Why didn't the Dursleys gladly ship Harry off to Hogwarts?

Question

Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.

‘He’s not going [to Hogwarts],’ he said.

Hagrid grunted. ‘I’d like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him,’ he said.

The Dursleys hated Harry, yet oddly refused to ship him off to Hogwarts, where they could have been free from Harry's presence for a full nine months per school year. I would have thought the Dursleys would have been more reluctant to send Diddy Diddy Duddykins off to Smeltings than they would be with kicking Harry to the curb for any reason that wouldn't make the neighbors talk ("Harry? Why, he's off to Smeltings with Dudley -- oh, yes, the boys are having a marvelous year!" etc.).

I know Uncle Vernon had promised to stomp the magic out of Harry, but are there any other canon-based reasons the Dursleys would so vehemently reject Hogwarts in lieu of having to put up with him 24-7, 365 days per year for more than seven years from the time the books began? The Dursleys are not characters I have studied in depth -- they're so awful! -- so their motivation for both hating Harry and refusing to arrange it so he'd be far away from them doesn't make sense to me.

So, why didn't the Dursleys gladly ship Harry off to Hogwarts?

Answer 1

Because the Dursleys hated magic more than they hated Harry. And as time passes they do like him going to school. Remember that they do want him gone in the seventh book.

Petunia's reason: Jealousy; and she wanted no reminder of how she was treated "unfairly" as she was not allowed to go to Hogwarts which broke her relationship with her sister and made her bitter. After her sister died she probably wanted to forget the whole magic thing as it only caused her pain:

1. She spent her childhood never getting over that slight at not going to school.

2. And her sister was dead.

3. She also might have been scared of magic.

Pg. 53 of Sorcerer's Stone, The Keeper of the Keys

'Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that - that school- and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"

She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say this for years.

"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same. just as strange, just as - as - abnormal - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"

Sounds jealous.

Vernon's reason: I think that in keeping Harry from going to school Vernon was the real mastermind. He was the one who stopped or tried to stop Harry from going to school most actively. I think that Petunia would have caved and let Harry go to school if she hadn't been trying to please her husband.

1. Vernon wanted a non-freak family

   Chapter 4, The Keeper of the Keys, pg.53

   "We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"

   Chapter 17. Sorcerer's stone, The Man with the two faces.

   It was Uncle Vernon, still purple faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people.

   Chapter 1, Prisoner of Azkaban, Owl Post

   "HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE - PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying Harry in spit.

2. He was scared of the unknown. He hated not understanding.

   Chapter 3, The Dursleys departing

   "Well, I don't believe it," repeated Uncle Vernon, coming to a halt in front of Harry again. "I was awake half the night thinking it all over, and I believe it's a plot to get the house."

   So he creates a outrageous tale.

   And the whole of chapter 3 is basically Vernon trying to understand the situation and him wondering how he can manipulate the situation.

3. And he was interested in not paying for anything that didn't give him a gain and include Dudley or Petunia, he was greedy.

   Chapter 4, pg. 59 The Keeper of the Keys

   "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS"

   Also, the above quote about Harry stealing the house. That situation is something that Vernon would do.

   And they got over the fact that he had to go school really fast. After leaving him at platform 9 3/4 Vernon says:

   "Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away

What Vernon says goes, in most cases.

Chapter 3, The Dursleys Departing, Deathly Hallows

"Don't you take that tone-" began Aunt Petunia in a shrill voice, but Vernon Dursley waved her down."

And similar events like this happened as well.

And Dudley was just following his parents

Chapter 3, Deathly Hallows, The Dursleys Departing

It seemed that Dudley was struggling with concepts too difficult to put into words. After several moments of apparently painful internal struggle he said, "But where's he going to go?" ...

"I don't think you're a waste of space."

Again, Dudley appeared to grapple with thoughts too unwieldy for expression before mumbling, "You saved my life."

He didn't hate Harry and would have probably befriended him if his parents had not abused Harry.

