Is Dudley adopted?

[mstattersall]

No: HPFGUIDX 82451

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lily_paige_delaney" 
<lily_paige_delaney at y...> wrote:
> Does anyone else suspect that Dudley Dursley might be adopted?  I 
> There is also the issue of Harry's blood protection.  <snip>  If 
> Dudley really was his blood relative then surely Harry should have 
> been protected?
> 
> In GoF Voldemort says that the ancient magic that protects Harry 
> means that not even he can touch him at Privet Drive.  So if 
> Voldemort can't touch Harry how come the Dementor's could?  In OoP 
> Dumbledore says Lily's blood flows on in her sister - her only 
living 
> relative.  This is telling IMO.
> 
> I don't think Petunia is Dudley's biological mother and that my 
> friends, opens up a million other possibilities that I will get 
into 
> at another time.

That's a fascinating theory. It does say that Petunia is Lily's 
*only* living relative. Dudley would be Lily's nephew, wouldn't he? 
The only hole I can see is that perhaps (suspected) squib Petunia's 
union with muggle Vernon has diluted the protective blood by one 
generation and renders Dudley powerless to protect Harry.
 
I'll be interested to see how the Evans family figures into this, 
especially if the "Mark Evans" mentioned in OoTP is the son of 
another of Lily's and Petunia's heretofore unmentioned siblings. 
Leave it to HP fans to shoot holes in JKR's well-crafted story arc!

Ms. Tattersall