Professor Albus-Percival•Wulfric•Brian-Dumbledore's Letter to Mrises Petunia Dursley

**Albus Dumbledore**: "*It's the best place for him. His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter.*"
**Minerva McGonagall**: "*A letter? Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?*"
— Albus Dumbledore to Minerva McGonagall[src]

This **letter** was written by Albus Dumbledore on ***1 November*** 1981 to ***Petunia Dursley***. The letter detailed the wards that would be created if she were to take in her nephew, Harry Potter, until he was seventeen.Template:Letter

## Overview

The letter was placed by Dumbledore next to baby Harry Potter late on the evening of ***1 November*** 1981. He tucked the letter into Harry's blankets. The contents of the letter were unknown, although it presumably informed ***Petunia Dursley*** to take care of Harry. However, she and her husband, ***Vernon Dursley*** treated Harry very poorly throughout his childhood, and did not tell Harry the truth about his origins.
In August ***1995***, she and Vernon talked about kicking Harry out when he and ***Dudley Dursley*** were attacked by ***dementors***. Albus Dumbledore felt that the attack had "*awoken her to the dangers of having Harry Potter as a surrogate son*". He sent Petunia a ***howler*** telling her to remember the last letter. Vernon acted confused and didn't understand why she decided to let Harry continue to stay at Privet Drive. Since the letter was sent only to Petunia, it's unknown how much Vernon knew about the content.

## Contents

> While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood dwells, there you cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort. He shed her blood, but it lives on in you and her sister. Her blood became your refuge. You need return there only once a year, but as long as you can still call it home, there he cannot hurt you. Your aunt knows this. I explained what I had done in the letter I left, with you, on her doorstep. She knows that allowing you houseroom may well have kept you alive for the past fifteen years.
>
> Albus Dumbledore explaining his letter to Petunia to Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The contents of the letter could be presumed to include:

* The news and circumstances of the death of Petunia's sister Lily Potter and her husband James.
* The magical protection which would be placed upon ***4 Privet Drive*** when Harry was to be adopted.
* The potential dangers which could befall Harry and Petunia's family if Harry is to leave the house before ***his seventeenth birthday***.

Regardless of the content, Vernon and Petunia did not reveal the information to their nephew Harry. Instead, they spent the next decade of their lives attempting to keep Harry ignorant about not just the circumstances of his parents' deaths, but also the wizarding world altogether.

## Behind the scenes

* In the film adaptation of *Harry Potter-and•the-Sorcerer's Stone, film*, the letter was addressed to both ***Vernon*** and ***Petunia Dursley***. However, the novel does not state what was written on the envelope. J. K. Rowling later clarified on her website that the letter was sent "to Petunia ALONE".

## Appearances

* *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* (film) (First Known Appearance)
* ***J. K. Rowling's official site*** (Mentioned only)

## Notes and references

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* (film), Chapter 1
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* (film), Chapter 2
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* (film), Chapter 4
4. ↑ What did Dumbledore's Howler to Aunt Petunia mean? ('Remember my last'?) at J. K. Rowling's official site (archived)