OK, this is a lighter question than those discussing death. Just for fun... how will Harry get even with Dudley? Remember, JKR says he's honorable and not cruel.

I can't wait to see what she comes up with... it's gonna be a doozy! Maybe like Hagrid said "a pair of ears to go with that tail..."

Even though Dudley does deserve to be punished for what he had done to Harry for his whole life. I don't think Harry will do anything to him, he's going to have to put all of his efforts to the demise of Voldemort.

Mmm...there's a kind of inate complication in this issue. Quite honestly, I don't see how Harry could ever get even with Dudley, or any of the Dursleys for that matter, without making them experience a small measure of everything they put him through. It's the only way that I think readers could really be satisfied, and I don't know how he could do it without doing something that could be considered by some to be cruel.

Seeing them prosecuted would probably come close, but I don't think that's particularly likely.

The only thing that I can think of is for everyone that the Dursleys have spent so much time worrying about over the last few years to finally find out what exactly has been going on; for the wizarding world to no longer be hidden, for everyone to know exactly who Harry is, and *what* he is, and for the cruelty he's suffered under their roof to finally come to light so that the Dursleys are rejected from the society whose opinions obviously mattered so much to them.

I don't think that could be considered cruel, per se, but it would certainly be just rewards

Silence Dogood, if you read JKR's quote, she says she's going to do something to even the score between Harry and Dudley. It probably will be before or as Harry is leaving on his birthday. I just can''t figure out what it could be.

Excellent point, Louise!

Perhaps it doesn't even have to be the exposure of the magical world. Maybe the muggle minister will make Harry a hero for something that effects the muggle world, and everyone will revere him and know what the went through as a child. That will be payback to all of the Dursleys.

How could he payback Dudley himself?

Thank you

Well, I guess it could be anything really. I would say something magical, but I don't see how he could do that without getting into trouble. I'd like to see him laying Dudley out cold, but I suppose everyone would be criticising the violence then.

I don't know...mmm... They do say that living well is the best revenge, but I guess that's kind of trite and readers would really want to see Dudley being humiliated in some way, I think. I don't know....seeing all his friends laughing at him would be good. Maybe Harry could give him a pair of donkey's ears or something

Harry will be able to get him arreted as Duddley is just a kind of delinquant and big D will end in Saint Brutus' institution. Or he'll help the neibourghood kids to beat him. Or Duddley will be stupid enough to show himself afraid of Harry in front of his gang and let slip that Harry is a wizard. Everybody will make a fool of him. What ever it is and even in age, Harry can't use magic openly in front of muggles who don't know he's a wizard.

I love the donkey ears idea, Louise, I was kind of heading there because of Hagrid's thought of threatening him with a pair of ears to match the pig tail he gave Dudley in SS.

Excellent idea, Lupin's great! Dudley getting thrown out of Smeltings because of being a bully, and winding up in Saint Brutus' would make Harry happy and it would be something that Dudley did to himself. Dudley's showing fear of Harry in front of his friends would also be a great way of getting even without Harry being cruel or violent.

You're right, Louise... They do say that living well is the best revenge, and maybe Dudley has been contemplating what DD said during his visit, so it would really bother him in the end if Harry is considered a hero in the wizarding world and the muggle world as well.

i think harry may pay a little visit to Fred and Georges joke shop. . .

but i think Harry may also try something more serious too, maybe one day Harry has to save dudley life, dudley would be in debt to Harry, and we all know dudley would never be able to stand been in debt to harry.

though i do think that there is no way that Harry will just suddenly do something to Dudley, dudley will have to start the fight or something, harry is too 'noble' and 'honourable' to do anything without been provoked, even then harry woudn't do anything too dangerous... (would he?)

though i do like the idea that dudley gets sooo fat and begs harry to make him normal size, and harry won't do it (got a bit carried away)

Interesting point, -ginny-da-cat-. I don't think that Harry will do anything horrible, and he would wait until provoked to do anything, but it will be funny to see the Dursleys reaction to Harry's 17th birthday!!! He'll have to stay intil then, to make the most of the blood protection. My guess is that he leaves on his birthday, but that day ought to be interesting because the Dursleys will know that he is able to do magic then. They'll probably be sickly sweet and helpful to him as he moves out permenantly.

