The book and film series Harry Potter contains some really excellent storytelling in a few different ways. Obviously the overarching saga of Harry Potter vs. Lord Voldemort is downright epic, but the complexity of their characters as well as the development of those characters over the course of the series is a huge reason why the franchise was so successful too.
But with that said, sometimes there are people in this world, or in any fictional world, who just aren’t very complex. Harry Potter’s nightmarish cousin, Dudley Dursley, is one such person. In most instances, Dudley is the absolute picture of the overgrown simpleton bully, and for the most part, it seemed like Dudley wouldn’t have had it any other way. However, despite his reflexively terrible behavior he did seem to exhibit a few signs of decency beneath the surface. So here are 5 instances where Dudley was shockingly nice, along with the 5 worst things he ever did.
Worst: Throwing A Fit Over His Lack Of Presents
Given the way that Petunia and Vernon Dursley treated Dudley for his entire life, it’s not even remotely surprising that he absolutely lost his mind at the mere thought that he could get fewer birthday presents than he did last year. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that he was an absolutely repulsive brat about it.
Dudley has always been gluttonous in every way imaginable, and what makes his attitude so exceptionally annoying is that not only did his parents cater to his every whim already, but that he seemed to get more joy out of breaking whatever he was given than actually playing with it.
Nicest: Actually Having A Moment Of Self Reflection
Not to excuse Dudley’s horrendous behavior, because there are plenty of children whose parents spoiled them who are at least less of a nightmare than Dudley was, but the youngest Dursley also never had any reason to behave in any other way either. He always got what he wanted with zero consequences.
So in that context, it’s actually surprising that Dudley reacted the way that he did to the dementor attack. Yes, he initially behaved like his typical self and blamed Harry, but the very first time Dudley experienced something legitimately terrible he actually did seem to reflect on his own behavior and attempt to change.
Worst: Teasing Harry About Cedric
Dudley may not have known about Cedric Diggory or about anything that had happened to Harry throughout the Tri-wizard tournament, but that doesn’t mean that his teasing Harry about Cedric wasn’t one of the worst things that Dudley ever did.
Tormenting Harry was clearly Dudley’s favorite childhood sport, but Harry experienced some genuine horror at the hands of Voldemort at that time (as if he hadn’t already), and being involved in the death of another student was undoubtedly extremely traumatic. Clearly, Dudley had to be really paying attention to what was causing Harry turmoil in order to zero in on that as a button to push.
Nicest: Leaving Harry A Cup Of Tea
Watching Dudley Dursley trying to be a halfway decent person for once must have been like trying to watch a baby walk for the first time. And honestly, watching Harry Potter trying to process and accept the fact that Dudley wasn’t being terrible for once must have been a similarly confusing and hilarious experience.
After experiencing the true horrors that the dementors have to offer, it seemed like Dudley understood that Harry had done something to help him. And in return for that help, Dudley finally had the impulse to actually be kind and considerate to Harry, which meant a lot even if Harry thought it was just some kind of prank.
Worst: Complaining About Giving Harry His Second Bedroom
Dudley is undoubtedly extremely selfish and extremely stupid, but even someone as simple as him would have been able to run the math on this one. You’re one person, ergo you do not need two bedrooms. In fact, you are literally physically incapable of using two bedrooms at once.
So while Dudley’s immediate impulse to keep everything he could away from Harry and for himself is not at all surprising, perhaps there were other things for Dudley to complain about. It’s not even like Harry was taking away one of Dudley’s toys, he was literally just taking up space that Dudley physically couldn’t use.
Nicest: Telling Harry He Wasn’t A Waste Of Space
When it comes to any Dursley, the bar for being kind is obviously set at the lowest of the low. And while Dudley was a nightmare, he was clearly the product of his parents, and that was never more clear than when it came to the way he treated Harry.
He was horrible to Harry but only as horrible as his parents had always been to Harry. And so then, while telling someone that they’re not a complete waste of space is about the most mediocre “kindness” a normal person could muster, Dudley going against his parents and giving Harry a shred of recognition meant a lot.
Worst: Being A Bully
Dudley may have gotten his kicks torturing Harry whenever he had the chance, but in that sense, Harry was far from unique. Harry was essentially a victim of opportunity, and unfortunately for all of the children who came into Dudley’s vicinity, there were a lot of kids who were victims of opportunity.
Dudley was undeniably an awful, spoiled brat, but it takes a certain level of awfulness to be the kind of person who is just mindlessly cruel and abusive to absolutely everyone that comes across his path and seems like they’re too weak to fight back or do anything against him.
Nicest: Dudley’s Farewell Handshake
Again, obviously the bar really couldn’t be lower, but considering what a disrespectful nightmare Dudley had been for the vast majority of his life it was pretty monumental that he actually showed Harry the respect and care of giving him a handshake before potentially saying goodbye forever.
Dudley is obviously not very thoughtful or introspective, but at that moment it was clear that despite how terrible he was to Harry, there was some baseline caring for him that always existed beneath the surface. He hated Harry, but he ultimately still assumed that he and the rest of his family would protect Harry when he really needed it.
Worst: Tormenting Harry
When it came to Dudley’s treatment of Harry throughout their entire childhood it’s obvious that a lot of his behaviors were just mirroring his parents, but obviously, it took quite a cruel streak to actually go out of his way to torture his orphaned cousin quite as often as he did.
Even the kindest and most mature children don’t have a great grasp on empathy and complex emotion, but even Dudley must have understood how awful it was to pick on Harry for things like having no friends or having dead parents. Harry had a terrible life, but Dudley Dursley took great pleasure in making it worse.
Nicest: Keeping In Touch With Harry In Adulthood
So this may definitely come as a surprise since Harry and Dudley’s relationship in childhood seemed to be nothing but awful, but the two cousins actually did go out of their way to have a cordial relationship once they became adults.
According to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, the cousins ultimately at least formed the kind of relationship where they sent each other holiday cards, and Harry would occasionally bring his children over to play with Dudley’s kids if they ever happened to be in the same vicinity. That might not be much, but considering who Dudley was for the majority of his life it’s a shocking amount of growth.
