Dudley Dursley

Profile

Dudley was born on June 23, 1980.

Dudley Dursley is Harry Potter’s Muggle cousin, and the only son of Vernon and Petunia Dursley of number four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Dudley, in extreme contrast to Harry, was grossly overindulged by both his mother and father. Petunia petted and coddled him and turned a blind eye to his bullying. Vernon, on the other hand, encouraged his son’s manipulations, greed and violent behavior.

Dudley attends a private school named Smeltings and spends his school holidays terrorizing Harry and the younger children of the neighborhood with his gang. As Harry grew in power and confidence, however, he became less of an easy mark.

Dudley’s gang

• Piers Polkiss (PS2, PS3, OP1)
• Dennis (PS3)
• Malcolm (PS3)
• Gordon (PS3)

Dudley was the leader of a group of primary school bullies; his best friend is Piers Polkiss, a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. Piers holds other kids so Dudley can slug them. Harry was friendless because the other kids at primary school didn’t like to disagree with Dudley’s gang, whose favorite sport was “Harry hunting.” When Snape viewed Harry’s earliest memories during Occlumency lessons, they were of Dudley’s gang humiliating him in primary school, even making him stand in a toilet (OP26).

Dudley at Smeltings 
In 1991, Dudley went to Smeltings, the private secondary school that his father had attended. “Smeltings’ boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren’t looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.” (PS2).

His parents are of the opinion that his teachers don’t understand him because the teachers note with concern his bullying behavior. After his third year at Smeltings, the school nurse informed the Dursleys that Dudley had to go on a diet, since he had become too large for the Smeltings uniforms.

When the Weasleys arrived to take Harry to the Quidditch World Cup, the Twins left some Ton-Tongue Toffees behind knowing that Dudley would eat them. It engorged his tongue till it was four-feet long, at which point the Dursleys let Arthur Weasley shrink it (GF5). Arthur was angry that his children were being cruel to a Muggle (even if the Twins and Harry thought he deserved it), and Molly promptly confiscated the rest of the toffees.

During the 1994-95 school year, Dudley became the Junior Inter-School Boxing Champion of the South East. He became, if possible, an even worse bully. He and his gang spent the summer holidays terrorizing the neighborhood. They smoked, vandalized the play park, threw stones at cars and small children, and beat up younger boys, including a certain Mark Evans, whom Dudley said “cheeked” him (OP1).

Dudley and the Dementor
On the evening of August 2, 1995, Harry and Dudley were attacked by a Dementor in the alley between Wisteria Walk and Magnolia Crescent, about two streets away from his home. The immediate effect on Dudley was obvious: he was throwing up and chilled to the bone (OP1). The long term effect was that Dudley got a first-hand taste of uncontrolled evil and of Harry’s bravery. When they parted two years later (perhaps forever), Dudley astounded Harry by showing concern for his safety and thanking him for saving his life (DH).

When Harry was caught by the Snatchers, he combined Dudders name with his father’s and called himself “Vernon Dudley,” a Muggleborn Slytherin, and they actually believed him (DH23).

Eventually, Dudley married and had children, but none of them were magical (ruled out by Vernon’s genes).   Harry sometimes brings his children for a visit, which they dread – probably because Dudley’s children may be somewhat like him (JKR).