Highlights
- Aunt Marge, Uncle Vernon's detestable sister, makes a memorable and villainous impression in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
- Harry's humorous revenge turns Aunt Marge into a balloon, but her fate is left unclear in the movie, leading fans to wonder what happened to her.
- In the book, Aunt Marge remains trapped on the ceiling of the Dursleys' house, but in both the book and the film, her memory is modified and Harry avoids punishment for his actions.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban introduced audiences to Aunt Marge, Uncle Vernon’s detestable sister. However, Aunt Marge’s visit to Privet Drive didn’t exactly go according to plan. The character makes no attempt to disguise her hatred for Harry, even telling Uncle Vernon: “He’d had been straight into an orphanage if he’d been dumped on my doorstep, Vernon”. The situation continues to escalate when Aunt Marge starts to badmouth Harry’s parents, referring to the late James Potter as a “drunk”. In a memorable scene, Aunt Marge blames Harry’s ‘troubled’ personality on Lily Potter, declaring: “If there’s something wrong with the bitch, then there’ll be something wrong with the pup”. Understandably, Harry promptly loses his temper, but it’s safe to say that Aunt Marge received her just deserts, making for one of the most iconic moments in the entire Harry Potter franchise.
Before Aunt Marge could even retaliate, Harry had infamously started to turn his dreadful Aunt into a balloon, sending her floating away from the Privet Drive residence and off into the distance. It’s safe to say that the villainous character certainly received what was coming for her, but the movie proceeds to gloss over Aunt Marge’s fate. For example, fans have often wondered whether Aunt Marge was ever rescued. As some Harry Potter fans will know, it’s strictly forbidden for students to use magic outside of Hogwarts, so did Harry ever receive punishment for his humorous revenge?
Who is Aunt Marge?
As previously mentioned, Aunt Marge is Uncle Vernon’s sister. Prisoner of Azkaban’s book provides a memorable introduction of the detestable character:
Even though she was not a blood relative of Harry’s (whose mother had been Aunt Petunia’s sister), he had been forced to call her ‘Aunt’ all his life. Aunt Marge lived in the country, in a house with a large garden, where she bred bulldogs. She didn’t often stay in Privet Drive, because she couldn’t bear to leave her precious dogs, but each of her visits stood out horribly vividly in Harry’s mind.
Like Uncle Vernon, Aunt Marge had an inexplicable hatred of Harry and would treat him appallingly during her visits to Privet Drive. In contrast, she adored Dudley, Harry’s irksome cousin, and would refer to him as “my Dudders”. While Aunt Marge only appeared in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, her character certainly left a memorable impression on the franchise. The character’s appearance is described in a striking passage from the book:
She was very like Uncle Vernon; large, beefy and purple-faced, she even had a mustache, though not as bushy as his. In one hand she held an enormous suitcase, and tucked under the other was an old and evil-tempered bulldog.
In Prisoner of Azkaban’s movie, Aunt Marge was portrayed by Pam Ferris, who perfectly embodied the character’s frightening attitude. The film also included one of the character’s iconic bulldogs, whom Aunt Marge would allow to lick her dinner plate and brandy glass.
In typical Muggle fashion, Aunt Marge was blissfully unaware of Harry’s magical abilities. Uncle Vernon falsely informed his sister that they had sent Harry to “a fine institution for helpless cases”. However, Aunt Marge would come to learn of Harry’s magical abilities in quite an unexpected way, resulting in her being transformed into a human-balloon. In Prisoner of Azkaban’s film, the character was last seen floating off into the distance, leaving fans to question Aunt Marge’s outcome.
What Happened to Aunt Marge?
In Prisoner of Azkaban’s film, Harry leaves home in order to avoid punishment from the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon then demands for the boy to “bring her back!”, but Harry ignores his Uncle’s pleas and protests that Aunt Marge deserves this. Vernon reminds him that it’s against the rules to perform magic outside of Hogwarts, but Harry is determined to leave the Dursley family, regardless of whether Hogwarts will take him back. As Harry leaves Privet Drive, Aunt Marge is seen still floating away in the distance.
Interestingly, in the book, Aunt Marge never leaves the Dursleys’ house. Instead, she is trapped on the ceiling of the Dursleys’ dining room. This is mentioned in the book when Harry is wondering "whether the Dursleys had managed to get Aunt Marge off the ceiling yet".
In the Book: | In the Book: |
|---|---|
Aunt Marge is turned into a balloon and floats away from Privet Drive. | Aunt Marge is turned into a balloon, but remains in the Dursleys' house. |
After he fled from Privet Drive, Harry boarded the Knight Bus, which took him to the Leaky Cauldron. Here, he is met by Cornelius Fudge, the Head of the Ministry of Magic. Fudge tells him that the situation with Aunt Marge has been dealt with:
You will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Department were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that’s that, and no harm done.
Once Aunt Marge had been restored to her normal state, the Accidental Magic Reversal Department obscured the character’s memory of the incident. When Harry inquires what his punishment will be for using magic outside of Hogwarts, Fudge assures him that no further action will be taken. Harry is shocked by this news and asks Fudge why he has avoided punishment, to which the Minister of Magic responds with:
Circumstances change, Harry … we have to take into account … in the present climate … surely you don’t want to be expelled?
Fudge’s mention of the “present climate” is alluding to Sirius Black’s escape from Azkaban. At the time, the Ministry of Magic believed that Sirius had escaped from Azkaban to seek out and harm Harry. Because of this, Fudge believed that it would be safer for Harry to remain at Hogwarts.
Similarly, in Prisoner of Azkaban’s movie, Fudge informs Harry that the Ministry of Magic managed to locate Aunt Marge “just south of Sheffield, circulating a chimney stack”. Here, Aunt Marge was successfully punctured, and her memory was modified.
Following the events of Prisoner of Azkaban, there is no further mention of Aunt Marge, but it's safe to say that both her and Harry had a lucky escape from this incident. In both the book and the film, Aunt Marge was restored to her normal self and Harry managed to avoid punishment for his comedic revenge. Nonetheless, Harry transforming Aunt Marge into a balloon remains one of the most iconic moments in the franchise, and, as many fans will agree, is a satisfying punishment for Aunt Marge’s malicious character.
Harry Potter
When Harry Potter learns that he is a wizard, he enters a world beyond belief. Aside from continuing his studies at Hogwarts with best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry must also face Voldemort and his dark wizarding forces. The Harry Potter franchise is a worldwide phenomenon, spanning seven books, eight movies, three spinoff movies, a stage play, and numerous video games.
- Created by
- J.K. Rowling
- First Film
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
- Latest Film
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two
- Where to watch
- HBO Max