I think Harry's had all the revenge he's gonna get.

Vernon & Petunia have been terrorised by Wizard Harry daring to be in their house. A disasterous meal with business clients (thanks dobby). They've been terrorised by sirius (a murderer god-father to harry); they've been terrorised by threats from dumbledore and mad-eye; had their living-room wrecked by arthur weasley; been humilated into thinking they've won the best suburban lawn competition ...

Aunt Marge ... well she got blown-up.

And poor Dudley has had ... to suffer the over loving care of his parents thats turned him into a selfish bully; had his world collapse when he lost his second bedroom; then he's had a pig's tail surgically removed; been terrorised every time he's had to go to kings cross to collect harry; been put on a truely awful diet; had a four foot long tongue; and suffered the horror of a dementor attack.

If harry had chance to destroy the dursleys, and make them poor, I dont think he would. I think he would much rather have a genuine and sincere apology for their actions and behaviour in the past. And maybe, just a little bit of TLC from aunt petunia? Or maybe, their help and assistance in destroying voldemort.

While I completely agree, seven_two, that the Dursleys have had to endure some unique hardships because of Harry and his magical friends (Hagrid, Dobby, the Weasleys and even DD himself with the drink glasses hitting them on the heads - my absolute favorite one), JKR made said 'in the long run' Harry would get back at Dudley, so at the very least, Dudley has more coming.

I also completely agree that all Harry would want would be a sincere apology, and I think that he will get the loving moment from Aunt Petunia that you mentioned in the 7th book. I think that she will sit down with him and give him information that he needs to fulfill the prophecy.

I don't know about making the Dursleys poor... that would be cruel and JKR doesn't see Harry as cruel. Whatever he does, it will be in response to something that is done to him, and I hope it will be in the same JKR comedic style as the pig tail, blowing up Aunt Marge, hitting the bottles on the Dursleys' heads, and ton tongue taffy.

I don't think that he will do something really cruel to dudley probably a little prank and then clean it up. but i definitely agree that he has got to teach that fat kid a lesson =) i would do the same.

I would love it if Harry gave Dudley cockroach clusters and acid pops. That would be wicked funny and would work too!

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I really think that it would be awsome if harry did the tickling charm on Dudley, while dudley was in school, and kept the charm going until dudley wet himself.

I like your idea, Fan_In_The_Rockies ! Even Bernie Botts every flavor beans vomit flavor or something good like that would be fun!!! Or one of the Weasley twins candies or tricks.

I think it will probably be something like that, psychoticinferno, where skinny little Harry scares big tough Dudley in front of his friends... knowing that Harry can do magic after his birthday. Harry wouldn't even have to do anything, just scare him. The others would crucify Dudley if they thought he was afraid of Harry.

I wonder if Dudley will ever figure out what DD was saying about him being abused by his parents... That would be payback, too.

I definitely agree with The Chosen Captain, Harry has to do something, but it won't be cruel, and I think it will be in response to something very cruel that Dudley does to him.

I like too the one with cet Dudley act scared of harry in front of his friends. It would be very funny. We actually saw Harry be a little mean to dudley in the fifthbook, but was interrupted by the dementors. I think he will have tha hate to do something to him, not serious but enough to let some of it all out.

I reckon Harry will do something to Dudley but what it is will be another origional idea from JK. I believe that this time Ron and Hermione will join Harry at Privet Drive, they did tell him they would go with him wherever he went. I'm pretty sure if Dudley tried anything with Harry, Ron and Hermione wouldn't hesitate to back him up. And with Hermione's brain it could be anything. She did put Rita Skeeter in a jar...

Turn hi m into a pig. or something lik that. lol

I don't think it will be anything huge, maybe just a mark or something, that will remind Dudley of how he treated Harry.

Or maybe, Harragon, just the "ears to match the tail" that Hagrid gave him in the first book...
Hagrid suggested that at the end of the book, didn't he, or at least at the end of the movie... time to re-read... getting the books and movies mixed up.

I think it would be wonderful if harry gave dudley some sort of mark to remind him of his cruelty to harry. maybe on his forehead, like harry's scar is...all dudley's friends would make fun of him...or, I just had an amazing thought, he could somehow send Dudley to hogwarts, even just for about 5 minutes. that way either dudley would be scared senseless, or he would be super jealous.

or, harry could get all his friends, (ron, hermione, seamus, dean, ginny, neville, luna) to surround dudley and point their wands at him and say some stupid non-existent spell, like Alakazam! or something. that would scare him!