This goes to a quote:

"You meet the parent when you meet the child."

You might not care for this source. But they had a interesting point of view.

However, they disliked him and treated him badly, while spoiling Dudley.

When Harry was sent a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Vernon got very angry, as he detested anything to do with magic.

"There's no such thing as magic!" —Vernon trying to convince Harry Potter to forget about the wizarding world.

Answer 2

I can think of many reasons.

1. Chamber of Secrets reveals (well, technically the very end of Philosopher's Stone reveals) that the Dursleys are unaware that you aren't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts at Harry's age. So as far as they're concerned, the boy they abused for 11 years is going to stay in their house for three months out of the year with the ability to torment them.
2. The Dursleys are shown to be absolutely obsessed with normalcy and with what their neighbors think of them. They live in constant fear that the neighbors will discover that Harry is magic, which of course would be exacerbated by him actually learning magic.
3. They really, really hate magic. Like, a lot.
4. They really, really hate Harry. When he asks permission to go the Quidditich World Cup, the narration describes that Uncle Dursley is torn. He'd really like Harry out of his hair for a month... but it would also have the side effect of making Harry happy.
5. For Petunia, I think it's a straightforward case of jealousy. She always wanted to be a witch and go to Hogwarts, and she simply despises Lily and Harry and Severus for being able to go while she can't.

Answer 3

It could be any number of reasons (or a combination thereof). Here are some examples:

Denial

Remember, Mrs. Dursley loathed the fact that her sister was a witch. She called it unnatural and said it made her sister a freak. Now, along comes the nephew. Guess what, he's just like his mother. But wait, if he doesn't go to that "wizard school", he isn't a real wizard, right? If he doesn't receive training, he isn't allowed to use magic. That's the law, right? You know what, I think I like it better if we keep him here, in this tiny little room, right where I can see him.

Blind Hatred

Here comes Hagrid, a seven-foot-tall personification of everything you've been denying exists for the last decade, and he wants to take your nephew off and make him into a big boy wizard. But first, he asks your permission. Hmm, let me think. This giant freak and this scumbag spawn of wizards wants nothing more than to go off to Fairyland and have a nice cup of tea. You know what would really piss them off? What would make Harry absolutely miserable? How about I say no? (Remember, the Dursleys weren't particularly smart. They may not have thought through the whole "wizard can kill me" thing.)

Torture

Harry hates the Dursleys, but by far, the Dursleys hate Harry more. They would like nothing more than for Harry to be locked up in that closet for the rest of his life, because they know he would hate it. Now, here comes this freak barging into our vacation uninvited and offers him a free ticket out? You know what? I think Harry would like that. That's the thing he's been wanting his whole life, right here in front of us. That's something I can't let him have. I hate him, therefore, I will exercise every control I have over him.

Answer 4

A few suggestions from me:

1. Fear. As far as the Dursleys know, Harry is free to use magic outside school:

   “Oh, I will,’ said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. ‘They don’t know we’re not allowed to use magic at home. I’m going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…”

   — Philosopher’s Stone, chapter 17 (The Man with Two Faces)

   Suddenly those eleven years of abuse seem rather foolish. Now Harry can come back and seek revenge for how they treated him.

   One of the most blatant cases of magic while Harry was in their care involved him releasing a Boa Constrictor in the zoo while their son was at that particular cage. They may already see this as an act of aggression, and worry about what he’d do when actually trained.

   They may also have some idea of just how pivotal Harry and his parents were in the wizarding war. They’re probably just as afraid (if nor more afraid) of Harry’s friends and teachers turning up to seek retribution for the way they treated him. If they can keep Harry away from Hogwarts, then they believe that nobody will ever find out.

   (This is a legitimate fear – look at how they crumple at the sight of Moody et al. escorting Harry at the end of Order of the Phoenix.)

2. Love of normality. From the word go, they’re shown to hate the Potters and their magical ability:

   The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn’t think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.

