20 Idiotic Decisions Made By Characters In The Harry Potter Films

20. The Dursleys locking Harry in The Cupboard Under The Stairs

Harry Potter is an orphan. He was left in a basket at the doorstep of the Dursleys, along with a note explaining his parents€™ death and Dumbledore€™s wishes that they would raise him as their own son. We assume that Petunia Dursley felt an obligation to her sister Lily, even though they were estranged. Flash forward ten years. The Dursleys son, Dudley, has everything that he wants. He€™s a pudgy, spoiled brat. Harry, in contrast, is The Boy Who Almost Isn€™t There. His bedroom is a cupboard under the stairs. He wears Dudley€™s overlarge clothes. He€™s essentially a manservant to the Dursleys, fixing their breakfasts and regarded as barely tolerable, blamed for everything that goes wrong. Reality check: It€™s €œHarry Potter,€ not €œHarry Dursley.€ Harry attends a Muggle primary school, so the bureaucracy knows he is a ward of the Dursleys. Yet no teacher notices that this kid is wearing oversized clothes, has damaged glasses, and has the emotional look of someone who is suffering from severe bullying? No social worker has ever come to the Dursleys to check to see how he lives at home? His €œbedroom€ should be enough evidence to have the Dursleys locked up for child abuse. Even if the Muggle bureaucracy is oblivious to Harry€™s situation, the wizarding world is not. All of the Hogwarts invitation letters addressed to Harry are stamped €œThe Cupboard Under The Stairs.€ Doesn€™t anyone in the wizarding world find this alarming? Especially for The Boy Who Lived?
In this post: 
Harry Potter
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Mr. Thomas is primarily a graphic artist for the San Antonio Express-News, but also finds time to write the DVD Extra blog for the paper’s website.