While the Harry Potter movies gave fans a visual representation of the books, movies can’t give all of the details that the books provided. While Number Four, Privet Drive is shown various times in the movies, some of the specific details about the Dursley’s home didn’t make it onto the screen. In the books, the house is described as being just like all the others around it and is the definition of normal and bland. This comes across well in the movies without having to be said, but some of the specific things that reveal more about the Dursleys as characters aren’t shown.
Here’s a list of eight things about Number Four, Privet Drive that aren’t included in the Harry Potter movies.
THE DURSLEYS STARTED LIVING THERE IN 1977.
One fact about the home that isn’t revealed in the movies, or even specifically in the books, is that Petunia and Vernon moved into the home in 1977. The Harry Potter books mostly take place during the 90s’ while Harry is at Hogwarts, so it makes sense that Petunia and Vernon would have moved into Number Four when they were just married. This information can be found in the Harry Potter Wiki. While not a hugely important fact, this detail does give some insight into how stable and non-adaptable the Dursleys are as people.
SOME OF THE WEASLEYS VISITED IN GOBLET OF FIRE.
One of the biggest things that the Potter movies leave out related to Number Four is the chapters in the book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when some of the Dursleys come to retrieve Harry for the rest of the summer. Because the Dursley’s fireplace is blocked up, Arthur Weasley has to destroy the fireplace to get out after using Floo Powder, although he fixes it afterwards. Fred Weasley also drops a ton-tongue toffee on the floor on purpose which causes a big scene when Dudley eats it. Overall, the experience is quite traumatic for the Dursley’s although rather hilarious for Harry and the Weasley boys to witness.
HARRY’S ROOM WAS FULL OF BROKEN HAND ME DOWNS OF DUDLEY’S.
The movies do a good job of portraying the cupboard under the stairs where Harry spends most of his childhood and afterward the small bedroom where he spends the rest of his time in the Dursley home. What the movies aren’t able to show as specifically is some of the items that inhabited Number Four, Privet Drive. Harry never really gets anything new and always has to have Dudley’s old hand me downs, including clothes that are way too big for him. He also never gets toys or books of his own, only getting the ones that Dudley has broken or discarded.
These small details give an even more bleak look at just how poorly the Dursleys treated Harry even when he was a small child.
THE DURSLEY’S HAD A SMALL, IMMACULATE YARD.
The outside of Number Four is not shown too much in the movies. Viewers can see a small yard out front, but they never get much of a view of the backyard. According to information from Pottermore and the books, the backyard of Number Four was a moderate size and cultivated neatly.
Harry would actually often spend a good amount of time out there during the summer months to escape from his relatives. The yard also featured a trimmed hedge, over which Petunia would often try and spy on her neighbors, and they also had a small conservatory according to Pottermore.
THE ALLEY NEAR THE HOUSE IS A SIGNIFICANT PLACE IN THE BOOKS.
Next to the Number Four off of Wisteria Walk there is a dark alley next to a garage. This small alley is surprisingly the site of some significant moments in the books. For one thing, it’s the place where Harry first sees Sirius Black in his animagus form during Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Also, it’s in this alley that Harry and Dudley run into dementors during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. While we do see both of these scenes in the movies, it’s not as clear where the location is or how close it was to Privet Drive.
THE DURSLEY’S HAD MANY TOP OF THE LINE ITEMS FOR THE TIME PERIOD.
Since the Harry Potter books are set in the past, it’s harder to get a grasp of the fact that the Dursleys were interested in keeping up with the Jones’s to an extent.
They were never flashy people but we’re all about being normal and acceptable in society. In the books, it’s noted that they had kitchen appliances that were top of the line for the time period. This is hard to get a sense of in the movies, but comes across more clearly in the books and gives insight into the type of people the Dursleys are.
THE FLOWERS AND LAWN WERE KEPT UP VERY WELL AND HARRY WOULD OFTEN HIDE IN THEM.
Another thing about the Dursley’s yard that might not get picked up on in the films was that they kept a good amount of flowers, but of course not too much. The plants in the yard included roses near the back door and hydrangeas in the front yard. But, just like everything with the Dursleys they wanted to fit in. Their yard and plants were kept neat and green, but they would never have a messy or artistic garden. Also, in Order of the Phoenix, Harry spent a great deal of time hiding in the bushes under the front window to try and listen to the news in an attempt to gather information on what Voldemort was doing.
THE BROKEN FLOORBOARD IN HARRY’S ROOM FEATURES A LOT IN THE BOOKS.
Book fans will likely remember that floorboard in Harry’s room that he uses a few times throughout the series. In Prisoner of Azkaban, he uses this broken floorboard to hide items so that the Dursleys won’t find them. While it’s a small detail, it’s something that sticks out in many readers minds as it reveals how little privacy Harry really had and how he had to use everything at his disposal to make the Number Four bearable for him.
