Petunia, Vernon and their son Dudley Dursley were portrayed excellently in the Potter films. But here are some facts that only book fans know.
Summary
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The Harry Potter films left out key details about the Dursley family, such as Vernon’s suspicions about wizards and Petunia’s desire to attend Hogwarts.
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Dumbledore’s orders to the Dursleys were more extensive in the books, including protecting Harry until he turned 17 and treating him like a son.
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The films missed important scenes where Dumbledore confronts the Dursleys about their mistreatment of Harry and the Dursleys have to resort to private medical care to remove Dudley’s pig’s tail.
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There are some important Harry Potter The book-to-movie changes that longtime fans always point out when talking about the iconic franchise and the changes made to the Dursley family are near the top. Since the Dursleys do not appear in the real-life side of the Wizarding World’s history, they are not given as much screen time in the films as Hogwarts students and teachers. Those who have only seen the movies don’t know much about Vernon, Petunia and Dudley.
The disgusting characters made life heartbreaking for nephew Harry Potter and there really aren’t any redeemable qualities about any of them. That being said, there are aspects about the Dursleys from the books that could have been left in the movies to shed more light on the family. From the day they broke up with their nephew on their doorstep to a surprising story with Dumbledore to the day they dumped Harry, the Dursley family in the books has a few more layers.
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10 Vernon suspected something was up
Harry potter and the Philosopher’s Stone opens with Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall meet outside 4 Privet Drive. Once Rubeus Hagrid arrives, Harry is left on the doorstep of the Dursley home, where he will spend the next decade being tormented by his relatives. However, what the blockbuster doesn’t show is what happens beforehand.
In the book of the same name, Vernon Dursley suspects something is up from the moment he wakes up. He sees wizards celebrating in the street (although he thinks they are simply strangely dressed individuals) and thinks he hears a group mention the name “Potter.” Vernon even sees a cat reading a sign, but he reconsiders that he must have been looking at the sign. Of course, that cat was actually McGonagall watching Privet Drive before leaving Harry there that night.
9 Albus Dumbledore gave them stern orders
As seen in the first film, Dumbledore leaves a letter for the Dursleys when he places Harry on their doorstep. Of course, the film does not delve into the content of the latter. The books reveal that Dumbledore tells Harry’s aunt that, because he possesses the same blood as her sister Lily, the Boy Who Lived will be protected from her as long as he remains with her until he turns 17. .
That’s why the Howler that Dumbledore sends to Petunia succeeds. He also tells her to treat Harry well, as if she were his own son, although she does not honor this end of the deal. Petunia was possibly bitter towards Harry due to his own insecurities. The films omit facts such as Petunia’s desire to attend Hogwarts and how her not being able to go altered her relationship with Lily forever.
8 Dumbledore was furious when his orders were disobeyed
In the film version of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Dumbledore picks up Harry in person and finds him eating at a restaurant. However, in the books, Dumbledore actually picks it up from the Dursleys. That’s a major change to the point where the Dursleys were removed from the film entirely, changing the pattern of the series up to that point. At Privet Drive, Dumbledore scolds the Dursleys and has the audacity to call out their horrible behavior within his own living room.
The Hogwarts headmaster criticizes their treatment of Harry over the years and also takes aim at Dudley, saying that they have also treated his own son poorly. The family doesn’t know what to do with this, so sit back and accept it. This scene, along with more history of Voldemort and the Gaunts’ past in general, would have been a welcome addition to the film, but it was all cut.
7 The Dursleys Had To Go Private To Fix Dudley’s Tail
Hagrid’s arrival to pick up Harry for Hogwarts is an epic moment both on the page and the big screen. When the Dursleys make the mistake of disrespecting magic, the Potters and Dumbledore, Hagrid takes it upon himself to use a spell that gives Dudley a pig’s tail. The Dursleys didn’t know how to react to this and when they are seen again in the next movie, the tail isn’t really mentioned.
To fix the problems, the Dursleys have to pay for private medical care to operate on Dudley to remove his tail. One thing the books don’t fully explain is how the Dursleys managed to convince any doctor that this wasn’t magic. There must have been a lot of questions asked by the professionals, no matter how much they were paid.
