ode to the muggliest of muggles

It's sad, sad day indeed for HP fans. The actor portraying the uncle we all loved to hate has passed away. Richard Griffiths played Vernon Dursley to a T. So perfect, so horribly mean. And so in memory of his passing, let's recap a few of the best Uncle Vernon moments.

+ Uncle Vernon being so hell-bent on Harry not receiving his Hogwarts acceptance letter that he gets a little crazy toting the family all over England trying to lose their trail so the owls can't find them. Eventually ends up in the middle of nowhere (seriously) & is miffed when Hagrid still shows up with an envelope addressed to a Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. & who can forget when Hagrid gave Dudley a pig tail when Uncle Vernon called Dumbledore a "crackpot old fool" who would teach Harry magic tricks? Such a gleeful moment.

+ The time that Harry neglected to tell the Dursleys that he couldn't do magic outside of school & Dobby dropped a giant pudding on Vernon's prospective big fish-client's wife.... resulting in a reprimand via owl. Uncle Vernon was none too pleased about that & locked Harry up (bars on the windows & everything) for what would have been life had it not been for the Weasley boys and their flying car. Oh, and Vernon & the gang tried to pull Harry back through the window & failed {The look on their faces must have been priceless...}.

+ Harry's somewhat accidental, somewhat totally intentional balloon blow-up of Vernon's sister Marge after she insulted the heck out of Harry's parents {quite a temper that one}. Such a satisfying scene...

+ When Uncle Vernon was sent a letter saying he was nominated for maintaining a perfect lawn... except it was a fake & a cover for Harry to be picked up by the Order. Bet Uncle V wasn't a happy camper on the way home...

+ When Dumbledore's surprise visit to the Dursleys started with this exchange:

"I don't mean to be rude --" Uncle Vernon began, in a tone that threatened rudeness in every syllable.

"-- yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often," Dumbledore finished the sentence gravely. "Best to say nothing at all, my dear man."

- HP & the Half Blood Prince

+ And as a parting note, when the Dursleys are going into hiding {from Voldemort}, Harry & Uncle Vernon exchange a particularly touching goodbye:

"Perhaps we should wait outside in the hall, Dedalus," murmured Hestia. She clearly felt that it would be tactless for them to remain in the room while Harry and the Dursleys exchanged loving, possibly tearful farewells.

"There's no need," Harry muttered, but Uncle Vernon made any further explanation unnecessary by saying loudly,

"Well, this is good-bye then, boy."

He swung his right arm upward to shake Harry's hand, but at the last moment seemed unable to face it, and merely closed his fist and began swinging it backward and forward like a metronome."

-HP & the Deathly Hallows

Farewell our muggle friend. Thank you for all your comedic wit, & allowing us HP fans to love you by hating your character.