In
J.K. Rowling's
Harry Potter series,
the Dursleys are
Harry's only living relatives **spoiler for
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban here** or so he believes until he finds out that he has a godfather,
Sirius Black, in the third book.
When
Harry's parents
James and
Lily Potter were killed, leaving him an orphan, the powers of good that were watching over him (
Albus Dumbledore) sent him to
the Dursleys house to live with them. The family was very upset to see someone of the wizarding world (they're a no-nonsense kind of clan), but
the Dursleys did take him in. However, this is not to say that he became a part of their family.
The Dursleys take every opportunity they can to mistreat
Harry or to make him feel inferior to his cousin
Dudley.
Harry in turn spends every moment in their house wishing he were somewhere else, and stays at
school over winter break, spending only summer break with the
Dursleys.
When
Harry found out in book three **spoilers for
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to end of paragraph** about his godfather
Sirius Black, he had mixed emotions. At the time,
Sirius had been convicted of killing 13 people with a single curse and had just escaped from the prison of
Azkaban. When
Harry finally found out that
Sirius was innocent (details, see
Sirius Black), he was excited to be able to go and live with him. However,
Sirius could not be publicly cleared of any charges, so he is still on the run and
Harry, much to his disappointment, must still live with
the Dursleys.
The Dursleys appear in all four
Harry Potter novels:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Look for the fifth book
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to come out sometime in 2002.