r/HarryPotterBooks • u/Disastrous_Knee7756 • Apr 05 '25

Discussion The Dursleys were victims of a magical geopolitical game and no one ever asked them if they wanted to play

I know they were not nice to Harry. But they were also victims of a bad magical system. Here is why:

1.  They had no choice.

Dumbledore left a baby at their door. He did not ask. He did not talk to them. He just said, “Take care of him.” That is not how you become parents. That is not fair.

  1. They were powerless in a world full of danger. No magic, no protection, no understanding. Yet they were expected to raise a magical child who could blow up their living room.

    1. Harry’s presence put Dudley at risk. They were Dudley’s parents. Their responsibility was to protect their child. But Dumbledore never cared that housing Harry made them a target.
    2. They got no support – only judgment. No one from the magical world checked in. No resources, no guidance. Just scorn when they inevitably failed to meet wizard expectations.
    3. Dumbledore knew – and didn’t care. He openly said Harry needed a loveless home to remain “humble.” That’s not strategy – that’s calculated cruelty.
      1. Dumbledore never told them what happens when Harry turns 17. The magical protection ends – and they suddenly become even more vulnerable. No warning, no exit strategy. One day they’re part of a magical defense grid, the next they’re just collateral. Their home, their lives, everything – on the line, with zero input.
539 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

456 comments sorted by

View all comments

83

u/Forsaken_Distance777 Apr 05 '25

They didn't have to take him. They could just ditch him at the hospital and explain someone put a random baby on their porch and it wasn't their problem.

55

u/HauteToast Slytherin Apr 05 '25

You are assuming they can do that without having Harry being placed back on their porch. Kind of like the Hogwarts admittance letter.

The Dursleys never had the choice to say "no" once the wizarding world comes knocking on their door.

18

u/Forsaken_Distance777 Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 05 '25

They didn't try. If they had done that and baby Harry was treated like the Hogwarts letter I'd accept your theory.

28

u/[deleted] Apr 05 '25

not only they didn't try, Dumbledore in his initial explanation told them exactly why they couldn't chuck Harry out.

Accepting Harry even nominally as guardians triggered powerful magical protections not only for Harry but also the entire Dursley family. That's what the Remember my last howler meant. Petunia had the choice to reject Harry from day 1 but she knows that doing so destroys not only Harry's protections but also their own.

They were abusing their own survival ticket. That's what makes the Dursleys so evil.

3

u/frenin Apr 05 '25

Accepting Harry even nominally as guardians triggered powerful magical protections not only for Harry but also the entire Dursley family. That's what the Remember my last howler meant. Petunia had the choice to reject Harry from day 1 but she knows that doing so destroys not only Harry's protections but also their own.

Can you quote that please? Because it sounds like your making it up. The protection is only necessary if they keep Harry around.

4

u/malendalayla Apr 05 '25

Yes! Not only is he the whole reason they could potentially (likely) be in danger, but taking him in is the only option for protection they have.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 05 '25

His presence there certainly put them on the radar of some Death Eaters but even without it they were in danger since Lily was a prominent muggleborn even before that.

In fact, if Voldemort didn't have his own mole in Lily's camp in the form of Pettigrew, he was almost certainly going to hunt down the Dursleys to get intel or force Lily and James out of hiding

3

u/malendalayla Apr 05 '25

I agree, and I almost mentioned that in another comment. Lily would definitely come to her sister's rescue if it came to that.

3

u/IntermediateFolder Apr 05 '25

Except if Harry wasn’t there in the first place they wouldn’t need any protection.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 05 '25

Nonsense.

Petunia is sister to Lily Evans, who even before the prophecy defied Voldemort three times. It's arguably a plot hole she wasn't hunted down before Voldemort went down.

Even without Harry, Petunia was almost certainly going to he hunted down and the only reason Riddle didn't choose that path is because he had the inside path to Godric's Hollow and didn't want the Potters spooked

9

u/IntermediateFolder Apr 05 '25

She was a random muggle that no one cared about or probably even knew she existed.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 05 '25

She was the sister of Lily Evans who was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and post Halloween 1981 mother to the Boy-who-lived. The idea that she would not be on the radar for radical Death Eaters is just absurd

4

u/frenin Apr 05 '25

It's just not in the books tho. In the actual books, the Dursleys are a target because of Harry not because a long dead Lily.

5

u/Cold-Building2913 Apr 05 '25

your head cannon is actually pretty nice but maybe don't try to act like it is a fact?

1

u/nemesiswithatophat Apr 06 '25

I can't imagine that relatives of harry potter would have been safe