Dudley Dursley’s role in the Harry Potter franchise is relatively minor, even though he is evidently the most dominant character in his household. Described as “the worst sort of Muggles imaginable”, Vernon and Petunia Dursley are the prejudiced and bigoted relatives that Harry is stuck with throughout his formative years till the age of seventeen. They keep smothering and doting on their only son Dudley, who grows up to be an obese, spoiled and remorseless bully.
Their coddling is in stark contrast to the abuse they inflict upon Harry; they repeatedly give in to Dudley’s indulgences, giving Harry a constant reminder of what he is being deprived of. His parent’s negligence towards his orphaned cousin causes Dudley to torment him as well. Their relationship gets even more tense when it is discovered that Harry is a wizard, as the Dursleys greatly fear and have complete disdain for the magical world. So why did a petulant and horrid character like Dudley, with seemingly no morals or ethics whatsoever, eventually change toward Harry?
The Dementors’ Attack on Dudley
Even though Dudley has several unlucky experiences with magic — most notably the time when he gets a pig’s tail — his run-in with the Dementors in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix leaves him much more traumatized than ever before.
The scene opens with Dudley prowling around the neighborhood with his gang in Little Whinging, until he spots Harry at a park and starts mocking him about his nightmares, unaware that they are about the death of Cedric Diggory. When Harry tries to ward him off with his wand, the sky turns eerily dark, causing Dudley’s friends to scatter away. The two cousins also start heading for home, finding cover from the rain along the way. Harry notices how the lights of the underpass start to dim and his breath becomes foggy due to the sudden cold — clear signs of the impending attack.
Two Dementors then swoop in (later revealed to be sent by Dolores Umbridge), and try to perform the Dementor’s Kiss — the act of sucking out a person’s soul. Harry manages to summon the Patronus charm in the midst of the struggle, and his stag saves both of them. He then leads a completely shell-shocked Dudley back home.
Although it is not mentioned in either the film or the book, J.K. Rowling confirmed later on that, as a Dementor forces its victims to relive the worst moments of their lives, Dudley’s experience causes him to see exactly who he is: cruel and rotten. As his pampered and privileged life contains no “despair” as such, he is confronted with his actual reality— ultimately making him change his ways. This incident marks a turning point in the boys’ relationship, even if it is not immediately acknowledged at first.
Dudley’s Redemption Arc, Explained
Only a select few got some sort of redemption in the Harry Potter series, including Dudley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In the book, Dudley leaves a cup of tea outside Harry’s bedroom. Even though Harry misinterprets the gesture as a prank to make him trip, Dudley is, in fact, trying to reconcile.
The film had borrowed a significant scene from the book — only for it to be left out of the final cut — in which Dudley makes a much less clumsy (and more heartfelt) gesture. Under the protection of the Order of the Phoenix, the Dursleys are forced to leave Privet Drive due to the threat of Lord Voldemort. Before they go into hiding, the gravity of the situation finally dawns on Dudley, and he inquires why Harry is not joining them. To everyone’s surprise, he goes on to declare that he does not consider him a “waste of space”, especially since he saved his life from the Dementors. He is the only member of his family who bids Harry a proper farewell, shaking his hand and thanking him sincerely. While the moment is rather stiff and awkward, which can be expected from Dudley, the sentiments are completely genuine.
In the book of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore makes an apt observation that Vernon and Petunia have inflicted “appalling damage” upon the “unfortunate” Dudley — with his parents encouraging his depraved actions, Dudley is taught to only follow their example. This is why he resorts to making callous insults and showing contempt towards Harry as well as others. Though this does not entirely excuse his behavior, it can be understood where he is coming from and why his mistreatment of others seems, to him, as his only choice. This is further proven by how his act of kindness — as small as making a cup of tea for Harry — is carried out in such a secretive manner. It is only fitting that he is the only Dursley whose past exploits Rowling tries to correct towards the end.
What Happened to Dudley After Harry Potter Ended?
Rowling shared that, following the events of the Second Wizarding War, Dudley goes on to marry and have two children. Even though his relationship with Harry is nothing more than polite and civil, they still exchange Christmas cards every year, and even get together now and then so that their children could play together.
However, Rowling briefly considered a drastically different ending for Dudley originally, which involved him showing up with a magical child in the final scene at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, 19 years after Voldemort’s defeat. She eventually decided against it, as it was highly unlikely that the traces of magic in the family could have survived Vernon’s stubborn genes.