Dudley the prophecy

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 104029

Gina asked:
Has anyone ever mentioned Dudley? His birthday is only a day or 
so away from Harry's isn't it?
>
Phil responded: 
> No, Dudley is considerably older than Harry: he's mobile at the very
> least.
>> "And they've got this son--I saw him kicking his mother all the way
up the street, screaming for sweets."
> 
> "... he slept on ... not knowing ... that he would spend the next
few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley ..."
> 
> I read this as indicating that Dudley is at least crawling and maybe
a toddler.
> 
> On the other hand he cannot be that much older than Harry since they
> are both transferring from primary to secondary school at the same
> time, so he must be within the same year group.


Carol:
Actually, Dudley is about one month older than Harry--born, as far as
I can tell, in June of the same year that Harry was born. As you say,
they enter secondary school at the same time, and the scene where
Dudley is screaming because he only received about 35 presents appears
to take place in June, about a month before Harry's birthday on July
31. we know that Harry was fifteen months old when he was placed on
the Dursleys' doorstep (it's October 31, three months to the day after
his first birthday).

That would make Dudley a toddler of sixteen months at the time--old
enough to walk, scream "Sweets! Sweets! Sweets!" and even to kick his
mother if he were precocious in the spoiled brat department. Harry
could no doubt walk (toddle) as well, but we see him wrapped snugly in
a blanket because it's a cold night and Hagrid, Dumbledore, and
McGonagall don't want him to wake up and toddle off somewhere in the
neighborhood during the night. (No doubt Mrs. Figg and the cats were
keeping an eye on baby Harry after DD et al. left, but the snugly
wrapped blanket, IMO, is an extra precaution.)

In any case, Dudley (a Muggle) wouldn't appear in a WW prophecy,
especially considering that his parents hadn't defied Voldemort three
times. (Vernon doesn't even know of LV's existence.)

Carol