Dudley: Muggle or Wizard?

[greenminicat]

No: HPFGUIDX 134838

Sharon wrote:
<snip>
> JKR is awfully good at deflecting, though.  And she says that she 
> only squashes theories that really have no purpose - which to me 
> means she lets some theories, although wrong, continue.  I think this 
> is one of them.  I don't believe that any of the Dursleys have magic 
> within them.  The Dursleys are largely symbolic of the Muggle world 
> and its fear of anything different.  To turn one of them into a 
> wizard would destroy the symbollism inherent in them.
> 
> I do agree that there was likely more than one letter to Petunia, 
> causing DD to say "Remember my last" and not "Remember my letter".  
> However, I don't think one of the letters would have invited Dudley 
> to Hogwarts - that would not have happened until Dudley was eleven, 
> at which point we would have noticed an extra owl.  I think the extra 
> communication between DD and Petunia occured *before* the Potters' 
> deaths; thus, the last letter Petunia received from DD was the one in 
> which he entrusted Harry to her.
> 
> (DD even says as much to Harry in OotP, telling him point blank that 
> the "last" letter was that note.)
> 
> IMO, Dudley's a Muggle.  Sorry.
> 


I don't think it is in keeping with DD's character to agree to hide or squash someone's 
magical abilities. Don't you think that DD would see this as a kind of murder of someone, 
killing off an important part of that person. And supposing that Dudley does have some 
magical powers, could they be so easily squashed. The Dursleys tried for 10 years to 
supress Harry's powers and couldn't. Even Neville's powers, which apparently were rather 
latent, still emerged. I think the Dursleys really are the worst kind of muggle, as they are 
often referred to in the text. 

With respect to correspondence between Petunia and DD, do you think that he might have 
written to her in regard to her sister's death, and in that note made reference to LV and his 
evil ways and that "remember my last" might refer to some content around the threat that 
LV poses. He kills muggles too, and tortures them (or his followers do, like at the World 
Cup) so he isn't only a threat to the magical world.

And finally, I suspect that Jo is sensitive to little ones feelings and would not directly shoot 
down a child's theory. I don't put much stock in that response, though I agree she has 
hinted that there might be more to Petunia than meets the eye. 

Certainly I agree that there must have been some inducement to take in Harry, but I don't 
think it has anything to do with Dudley having magical powers. I would like to know what 
that inducement was though.

Greenmini Cat