Theory on Dudley and Theory on Petunia

[Kelly Molinari]

No: HPFGUIDX 156580

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at ...>
wrote:

> Kelly wrote:
> JKR: <snipped> In my books, magic almost always
> > shows itself in a person before age 11; however, there is a
> character who does manage in desperate circumstances to do magic quite
> late in life, but that is very rare in the world I am writing about.'
> >
>SNIP>I also think it is fair to say since JKR states that magical
> ability almost always shows itself by age 11 that someone who
realizes their magical ability at 17 or 18 years old would be
considered to blossom quite late in life.

> 
> Carol responds:
> I don't think seventeen or eighteen qualifies as "quite late in life
> by any standard,especially giving the wizarding lifespan. <Snip>


Kelly responds:
I don't mean to be argumentative but I think all things are relative.
It's as if a baby cuts his first tooth at three years old. It would
qualify as quite late in life, independent of the childs lifespan.



Carol continued: 
>  However, if that quote doesn't convince you, maybe this one will:
> 
> [Question:] Is there more to Dudley than meets the eye?
> 
> [JKR:] No. [Laughter]. What you see is what you get. I am happy to say
> that he is definitely a character without much back story. He is just
> Dudley. The next book, Half Blood Prince, is the least that you see of
> the Dursleys. You see them quite briefly. You see them a bit more in
> the final book, but you don't get a lot of Dudley in book six—very few
> lines. I am sorry if there are Dudley fans out there, but I think you
> need to look at your priorities if it is Dudley that you are looking
> forward to. [Laughter].
> 
> The excerpt is from the 2004 Edinburgh Book Festival:
> 
> http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2004/0804-ebf.htm



Kelly responds:
     Mea culpa! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I am
certain that I have read this interview at least once (probably more
than once!), but this didn't stick in my mind. I am not a Dudley fan,
but I found him to be the most ironic candidate considering his mum
and dad. I was really looking foward to rubbing it in Petunia and
Vernon's faces. This puts and end to that though. 

Kelly, whose toes were not harmed in the enlightenment.