Dudley ’s second bedroom as his own . Dudley , with dead no need of it , throws an unbelievable conniption at the melodic theme . In the first novel , J.K. Rowling key his reaction to the news:“He’d screamed , whacked his father with his Smelting stick , been crazy on intention , kick back his mother , and discombobulate his tortoise through the nursery ceiling , and he still did n’t have his way back . ”
HARRY: Manipulating Dudley’s Lack Of Intelligence
This is one element of Harry and Dudley ’s kinship that you ’d necessitate to have take the books to really appreciate . Daniel Radcliffe ’s Harry Potter is , many fans say , much less snarky and sassy than the Harry Potter of the Holy Writ , who was more inclined to cruelly fudge and make play of Dudley , who is n’t an intelligent as he is .
He compares Grawp ( Hagrid ’s giant half - buddy ) and his battle to learn English to Dudley . He makes sarcastic jest to his face and then hurriedness away before Dudley has action them . As with the taunting about magic , these are very cheap shots .
DUDLEY: Bullying Harry For His Grief Over Cedric Diggory’s Death
The long - suffer Hufflepuff housejust did n’t merit this . The tragic dying of Cedric Diggory at the end ofHarry Potter and the Goblet of Firemarked the loss of the house ’s most illustrious pupil . It also , of course , traumatized Harry to his very core , after his narrow escape from Voldemort ’s clutches .
The Dursleys , of course , did n’t lie with the full story of what had find at that memorial park . Nevertheless , Dudley rage up his syllabus of taunting Harry afterwards , as his first cousin had been have nightmares and blab out in his eternal rest . This serve as perfect affront cannon fodder for him .
HARRY: The Dementor Attack
Well , strictly speaking , the Dementor attack in Little Whinging was n’t strictly Harry ’s flaw . They had been sent after him by none other than Dolores Umbridge ( think of her as a female Voldemort with less charm and lots of pink cardigans / big cat portrait ) . Nevertheless , the terrified Dudley thought that Harry was cast some sort of spell on him and blamed him for the trial by ordeal .
Interestingly , though , this consequence change Dudley . Under the influence of the Dementor ’s powers , he finally agnize how cruelly he had been behaving and was grateful to Harry for saving his aliveness . In their adult biography , the two would share a civil kinship and their minor would roleplay together .
DUDLEY: Bringing His Gang To The House
As we make love , then , Dudley seemed to make it his mission in life to rally , aggravate and broadly punish Harry for existing whenever he could . Before set off Hogwarts , Harry had attended the same shoal as his Dudley , who would ballyrag him every day alongside his remorseless gang .
During that last school vacation before he started attending Smeltings , though , Dudley ’s evil brother came to the house every day . Vernon and Petunia treat him ill enough at home , without his schoolhouse tormenters following him there !
HARRY: A Bully In His Own Way
In short , the explosive relationship between Harry and Dudley has always been check by a constant battle of Einstein versus brawn . Harry is unable to dispute his cousin physically , leave him with only two weapon system : his wits and the menace of deception .
While Harry is n’t allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts while underage , the Dursleys do n’t ascertain this until afterward . In the meantime , Harry threatened his cousin just as much as Dudley threatened him ; only with his scepter and abuse rather of his clenched fist .
NEXT : Harry Potter : The 10 uncollectible Things Petunia Dursley Did To Harry , Ranked
