Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Privet Drive====== =====Location Information===== * **Type:** [[Muggle]] suburban street; Residence * **Location:** [[Little Whinging]], Surrey, England * **Owner/Residents:** Primarily the [[Dursley family]] ([[Vernon Dursley]], [[Petunia Dursley]], [[Dudley Dursley]]). [[Harry Potter]] resided at [[Number Four, Privet Drive]] during his childhood and summer holidays. * **Key Features:** An exceptionally neat and uniform street, characterized by its identical, boxy houses. [[Number Four, Privet Drive]] was protected by powerful, ancient [[magic]] derived from [[Lily Potter]]'s sacrificial protection, which shielded [[Harry Potter]] from [[Voldemort]] and his followers as long as he could call it home. =====Description and History===== Privet Drive is a street in the town of [[Little Whinging]] that epitomizes suburban conformity. The houses are described as large and square, each with a manicured garden, and are so similar in appearance that the street is defined by its overwhelming and proud normalcy. The residents, including the [[Dursley family]], are depicted as being intensely interested in the mundane and deeply suspicious of anything unusual or mysterious. The [[Dursley family|Dursleys]] chose to live on Privet Drive precisely for its lack of imagination and its distance from the magical world they despise. The most notable residence on this street is [[Number Four, Privet Drive]], the home of the Dursleys. The house is kept spotlessly clean and tidy, a reflection of [[Petunia Dursley]]'s personality. Its interior features a living room with a boarded-up fireplace, a kitchen, and four bedrooms upstairs. For the first ten years of his life, [[Harry Potter]]'s bedroom was the [[cupboard under the stairs]]. He was later moved to Dudley's second bedroom, which was previously used to store broken toys and equipment. =====Role in the Story===== Privet Drive serves a crucial and paradoxical role throughout the series. On one hand, it represents the oppressive, unloving, and abusive environment that Harry must endure when away from [[Hogwarts]]. It is the antithesis of the freedom, friendship, and wonder he experiences in the [[Wizarding world]]. On the other hand, it is the site of Harry's most powerful magical defense. Following the murder of his parents, [[Albus Dumbledore]] placed Harry with his only remaining relatives. By accepting Harry, [[Petunia Dursley]] sealed a charm based on her sister [[Lily Potter]]'s sacrifice. This blood protection ensured that as long as Harry could call [[Number Four, Privet Drive]] home, [[Voldemort]] could not touch or harm him there. This protection was set to expire upon Harry's seventeenth birthday. Key events that occurred at Privet Drive include: * [[Harry Potter]]'s delivery to the Dursleys as an infant by [[Albus Dumbledore]], [[Minerva McGonagall]], and [[Rubeus Hagrid]]. * The relentless arrival of [[Hogwarts letter]]s, culminating in [[Hagrid]]'s visit to the [[Hut-on-the-Rock]] to inform Harry he is a [[wizard]]. * The visit from [[Dobby]] the [[house-elf]], who sabotaged a dinner party, earning Harry bars on his window. * Harry's accidental inflation of [[Aunt Marge]], which led to him running away and encountering the [[Knight Bus]]. * The [[Weasley family]]'s dramatic rescue of Harry for the [[Quidditch World Cup]] via a blocked-up fireplace and [[Floo Powder]]. * The attack on Harry and [[Dudley Dursley]] by two [[Dementor]]s in the alleyway between Privet Drive and Magnolia Crescent. * The arrival of the [[Advance Guard]] of the [[Order of the Phoenix]] to escort Harry to [[Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place]]. * [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s final visit to the Dursleys, where he explained the terms of Harry's protection and retrieved Harry to hunt for [[Horcrux]]es. * The Dursleys' departure under the protection of the [[Order of the Phoenix]] and Harry's final departure from his childhood home, which triggered the [[Battle of the Seven Potters]]. =====Known Areas Within===== The following are notable areas within **[[Number Four, Privet Drive]]**: * **[[Cupboard Under the Stairs]]**: Harry's small, dark bedroom for the first decade of his life. * **Living Room**: The site of many tense family moments, the arrival of the Weasleys, and Dumbledore's visit to explain the [[Horcrux]]es. * **Kitchen**: The primary setting for meals and confrontations with the Dursleys. * **Harry's Bedroom**: Formerly Dudley's second bedroom, it became Harry's personal space where he kept his [[trunk]], [[Hedwig]], and other magical possessions. * **The Garden**: Impeccably maintained by [[Vernon Dursley]], known for its neat lawn and flowerbeds. =====Behind the Scenes===== * J.K. Rowling stated that she chose the name "Privet" for the street because the privet hedge is symbolic of suburbia and the desire to keep a neat, orderly boundary, reflecting the Dursleys' worldview and their separation from the magical world. (J.K. Rowling interview) * In the film adaptations, the exterior of [[Number Four, Privet Drive]] was initially filmed at a real house located at 12 Picket Post Close in Bracknell, Berkshire. For later films, a full replica of the house and a portion of the street were constructed at Leavesden Studios to allow for more complex filming and special effects. (film)