I don't really know, but this is fun to just think of things.

You're right, Cucumberz! It is fun to think of things like this! I like the picture of Dudley surrounded by Harry's friends, like Harry has been by Dudley's! It would scare the you know what out of him!

I just had the idea that maybe voldemort would attempt to kill the dursleys, and harry would save them. this would be harry's revenge, becuase they would be forever in harry's debt, like snape/james ...just a thought

I also like the idea of sending Dudley to HW for a while and having his friends tease him. I also like the idea of Harry saving the Dursley's lives so their in debt to him. Good thoughts!

That is a good thought, Cucumberz... not as satisfying as Dudley being tormented by Harry's friends, but very good way to get all the Dursleys at once. I think it's very possible, but I hope that whatever JKR does, it involves her great sense of humor.

Harry will turn Dudley into a pig, plan and simple.

Of course Harry will end up doing something. Maybe give him another tail. Maybe more.

I wonder what will really happen......

I think it wont matter really..i do not think harry will get even..because of his noblety like dumbledore

While I do like the pig's ears idea...maybe a snout too...that'd be sweet, I feel that a fun form of revenge would be having Ron and Hermione come home from school with him and stay over the summer. Imagine Big D having to hang around with (legally) adult wizards who can do magic without being punished

Not to mention the fun he can have terrorizing aunt petunia and uncle vernon....they can't kick Harry's friends out for fear of being turned into a matching swine family....more weasley sweets would be cool too

Good Point, Impact! A few people talked about Harry having Ron and Hermione with him, but I forgot that they are adults before him, so they can legally perform magic... soooooo maybe, it's Ron or better yet for the sake of creativity, Hermione, who gets even with Dudley for Harry.

Imagine Dudley's friends reaction if they see him afraid of a GIRL!!!!!!

I like the idea of Dudley being scared of a girl. That would be so funny!

Yes, ViviPotter, I do, too! Dudley's buddies would tear into him if he was afraid of a girl and then he'd get a taste of what he does to others. It would be revenge at it's finest.

Harry is noble, grangershot, but not that noble, and I think whatever happens to Dudley will be in anger, not necessarily on purpose. I think he's noble enough not to plan ahead for it. It will just be one of those "blow up Aunt Marge" moments.

I don't think he will do magic on Dudley, I think LV will put the Dursleys in danger and Harry will save them and then they're all grateful and in his dept.
And maybe they'll try and thank him and say sorry but he'll just walk away not caring.

I think that Harry will get even with Dudley on a small thing. Like, one of Fred and George's tricks, but it will be funny to read. But I also like the idea that the Dursleys will do something that will really help him, to make up for all of the years of neglect.

I think that the only problem with the idea of the Dursleys being saved by Harry and feeling grateful is that if LV or the DE's attached them, Vernon would definitely blame Harry for the attack in the first place, saying if it weren't for Harry they would never be in danger. They wouldn't appreciate the saving part if they're blaming him for the attack.

I do like the idea that Petunia herself, could do something special for Harry that could make things better beween her and him. I don't think that Vernon would be in on that, just something that Petunia says or does.

I definitely think, that no matter what, Harry will walk away from Vernon and Dudley without ever looking back. I hope that Petunia shows a more human side and gives Harry a tiny bit of love. I think that might be all he ever wanted from her, after all, she is his mother's sister!

hahaha it would be SO cool if there could be a whole chapter on tormenting dudley, it would be so satisfying not to mention hilarious!

harry should send him a 'you have been accepted into hogwarts' letter- he'd be like arghhh i'm a wizard, and may get beaten by uncle vernon

harry could somehow shove the whole family through to platform 9 3/4 cus it would scare them silly, but that would be very hard especially when it comes to shoving uncle vernon, (wow)

he should tatoo ' i idolize harry potter' across dudley's forehead just for fun!

i reckon humiliation would be the best thing to punish the durselys, not pain or tails or anything, but something like the apology, or somehow making them be worship him lol

I'm sure Harry will get revenge, but I agree with samsmom, it will probably be by accident.

