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Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Image via Warner Bros.

Why did the Dursleys hate Harry Potter? The horcrux theory, explained

Could this fan theory explain why the Dursleys hate Harry so much?

The Harry Potter franchise is undoubtedly one of the most popular movie franchises in history. The original franchise includes eight movies, with different spinoffs and even their own section at Universal Studios.

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Everyone who has ever watched the Harry Potter films know that Harry had quite a difficult and hard upbringing before he was admitted to Hogwarts. Harry was forced to move in with his aunt, uncle, and cousin after the incredibly sad and untimely death of his parents at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Fans know that the Dursley family had been nothing but horrible to Harry while he was growing up, but one theory about why the Dursleys were so mean and hateful to Harry makes an incredible amount of sense.

Why were the Dursleys so mean to Harry?

Image via Looper

During their quest to finally defeat Voldemort, Harry, Ron, and Hermione figured out that they need to destroy different items that are also known as a ‘horcrux’, in which Voldemort split part of his soul into. Fans might remember that whenever Ron, Harry, or Hermione were wearing the necklace horcrux, it turned them into angry and depressing people.

This was because it was tied to Voldemort who was a nasty and horrible individual himself. Even when Ron took it off before he disappeared for a while, he was still feeling the affects of the horcrux. As viewers remember from watching the final movie, Harry himself was a horcrux that Voldemort had not originally intended to create.

Regardless, that did not take Harry away from being a horcrux. In order to be destroyed, Harry had to be killed by Voldemort and after that, the horcrux part of Harry was gone. Now, imagine all of the anger that was around Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the woods thanks to the necklace. That is what the Dursleys were subjected to while raising and being around Harry.

This is no excuse for their actions, but it is a very interesting theory to think about. It would explain their irrational pure hatred, even though it was discussed that his Aunt Petunia was jealous of Harry’s mom for being a witch.

Unfortunately for fans, J.K. Rowling has talked about this theory and said that while it is a very interesting and clever theory, it is not the root cause for the hatred the Dursleys have. Viewers can still appreciate the theory and know that Harry would have had no ill will or bad intention being a horcrux.


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Andrew Dupont
Andrew Dupont is a college graduate who enjoys writing about anything comic book and anime related.