Did you ever wonder why Petunia and Vernon Dursley hated the Potters so much?
In honor of what would be Dudley Dursley's 35th birthday Tuesday, author J.K. Rowling gave fans the ultimate treat on Pottermore—a backstory that explained why there was such an innate hatred for Harry Potter's parents, and it's not just the magic that bothered them.
It all began when Lily WAS in HER final year at Hogwarts, and Petunia invited her sister and her then-boyfriend, James Potter, to dinner to meet her fiancé, Vernon Dursley. "James was amused by Vernon, and made the mistake of showing it," Rowling writes on her fan site. "Vernon tried to patronise James, asking what car he drove. James described his racing broom."
That's certainly one way to make an impression! Unfortunately, it didn't sit well with Vernon, who tried to fight back with his own condescending comments.
"Vernon supposed out loud that wizards had to live on unemployment benefit. James explained about Gringotts, and the fortune his parents had saved there, in solid gold," she continued.
"Vernon could not tell whether he was being made fun of or not, and grew angry. The evening ended with Vernon and Petunia storming out of the restaurant, while Lily burst into tears and James (a little ashamed of himself) promised to make things up with Vernon at the earliest opportunity."
Rowling went on to explain that Vernon and Severus Snape have one thing in common: Their strong dislike for Harry stems from the close resemblance he has to his father. In a shocking confession, however, Rowling revealed that she toyed with the idea of introducing a more sympathetic version of Petunia at the end of the Deathly Hollows, but the character's jealousy of Lily prompted her to keep her as bitter and mean as she was.
Fortunately for Harry Potter fans, there will be more to come from the author and the franchise, as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is set to hit the big screen on Nov. 18, 2016, with Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston in the lead roles.
"The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films," the author revealed last September. "But Newt [Scamander's] story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry's gets underway."