The case for Dudley, the Latent Wizard

[Joshua]

No: HPFGUIDX 83781

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ali" <Ali at z...> wrote:
> I wrote this post some time ago, but never actually posted it, with 
> the recent discussion on Petunia, it seemed the right time to post 
> it.
> 
> 
> JKR has told us that someone will find magic late in life. To date, 
> there appear to be only 4 people who could credibly find this gift. 
> They are Filch, Arabella Figg, Dudley and Petunia.

There is another candidate, and that is Vernon Dursley.  I find him 
to be a much more appealing candidate for several reasons.

Yes, it's true that Petunia despises magic, but hers is a loathing 
bred of familiarity.  As you point out, it's born in jealousy over 
her sister.  Vernon, however, despises magic for just the oppossite 
reason; he is an example of someone that hates and fears what he does 
not understand.  

If Uncle Vernon were to turn up as a witch, it would be akin to 
Javert's suicide scene in Les Miserables.  It would fundamentaly 
destroy everything he has based his life upon.  His character has the 
greatest potential for a truly dramatic discovery of latent magical 
powers.

> The impact on Harry if Petunia or Dudley were to access latent 
> magical powers, could be immense. Petunia has spent all of Harry's 
> life hating him for his magical ability and I suspect his potential 
> for destroying her mundane existence. 

I disagree.  She does not hate him because he has magic powers, 
rather she hates him because it's a reminder that Lily, and not she, 
does not.  She would hate him even if he were not magical because she 
hates her sister.  

It is Vernon that hates Harry's potential for destroying his mundane 
existence.  

> It is not hard to assume that Petunia suffered terribly because of 
> her sister's magical ability. We know she felt inferior, we know 
she 
> lost her sister at a young age and we know that she got landed with 
> her nephew. What we can suggest is that she also lost her parents 
> because of Lily's magical involvement.

I agree.  Do you mean she lost her parents figuratively or literaly?  
We know that Harry must spend time with his relatives in order to be 
safe, can we assume that the Dursely's are his only remaining blood 
relations?  If so, what heppened to the others, when and how?

> Now, I know people have questioned whether Dumbledore would prevent 
> any child with magical abilities form entering Hogwarts. I would 
> agree, that in normal circumstances, he wouldn't, but anything to 
do 
> with Harry is a special case. If, Dumbledore thought that the only 
> way he could keep Harry safe was to deny Dudley his place, then 
IMO, 
> he would have done so.

I have to disagree.  If Dumbledore were going to supress magical 
abilities in children, there are much more appealing choices ;)  That 
aside, I find it terribly out of character.

>  Think about what Dumbledore says:-
> 
> "What did I care if numbers of nameless and faceless people and 
> creatures were slaughtered in a vague future, if in the here and 
> now, you were alive, and well, and happy" OoP UK edition p. 739. 

This is taken out of context.  Dumbledore is speaking rhetoricaly, 
reproaching himself for a misjudgement he made.  He believed, or made 
himself believe as we all do at times, that he could have his cake 
and eat it too.  This statement is his mea culpa.

Here are some other reasons for not believing Dudley has latent 
powers:

He can't see the dementors in OotP.

We know that latent magic powers tend to manifest themselves in times 
of danger or when you lose control over your emotions.  Dudley is not 
someone that has great control of his emotions and so would likely 
have exposed his power by now.

Dudley would not likely play an active role in supressing such 
powers; he would delight in being able to use magic to further his 
career as a bully.