In the magical world of Harry Potter, everyone knows that Harry does not have an idyllic relationship with his uncle Vernon and his aunt Petunia. This is not the fault of young Harry, who has to face the hostility of his family from a very young age. We can therefore ask ourselves this question: where does this hatred of Vernon and Petunia towards Harry come from? ?
Vernon And Petunia are most certainly the Muggles most hated of the planet. For those who have stayed in a cave for the last 20 years without having had the chance to read or watch the films Harry Potterlittle reminder: Vernon and Petunia Dursley are respectively Harry’s uncle and aunt on his mother’s side, Petunia being Lily Potter’s sister.
A very tense first meeting between the Dursley and Potter couples
The origin of the animosity towards Harry comes from the conflicting relationship between Petunia and her little sister Lily. The latter, two years younger, has powers magical. When Lily is invited to join HogwartsPetunia is so jealous that she decides to write to Albus Dumbledore himself to ask to also be admitted to the witchcraft school. But his request is Refused, which hurts her deeply. She then begins to denigrate her sister, calling her monster.
Faced with the rejection of the magical world, she decides to seek normality above all. Petunia will meet a certain Vernon at her workplace. The young woman found in him a normal man who matched her aspirations. Despite Petunia’s fears regarding the reaction of Vernon, the latter promised never to blame him for having a witch sister.
But the reason why the Dursley couple rejecting Harry isn’t just about Petunia’s family history. It also has its origin in the first meeting between the Dursley couple and the Potter couple, that is to say Lily And James Potter. Indeed Rowling revealed on the website Pottermore the underside of this meeting which turned family relations upside down forever.
At a dinnerVernon tried to treat James with a certain arrogance asking him what car he drove, to which James responded by describing his magic broom. Vernon then claimed that wizards had to live on welfare, and James retorted by talking about Gringotts and the fortune that his parents owned there. Vernon didn’t know if James made fun of him or told the truthwhich put him in anger.
An argument between Harry Potter’s parents and the Dursleys
Animosity was so strong between the couples that Petunia refused to let Lily be her bridesmaid during her marriage, exhausted from always living in his shadow. The two couples ended up hating each other so much that Petunia and Vernon decided not to attend Lily and James’ wedding.
The rest of the story is tragic for Lily and James Potter: they are murdered in their home by Flight of death, while young Harry, aged one year, survives. With all the hatred that exists, one can imagine their reaction negative seeing the baby Harry in front of their door. With her husband, they decide to keep their orphaned nephew while hiding his true nature from him.
JK Rowling also clarified on the website Pottermore that every time Vernon looked at Harry Potter, he couldn’t help but to remember Jamesthus reviving unpleasant memories. This became more pronounced as the years went by, as the resemblance between Harry and James became more and more obvious.
A relationship full of jealousy
During his childhood with Dursley, Harry is treated like an outcast by Petunia and Vernon. They do not grant him not a real roombut just the closet under the stairs. They don’t offer him no gifts as they do for their son and oblige him to do the housework. And worst of all, they lie on the death of his parentsclaiming that they are died in a car accidentall in refusing to respond to his questions on his family.
A difficult childhood therefore for Harry, who is nevertheless a “ celebrity » in the wizarding world, but rejected by one’s own family because of existing family history. Seeing him arrive at Hogwarts will accentuate their animosity towards their nephew.
We can therefore say that the story complex And nuanced of the relationship between the Dursleys and Harry Potter is imbued with resentment. Their relationship highlights the consequences of jealousy and refusal of the other.