i believe harry will do something to make Dudley freak out. This is assuming harry lives the voldy fight. He might pop in from time to time and do things to annoy dudley. If will most likely be more intersting than that and i really want to see how he gets even

I THINK THAT HARY WILL CAST A SPELL I LIKE THE IDEA OF DONKEYS EARS ON DUDLEY OR WLL TELL HIM THAT HE IS MUGLE BORN WIZARD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN FRON OF UNCLE VERNON OR IN HOGWARTS THEY WANT HIM TO TEACH MUGLE STAF


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Does Harry really need to get even with Dudley? Harry will be of age soon, and it would be a much better life lesson if Harry reached his last nerve with Dudley... and forgave him. We see throughout the series that it doesnt bode well to hold a grudge, and we all know that it is unhealthy. I would like to see the Dursley's redeemed. I feel it will be easier than most of you are thinking to forgive the Dursley, including Dudley, when we hear all the revelations of why they accepted Harry (Dumbledore's Letter) and what Dudley saw when confronted by the Dementors. I reallly hope that they give Harry a nice sending off and its warm and fuzzy, and possibly see Petunia mourn over dead sister once and for all. That is one of the very few mushy scenes I want to see.

~Albus

Of all the characters in these books, I think I dislike the Dursleys most, despite their cartoonishly mean characterization.

Lets look at the whole quote from Rowling:

QUOTE( Interview - O'Malley @ Judy. "Talking With J.K. Rowling," Book Links, July 1999)
JKR: ...he [Harry]wants to get back at Dudley. He's a human boy, and we the readers want him to get back at Dudley. And, in the long term, trust me, he will. But Harry is also innately honorable. He's not a cruel boy. He's competitive, and he's a fighter. He doesn't just lie down and take abuse. But he does have native integrity, which makes him a hero to me. He's a normal boy but with those qualities most of us really admire.

It seems she is setting her comments about getting back at Dudley in context of Harry's heroic nature ('context is all' says SavingHarry, lol). This suggests that the "getting back" will occur against that background. Interesting that she says he's "competitive, and he's a fighter". This morning one of my thought topics was whether Dudley will be the one to "do magic late in life"--if he were, it would be poetic justice for Harry to beat him at some magic in retaliation for whatever Dudley magics on him, and at that point demand the apology he deserves and needs. I dont think he would cast any spells on Dudley unless magically provoked, or to save someone. One reason I thought Dudley might be the one to do magic is because he was on the Dementor radar screen, and is a native bully with magic in his blood from his mother's side. This suggests to me that Dudley might take a lame fancy to joining with LV, or feeling like he had. And Harry could teach him a lesson about how very very stupid that is.

Although I, too want the warm fuzzy scenes that Albus Dumbledore suggests, I also want the comedic JKR type "accidental" magic that Happens when Hary gets angry, aimed at Dudley. Nothing evil or hurtful, just funny. I don't really care if Harry has any revelations with Dudley or Vernon, but I do want to see a scene between Harry and Petunia alone, where she tells him that the reason that she hates the magical world is because it took the sister she loved away from her... first for 7 years of Hogwarts, and then forever after LV's attack. I hope that he can leave with some sort of feeling of family with her, and that she can give him information that he can use in his quest.

Pumpkinjuice, although it would be interesting to see Harry out-magic Dudley, JKR has said that Dudley is just Dudley, what you see is what you get, there is nothing special about him.

I still think that it won't be a planned or purposeful revenge, just something "accidental" that puts Dudley in his place.

Ah, samsmom, I'd not seen that info. So if Dudley doesnt go magical, then Harry will have to get his justice in some other mildly heroic, but I hope humorous, way. Part of me hopes it wont be too funny, since the abuse has been very serious. But then, Dumbledore has his wine-glasses whumping them on the head for their entire conversation, and then chides them for rudely not drinking; so that may indicate that comic humiliation is in store.

I can't imagine that JKR would have Harry do anything to actually physically hurt Dudley, it just wouldn't be right. When she says that Harry will get even with Dudley in the long term, I think she probably means just by rising above it all to move on from that part of his life, and maturing into a well-liked, well-adjusted, successful, happy person, while Dudley is still stuck in his narrow world, with a gang of sycophants, rather than real friends.

