The celebrated author unveiled Privet Drive’s most loathed residents, Petunia and Vernon Dursely’s secrets on her website, Pottermore., fittingly on Harry’s cousin Dudley’s 35th birthday.
J.K. Rowling transported us into the stifling world of Petunia and Vernon Dursley, sharing details of the characters relationship and why they hated the wizarding world’s most-beloved hero, Harry Potter – forcing him to be the boy that lived… under the stairs.
“Harry’s aunt and uncle met at work. Petunia Evans, forever embittered by the fact that her parents seemed to value her witch sister more than they valued her, left Cokeworth forever to pursue a typing course in London,” J.K. explained on the site.
Before revealing (rather unsurprisingly): “This led to an office job, where she met the extremely unmagical, opinionated and materialistic Vernon Dursley.”
The creator of the magical world went on to unveil that the vile muggles fell in love, leading Vernon to propose “in his mother’s sitting room.”
Fans of the book would know that Petunia happily accepted the proposal, but now she would have to reveal to Vernon that her sister Lily was a muggle-born witch.
The famous scene where Harry receives his letter to Hogwarts, before it is abruptly stolen by his Uncle Vernon.
“Vernon was apt to despise even people who wore brown shoes with black suits; what he would make of a young woman who spent most of her time wearing long robes and casting spells, Petunia could hardly bear to think,” the story continues.
“She confessed the truth during a tear-stained date, in Vernon’s dark car as they sat overlooking the chip shop where Vernon had just bought them a post-cinema snack. Vernon, as Petunia had expected, was deeply shocked; however, he told Petunia solemnly that he would never hold it against her that she had a freak for a sister, and Petunia threw herself upon him in such violent gratitude that he dropped his battered sausage,” J.K. pens humorously.
During this time, Petunia’s relationship with Lily suffered. To make matters worse, Vernon and Lily’s husband-to-be James Potter butted heads, leading the Dursleys to skip the Potters’ wedding.
J.K. explained that “the very last piece of correspondence [Petunia] received from Lily and James was the announcement of Harry’s birth, and after one contemptuous look, Petunia threw it in the bin.”
The fantasy visionary also discussed the inspiration behind the awful characters.
“Vernon and Petunia were so-called from their creation, and never went through a number of trial names, as so many other characters did.”
She chose Vernon because it was “simply a name [she] never much cared for” and Petunia because it’s “the name that [she] always gave unpleasant female characters in games of make believe.”
Many fans may recall wanting more from Petunia in the final installment of the Harry Potter saga, but the British author explained her decision to make the final goodbye needed to reflect her attitude from the previous books.
“Although some readers wanted more from Aunt Petunia during this farewell, I still think that I have her behave in a way that is most consistent with her thoughts and feelings throughout the previous seven books. Nobody ever seemed to expect any better from Uncle Vernon, so they were not disappointed.”
You can read the marvelous addition to the world Harry Potter directly on Pottermore..
