--- title: JK Rowling New Harry Potter Content About the Dursleys description: J.K. Rowling posted new content on Pottermore Tuesday canonical: https://time.com/3931826/j-k-rowling-harry-potter-pottermore-dursley/ author: ashley Ross article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-23T15:13:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:02:52.988Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: J.K. Rowling Reveals New Harry Potter Backstory on Pottermore og:description: Including a potentially different farewell from Aunt Petunia in "Deathly Hallows" og:url: https://time.com/3931826/j-k-rowling-harry-potter-pottermore-dursley/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6adc30d8da4a08e3/698857e3196cf41c40036cbe/dursleys.jpg?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: harry potter dursleys og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: J.K. Rowling Reveals New Harry Potter Backstory on Pottermore twitter:description: Including a potentially different farewell from Aunt Petunia in "Deathly Hallows" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6adc30d8da4a08e3/698857e3196cf41c40036cbe/dursleys.jpg?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # J.K. Rowling Reveals New _Harry Potter_ Backstory on Pottermore by [ashley Ross](https://time.com/author/ashley-ross/) ## ashley Ross Jun 23, 2015 3:13 PM UTC  2917.tif 2917.tifWarner Bros. by [ashley Ross](https://time.com/author/ashley-ross/) ## ashley Ross Jun 23, 2015 3:13 PM UTC It’s been quite a while since _Harry Potter_ fans have seen new content from J.K. Rowling, even though she regularly posts to Twitter about [Wizarding World happenings.](http://time.com/3914081/jk-rowling-american-hogwarts/) On Tuesday, Rowling’s fansite Pottermore unveiled new, interactive sections of _Deathly Hallows_, the final Potter book in the series, and with it, new background on the story. > [](https://twitter.com/pottermore/status/613331116179746816) June 23 marks the birthday of Dudley Dursley, Harry Potter’s unappreciative, overweight and very spoiled cousin — and this year he turns 35\. So it’s no surprise Rowling took to Pottermore to post some background on Dudley’s parents, Vernon and Petunia, who “grudgingly” took in Harry after his parents were killed by Lord Voldemort. But it’s not just _Hallows_ content fans were privy to. Rowling gave insight into the backstory of Vernon and Petunia, including the origin of their names, both first and last, and their relationship to Harry’s parents James and Lily. Rowling reveals that once Petunia and Vernon were engaged, Petunia’s only concern was what Vernon would make of her sister, who was in her final year at Hogwarts at the time. When the two couples first got together, Rowling writes that “Vernon tried to patronise James, asking what car he drove,” to which James “described his racing broom.” When James explained Gringotts, Vernon felt he was being made fun of and the evening ended with the Dursleys storming out of the restaurant. Of course, the Wizarding World isn’t immune to wedding drama, either, as Rowling writes that “Petunia did not want Lily as a bridesmaid, because she was tired of being overshadowed” and she and Vernon didn’t go to Lily and James’ wedding. The last communication the couples had before Lily and James’ death was the announcement of Harry’s birth. Rowling goes on to explain that Vernon’s dislike for Harry “stems in part, like Severus Snape’s, from Harry’s close resemblance to the father they both so disliked.” ### Harry Potter Illustrated Edition Illustrations  Harry Potter Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Hermione Granger Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Ron Weasley Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Draco Malfoy Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Rubeus Hagrid Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Hogwarts Grand Hall Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Dragon Alley Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Hagrid Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Harry Potter Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  An owl Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  The Golden Snitch Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. The author touches on their names, writing that “‘Vernon’ is simply a name I never much cared for” while “Petunia” is a name she always “gave unpleasant characters in games of make believe” she played with her sister. And the name “Dursley” was “taken from the eponymous town in Gloucestershire,” which she writes is more about “the sound of the word… rather than any association with the place.” Perhaps the biggest revelation in her new text is that Rowling wanted to see a nicer side of Aunt Petunia “when she said goodbye to Harry for the last time.” But she stuck to the true nature of Petunia’s character, having her “behave in a way that is most consistent with her thoughts and feelings throughout the previous seven books.” In order to access the latest information on Pottermore, fans must first head to the Cupboard Under the Stairs, where the Dursleys kept Harry at number four, Privet Drive. As alohamora won’t work to unlock the new text, fans might want to look at the side table outside the cupboard first. _Read next:_ [_Here’s What New Information J.K. Rowling Revealed on Pottermore_](http://time.com/3932606/jk-rowling-harry-potter-pottermore-new/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day_](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3931826/j-k-rowling-harry-potter-pottermore-dursley/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3931826/j-k-rowling-harry-potter-pottermore-dursley/"},"headline":"J.K. 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