   — Philosopher’s Stone, chapter 1 (The Boy Who Lived)

   Life on Privet Drive is very carefully constructed to be normal. Handing Harry over to Hogwarts means giving up some of that control, and allowing the possibility that something abnormal will creep into their lives.

   Listen to how Petunia describes Lily at Hogwarts:

   “Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that – that school – and came home every holiday with her pockets full of frog-spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was – a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!”

   — Philosopher’s Stone, chapter 4 (The Keeper of the Keys)

   If that’s the sort of thing that young wizards and witches bring home, then the Dursleys definitely don’t want it in the house. Part of this was exaggeration on Petunia’s part, but I think here we also see a bit of jealousy. She’s never quite recovered from being left out when Lily went to Hogwarts, and allowing Harry to go means doing it all over again.

3. Ignorance is bliss. They have vague notions of what goes on in the magical world, but have never had to interact with it directly. For the last decade, they’ve probably tried to forget it entirely. Allowing a training wizard to live in their house means they’re almost certainly going to find out more about the wizarding world than is proper, and that just won’t do.

Answer 5

They didn't want him to become a "freak" like his parents. From the moment they took him in, they swore to "stomp out" his magic, to try stop him from becoming a wizard. So allowing him to go to Hogwarts and be taught magic is quite the opposite of their intentions.

Answer 6

Dursleys didn't hate Harry. They hated that Harry was a sliver of magical world.

As such, Harry being more magical would be a significant deterioration of the Status Quo for them.

Answer 7

You say the Dursleys would send Harry to Hogwarts “in lieu of having to put up with him 24-7, 365 days per year for more than seven years from the time the books began”. I don't think that's so.

The Dursleys were probably already planning to send Harry to a boarding school from the same September, so they would see Harry very little during the year anyway.

See Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone chapter 3:

When september came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. […] Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local comprehensive.

Also chapter 4, where Uncle Vernon says:

‘He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. […]’

This doesn't clearly tell me whether Stonewall High is a boarding school or not, but I don't see why it wouldn't be, given that Dudley is sent to one as well.

(Incidentally, they were never actually planning to send Harry to the St Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys: that was just a lie Uncle Vernon invented when Harry was already going to Hogwarts and Uncle Vernon wanted to keep this secret.)

Answer 8

Here's another perspective about it. Petunia lost her sister and she believed that it would have not happened if her sister wasn't a witch. She envied her sister, still there was some sisterly affection. She feared the same fate for Harry and so the Dursleys didn't want Harry to study in Hogwarts

Answer 9

From reading through the books, my impression (along with the obsession for normalcy) was that magic is a source of power which they had no control over. They witnessed the power of magic through Lily, while not understanding it. This leads to their fear, and frantic attempts to prevent Harry from learning it. The Dursleys have several motivations for not sending Harry to Hogwarts to learn magic.

Maintaining control:

As mentioned by Alex, the Dursleys "carefully constructed" their life. Image means everything to them, and they exert all their power to maintain it. Magic to muggles, by definition, is disorder and chaos, and threatens to change the life that they have manufactured. And that perhaps, is what not just the Dursleys, but you, me, and everyone else fears in the world: change that we cannot control. Sending Harry to Hogwarts introduces this element and, having witnessed its effects on Lily, imbibes their lives with this uncontrollable force. In Vernon's words, they would rather 'stomp it out' than tend and nurture it.

Preserving the balance of power:

The Dursleys have absolute control over Harry. To them, he is an object, a dark secret that must be stowed away and hidden. Harry currently only has one possible outlet to upset the Dursley's tyrannical hold on his life: Magic. If he learns how to use it, he upsets the balance of power in the Dursley household. Magic is the Dursley's greatest threat, and Harry's only hope. It is the key to acquiring his freedom.

