While the Harry Potter movies often place most of their focus on the wizarding world, for obvious reasons, there are plenty of important Muggle characters as well. The Dursleys are probably the most developed Muggles in the franchise, being Harry's family, and where he lives when not at school.

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The family, Vernon, Petunia (Harry's aunt), and Dudley (their son) are often seen as villains in the story due to their mistreatment of Harry, and they're certainly complex characters. But whatever else they are, there are certainly elements of their story that just don't make sense.

Leaving Harry On The Doorstep

Dumbledore and Minerva hold an infant Harry Potter

When Harry is first shown in the movie, he is a mere infant, left on the doorstep of the Dursley household with nothing but a letter. It's not shown in the movies, but in the books it is revealed Professor Dumbledore had some level of contact with Petunia about the situation and makes her guarantee she will look after him while he is young - but he still just leaves Harry on the doorstep with a letter.

However, why wouldn't Dumbledore just knock on the door and actually talk to the family? Petunia is well aware of the magical world, therefore it doesn't make sense that he wouldn't want to speak to them in-person about something as important as this, and that he would risk the safety of Harry just leaving a baby outside alone.

Locking Harry Under The Stairs

Harry Potter in the Cupboard Under the Stairs

The first time fans are introduced to Harry Potter is when he is in his 'bedroom' which is under the stairs of the house. It's a very small space and he is clearly put there because the family hates him and wants nothing to do with him, but it makes no sense that they'd actually do this.

It's hard to believe that all of their family or friends would visit the house and simply think that it is normal to have someone sleep in that space - and if they were pretending Harry slept elsewhere, wouldn't it become immediately obvious he didn't? They're a family who likes to present themselves in the best possible light, so putting Harry here doesn't make much sense.

Dudley's Tail

Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid Gives Dudley Dursley a Pig Tail in Harry Potter

When Hagrid first meets Harry to pick him up and take him from the Dursley family, he has an encounter with them which actually sees him use some magic. He gives Dudley a pig's tail as a way of making Harry laugh, while also punishing Dudley for his behavior.

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However, Hagrid doesn't then cast another spell to get rid of the tail, and in the books, it is revealed Dudley actually has to go to a plastic surgeon to remove that. But a pig's tail on a human isn't an everyday occurrence, so surely the doctor would have had more than a few questions about the situation. It's explained that when Marge is inflated, the Ministry Of Magic has to step in to remove her memory of the situation, but that's never mentioned in regards to this surgeon - and Hagrid's illegal magic isn't caught.

Not Thinking About Dobby

Dobby the house elf in Harry Potter

Dobby plays a big part in tormenting the Dursley family in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets because he doesn't want Harry to return to Hogwarts under any circumstances. He shows up and causes chaos with lots of different magic, yet Aunt Petunia and the family assume it's all Harry.

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While Harry accidentally caused issues with his uncontrolled magic as a child, he's a mild-mannered person who is happy to just keep to himself and is desperate to leave, so wouldn't want to tarnish that - and his Aunt knew that. Aunt Petunia would have known about other creatures, such as house elves and she'd also know that Harry wasn't that skilled at that point, yet she never questions if something else could be influencing things.

Moving Out Of The House

Hagrid meets Harry for the first time in Philoshopher's Stone

At the start of the story, Vernon Dursley loses his cool when Harry is getting his Hogwarts letters. Hogwarts sends countless letters to the point where Vernon makes the decision to move his family out of the house to the middle of nowhere in a cold, seemingly abandoned island.

This whole situation made zero sense. While he was obviously doing it because he thought there was no way of mail getting to them, what was his end game? Did Vernon plan on just keeping his family there forever, because if they moved back to Privet Drive, he would have got another letter anyway?

Hiding His History

Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter and Adrian Rawlins as James Potter in Harry Potter's memory.

One of the big reasons people hate the Dursley family is because they lie to Harry and refuse to tell him about his parents. While it makes sense that they want to keep the magic out of his life, because of how Petunia feels about it due to her jealousy, surely she knew there was a very strong chance he would end up being contacted - and being a wizard himself.

Considering the fact Professor Dumbledore knew where he was, and both his parents were wizards, it doesn't make sense that she kept it a big secret. He was always going to find it, so it would surely have been easier to have got it over with when he was very young, and come up with a plan to deal with it.

Not Wanting Harry To Go

Vernon Dursley in harry Potter

The Dursleys are quite a confusing bunch. They don't want Harry in their house as he is a burden that they have to pay for, and they don't like him or see him as family. Yet, they equally don't want him to leave the house in order to go to Hogwarts.

The two issues contradict each other, with the family never set to be happy because the two situations they have are ones that they don't like. While they don't want Harry learning magic, it is surely the best situation for them, as he is gone for most of the year.

Locking The Windows

Vernon Dursley tries to lock Harry in his room

One way that Vernon Dursley tries to stop Harry from going to Hogwarts or having any communication with his friends is when he decides to lock his room up, including putting metal bars on his windows. What Vernon somehow seems to forget is that Harry is capable of magic.

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Even though Harry doesn't come up with the idea, the Weasleys end up freeing him via the flying car, which rips the metal bars off. There was always going to be a way for Harry to escape, which made this entire situation pointless for Vernon - although his lack of forethought may be an intentional part of the character.

Why Doesn't Petunia Know About Underage Magic?

Petunia Dursley looking shocked in Harry Potter

Aunt Petunia isn't really shown in as much detail as she should be. As the clear connection to Harry and his magical background, she certainly knows more than she lets on to him, yet she also appears to be utterly clueless about certain situations.

Once Harry has been to Hogwarts, she is aware that he will know a limited amount of magic, just as her sister did. However, she would also be aware that he's not allowed to do it outside of Hogwarts, but she never mentions that whenever magic is done in the house, either when Harry does it accidentally, or when Dobby appears and does it, pretending it's Harry to get him in trouble.

Why They're Surprised By The Letters

Owls deliver hudreds of letters to Harry at Privet Drive in Harry Potter & The Philosophers Stone

One of the funniest parts of the franchise is when Harry Potter begins receiving his letters from Hogwarts about him joining the school. Vernon absolutely hates them, and it leads to him losing his cool on countless occasions, but it doesn't make sense that he seems to be surprised that they keep coming.

He and his wife are well aware of Harry's family and the fact his parents had magical abilities. Petunia even wrote to Dumbledore to try and get into Hogwarts herself, so she knows all about the letters and how the system works, yet she's just as surprised as her husband, which doesn't make sense with her knowledge of the magical world.

NEXT: Harry Potter: The 10 Worst Things Petunia Dursley Did To Harry, Ranked