Milkman

The milkman is an unseen Muggle tradesman who provides a milk delivery service to the residents of Privet Drive, including the Dursley family. His presence is noted at the very beginning of the series, serving to establish the mundane, routine-oriented world into which the infant Harry Potter is placed following the murder of his parents.

No personal biographical details of the milkman are known. His professional role involved servicing households in the suburban area of Little Whinging, Surrey. His duties required him to work in the early morning, during which he would collect empty milk bottles left on doorsteps and replace them with fresh, full ones. On the morning of 2 November 1981, his route would have taken him to Privet Drive a few hours after Albus Dumbledore left the infant Harry Potter at number four.

As the milkman is never directly seen or described in the narrative, his physical appearance and personality traits are entirely unknown.

As a Muggle, the milkman possesses no magical abilities. His skills are related to his profession as a delivery person.

The milkman would have owned or operated the standard equipment for his trade, which typically included a delivery vehicle (traditionally a milk float), milk crates, and glass milk bottles.

The milkman maintained a professional, service-based relationship with his customers, who included the residents of Privet Drive. Petunia Dursley was a known customer, as she is mentioned as going to put out the empty milk bottles on the morning she discovers her nephew, Harry Potter, on her doorstep.

“Milkman” is a standard English occupational noun, literally meaning “a man who sells or delivers milk.”

The mention of a milkman is a realistic detail of suburban British life, especially during the 1980s and 1990s when the story is set. This small detail helps to firmly ground the Dursleys' world in a mundane Muggle reality, creating a stark and immediate contrast with the extraordinary magical events surrounding Harry Potter's arrival.