6 Dudley was tricked by Fred and George
Fred and George Weasley love a good prank. Unfortunately, fans of the movies never get to see the duo meet Dudley, who is one of the biggest bullies in the entire franchise. In it goblet of fire In the book, their paths cross when the twins accompany their father Arthur Weasley to find Harry from the Dursleys and bring him back to The Burrow for the Quidditch World Cup.
Dudley is on a diet during this time, but Fred and George take advantage of this. In an early look at their future products for their joke shop, they leave a piece of candy lying around, and when Petunia and Vernon’s son greedily takes the bait, his tongue swells enormously. Arthur is forced to do some repair work, but is hindered by the Dursleys, who charge at him in his anger.
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5 How Dudley Got In Better Shape
Dudley in the books is, for the most part, a large individual. He has the same genetics as his father, which makes him considerably larger. However, he is noticeably thinner in the Order of the Phoenix The movie and book of the same name explain this even if the movie never mentions how it happened.
While actor Harry Melling underwent a surprising transformation, Dudley in the source material is actually dedicated to boxing. As a result, he becomes much more muscular and uses his strength to torment anyone he wants, including Harry. That’s why when they bring him back to the Dursleys after the Dementor attack on Little Whinging, they’re so surprised. They never imagined his big, powerful son would be so weak, especially given his penchant for boxing.
4 Petunia Was Warned After The Dementors Attack
After Dudley is attacked by Azkaban guards, the Order of the Phoenix The movie moves quickly. But the book shows that there was a huge reaction to the incident, with many owls flying into his room. One is from the Ministry of Magic, who tells Harry that he has been expelled, another is from Arthur, who warns him to stay still, and a third is again from the Ministry of Magic, who states that he will now be tried after having his time at Hogwarts came to an end.
However, there is also a fourth owl sent by an unknown person. As a trembling Petunia opens the letter, a sinister voice says, “Remember the last one, Petunia.” This revealed that Petunia’s backstory involved magic in some way. It was later explained that this was from Albus Dumbledore, who knew that the Dursleys were close to cutting ties with his nephew. Given the blood shared between Harry and Petunia and how that protected him, it’s clear why Harry has to stay where he is.
3 Vernon went to shake Harry’s hand (then didn’t)
Fans were never able to properly say goodbye to the Dursleys on screen. They make a brief cameo in the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 before they take them away. They are forced to leave their family home after it becomes clear to them that if they stay, Lord Voldemort will likely come to visit them. Each family member has an interesting reaction to leaving Harry in the book.
Vernon goes to shake Harry’s hand and then leaves. He can’t seem to face saying goodbye to someone he has hated for the last 17 years. It’s the least positive reaction to the goodbye, although it makes sense considering Vernon is the only one not related by blood to Harry.
2 Aunt Petunia couldn’t pronounce the words
Fiona Shaw plays Aunt Petunia brilliantly in the Potter films, but they failed Petunia. Shaw realized that the character was immensely difficult to read, something that is made clear in the source material. So it’s a shame that a scene Shaw filmed with Daniel Radcliffe for the series’ penultimate entry didn’t make it into the final cut. In the book and the deleted scene, Petunia struggles to pronounce the words as she says goodbye to her nephew.
It looks like he’s about to wish Harry good luck in his quest to defeat Lord Voldemort before thinking better of it. JK Rowling later said that years of hiding her feelings had hardened the Boy Who Lived’s aunt, which went some way to explaining her bad behavior. If Petunia had followed Dumbledore’s words to treat Harry like her own son, she probably would have handled this final moment together better.
1 Dudley was nice to Harry
The main deleted Dursley family scene that fans wish had made the final cut was Dudley saying goodbye to Harry. This cut was likely made due to time constraints, but it would have been a welcome closure to a relationship so pivotal to the franchise’s early entries when Harry and Dudley were just children. In it Deathly Hallows In the novel, Dudley leaves tea outside Harry’s door. He thinks this is a joke from his cousin, but is pleasantly surprised when he receives a nice send-off.
Dudley says he doesn’t think the Boy Who Lived is a waste of space, thanks him for saving him from the Dementors two years earlier, and the pair shake hands. Rowling later revealed that the couple were on ‘Christmas card terms’ after the Battle of Hogwarts, but their relationship still wasn’t that great. However, this is a big step forward for two cousins who have never shared a single positive moment together before.