Answer 10

They knew Harry would be coming back during the summer, Petunia would remember from when Lily was in Hogwarts. They probably would prefer a non trained wizard than a trained wizard in their household. They also wanted nothing to do with abnormal things, and Harry going to Hogwarts made them more associated with magic.

Answer 11

Ah you see I disagree with all that say that the dursleys absolutely hAted Harry. I doubt that, because take in the simple fact that it was NOT their responsibility to raise him. When they first received Harry on their doorstep they could have easily given him up for adoption or sent him to a home when he was slightly older. Instead they CHOSE to raise him and keep him in their household.

I believe that the reason they kept him was because of Petunia. Vernon loved Petunia and so vice versa (the back story of their love is mentioned by jk Rowling in pottermore I believe). Vernon obviously knew about magic and he loved Petunia enough that he wouldn't leave her after finding out about magic, so we can have the reason to believe that Vernon would agree to keep Harry just for Petunia.

Now why would Petunia want to keep Harry? Now although Petunia was quite jealous of her sister, we can't just say that she hated her sister. They grew up together for eleven years and the conflict didn't quite start until the acceptance letter from hogwarts to Lily. So she loved lily, and after finding out about her death she had to be heart broken because it was her sister! Her sister whom she grew up with for eleven years! So she had to take Harry in because he was a part of Lily. Now the same reason could go for the awful way they treated him. It reminded petunia too much of Lily so she treated him terribly and so did Vernon. I almost get the feel that she wanted to make Harry feel the way she felt when she was a child by giving all the attention to Dudley.

Now why did they want him to stay and not go to hogwarts? I agree that it could be the desire for normalcy, but I do think there's more to it and here is my theory: They were protecting Harry from the wizarding world. I mean they had to have grown fond of him throughout the eleven years he lived with them as a non-wizard. No matter how much they hated him, even Dudley mentions it in later books. Also aunt petunia knew the wizarding world had cost her sisters life and it pained her, so she may have been trying to protect Harry from the same fate. She didn't want a child, a child who was related to her, to suffer the awful fate his mother had. So she took him in, fed him, clothed him and gave him a place to stay. I do not believe for a second that the dursleys hated Harry with all their guys. Petunia and Vernon were both scared of the wizarding world but they had to take Harry in because he was their nephew. I don't believe that a character can only be bad or not be good, especially in the Harry potter books. Each character has it's good and bad, and it may not always be written with clarity, however it is always hidden underneath their actions.

Answer 12

According to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Petunia main goal in taking in Harry was to try to make him into a "decent human being".

That presumably included him not turning out a "freak" like his father and mother.

AUNT PETUNIA: Time enough. You know, when we agreed to take you in, we hoped we could improve you — build you — make you a decent human being. So I suppose it’s only ourselves we’ve got to blame that you’ve turned out . . . such a limp disappointment.

Answer 13

We have real-world examples of this exact kind of thinking: Every single dictatorship on Earth. They all have dissidents, and instead of simply letting them go, they first try propagandizing them into compliance, and then intimidating them, and then torturing them, and then destroying them outright.

This is because dictatorships believe that they literally own their people. They rarely state this explicitly, of course, and perhaps do not even recognize that the difference between Stalin's attitude towards the Russian people and a antebellum plantation owner's attitude towards his slaves was purely semantic. But they claim the authority to determine every single detail of their subjects' lives, including where they work, where they live, what they wear, what reward they get for their labor, what they hear and see, and (ultimately) what they may say and what they may believe. This is ownership; show me something that a slave owner claims as his right towards his slaves, and somewhere under every dictatorship I can show you someone who is being treated according to that notion.

With the Dursley family we see this on a smaller scale. Vernon talks and acts as if Harry is his chattel, even when it does him absolutely no good to talk and act in this way. (And like every dictator, he speaks as if what he has done for Harry was the expression of a wholly undeserved magnanimity.)

He has the same attitude towards Dudley, only that in Dudley's case it is intended to be benign. To the best of his ability he has molded that unfortunate boy into his own Mini Me.