The Dudley Theory

[capehoneysuckle]

No: HPFGUIDX 92742

Jumping into this thread, I wonder if Dudley did see the dementors in
the alley. Initially, Harry did not see them approach because it was
too dark. "Harry stood stock-still, turning his sightless eyes left
and right." (OOP, Am Ed p. 16) and then on the same page, "He would
hear them before he saw them." Dudley hits Harry and runs away, while
it is still dark, inadvertently running toward the sound of the
dementor, and tripping in the darkness. By the time Harry has lit his
wand and sees Dudley, "Dudley was curled on the ground, his arms
clamped over his face;" (p. 18)

Later, Dudley tells his parents, "And then I h-heard...things. Inside
m-my head..." (p. 30) Lupin's description of dementors says that
muggles can *feel* the presence of dementors, but they can't see them.
It seems to me that Dudley actually hearing voices might be a bit more
than the typical muggle reaction to dementors, which seems more like
an inexplicable attack of sadness. Dudley covering his face with his
arms also seems like an attempt to ward off the dementor, almost as if
he saw it.

I don't think it is clear one way or the other if Dudley could see the
dementors, but I think it is a possibility. The episode in the alley
could be supportive of the "magical Dudley" theory.

Just a thought.
Honey