That's what I think, anyway

Getting even with Dudley? *chuckles in a most evil sort of way*
I'll have to do a lot of thinking on that one...
I was thinking something along the lines of magic, but kind of like one of those Marge-moments, where it wasn't really on purpose. (Although Harry's idea in Book Five of making Dudley crawl home sprouting antenna has its merits...)
Anyway, I see a different side of Aunt Petunia cropping up sometime in the next book... Rowling said that Petunia being a Squib was a 'good guess', so I'm thinking that's she's something along those lines... I think it would completely torment Vernon and Dudley to learn that Petunia was somehow connected with wizards other than her sister. Anyway, I'm totally off topic here...
Hmmm... I'll give it a think and get back to you on this... you guys have some great ideas, though!

I completely agree, pumpkinjuice! I'd love to have that humorous moment, as we did in HBP, especially since the rest of the book will likely be very dark.
I really hope that it's more than that... I mean, I guess that's getting even, but it's not satisfying... Hopefully, Dudley will, sometime in the future, understand what DD said about his parent's horrible treatment of him.
That's what I had thought as well... it can be humorous, satisfying, and not "really" Harry's fault!

BTW, writer101, JKR said on her website, that Petunia has never and will never be magical... sorry. I agree though, that she will be different... maybe she really heard what DD said, and will be more caring to Harry and a better mother to Dudley. At the very least, she knows more than she says, so she may have helpful information.

i dont really think that harry will actually do any magical stuff to get back at him but instead i think he will start to threaten him a little more. what are vernon and petunia going to do, ground him? its not like he will be there for more than a month. he will probably get on his broom and fly either to grimwald place, the burrow, or godricks hollow once its midnight on his birthday. plus ron and hermione might be there. remember at the end of HBP they say that they are going to go with harry back to the dursleys? dudley will probably run out of the house before harry can do anything to him.

Several people have brought up the fact that Ron and Hermione will likely to join Harry at the Dursleys... and might have some part in getting even with Dudley.

That being said (in order to keep this on topic... ...) What are the odds that the Dursleys will allow them to stay? Uncle Vernon has never really been totally afraid of Harry enough to treat him well or give him what he needs or wants. Who's to say that Ron and Hermione will be able to actually stay in the Dursley house? Will this make a difference in Harry getting even?

I still say that it will be another "Aunt Marge" moment... humorous, not dangerous or hurtful, and totally accidental.

If it's something that has to do with Ron and Hermione , it will probably be Harry and his friends vs. Dudley and his friends. Since Harry's friends are willing to risk their lives against the likes of Trolls, magic and Voldemort, they will easily stand fast against Dudley. Dudley's friends, will turn tail and run, leaving Dudley to fend for himself... that's getting even! How many times has Dudley made fun of Harry and told him that he had no friends.

Try this on for size.....

Just before Harry's 17th Birthday, a band of death eaters invade Privet Drive. They're not attacking Harry, but instead the Dursleys. Dudley, in danger of losing his life, is the one JKR refers to who performs magic comparably late in life. Harry saves Dudley's life from the attacking Death Eaters, which creates a bond between Harry and Dudley, since Harry will have saved Dudley twice (the first in the alley with the Dementors), and Dudley will wind up fighting alongside Harry in the final battle, trying to avenge the deaths of Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.

It was a interesting thought, and maybe something like it will happen but there are several things to consider:

• Dudley is not the one to perform magic late in life.
  
  QUOTE( JKR at the Edinburgh Book Festival August 15 @ 2004)
  Is there more to Dudley than meets the eye?
  No. [Laughter]. What you see is what you get. I am happy to say that he is definitely a character without much back story. He is just Dudley.
• Since Dudley is not a wizard, he cannot owe a wizard's debt, so he has no undenyable bond wih Harry. Having Harry save him from the dementors in the alley should have given him a moral debt, but we all know how immoral Dudley is, and the likelyhood of him ever being nice to, or helping Harry is small at best. Also remember that the Durselys all blamed Harry for the attack as well.

I'd like to think that Harry getting even with Dudley will be accidental and humorous... it will be good to have something funny in the beginning of a book that will likely get very dark before it ends.

I'd LOVE to see Ron and Hermione stay with Harry at the Dursleys until his birthday... remember they are both older than him, and will be allowed to do magic... Hee hee!!!!!