Deleted scene in ‘Harry Potter’ shows a different side of Dudley

A video is currently circulating online featuring a deleted scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1. It shows Harry saying goodbye to the Dursleys. Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley were forced to leave their home for their own safety due to the threat of Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

In the films, Harry’s cousin Dudley comes across as obnoxious, spoiled, and unlikable. But anyone who has read the books knows this is not true. Harry and Dudley’s relationship is more complex than the movies show and a deleted scene reveals just that.

The scene opens with Vernon rushing his family into the car, apparently not wanting to say goodbye to his nephew Harry. As Harry descends the stairs, he meets his aunt who is lost in thought in the living room. After he explains she’s not safe here, she replies, “You think I don’t know what they’re capable of? You didn’t just lose a mother in Godric’s Hollow that night, you know. I lost my sister.’

Before getting in the car to his parents, Dudley asks his father, “I don’t understand, doesn’t he want to come with us?” His father replies that Harry “doesn’t want to come”. Harry then says, still standing in the doorway, “I’m just a waste of space, aren’t I, Vernon?”. Despite being told to get in the car, Dudley ignores his father and walks over to Harry, shakes his hand and tells him, “I don’t think you’re a waste of space.” The latter is exactly what Dirk says to Harry in the book.

Fans are very emotional about this deleted scene. In the comments, fans write, “Whoever decided to cut these scenes should be sent to Azkaban,” “I fucking cry every time Dudley says that,” and “So many scenes were cut from Harry Potter that who would have the movie like that made much better and easier to understand”. This scene would give a really deep insight into who Dudley really was and is also important for his character development in the movies.

(cmu)