Askia - ooh, you’re right, I didn’t catch that - Tim Hunter looks like him too! That’s kind of cute, actually. And makes way more sense.
But I was struck by the Harry Potter similarity first. (And then I thought, “Dude, grown-up looking Harry is H O T!”)
Certainly possible, but I don’t think Rowling would consider it a huge surprise. After all, there are plenty of strong, powerful women in the series, and I doubt it would shock anyone to see Lily was better at magic than James. After all, she seems much more together than he does in the Penseive vision.
There was speculation in an earlier thread on this board that Lily and Snape dated briefly, and that Snape never got over her – worse, thought James stole her. She doesn’t seem to like him much in the vision, but then she didn’t seem to like James either…
Which is, without a doubt, the biggest plot hole in the story. I wonder if anyone’s ever written to her about it? She hosts a poll on her website each week with three questions sent in by fans. Whichever question ges the most votes, she’ll answer. I wonder if this one appaer (she’s already answered, “How did Harry get the Marauder’s Map back for Book 5?” and “Why doesn’t Harry see the Thestrals at the end of Book 4?”, so it seems mostly for plugging plotholes).
Maybe I need to re-read the book, but for some reason I thought it was because Dumbledore would have known if there was an unauthorized portkey on the Hogwarts grounds, and the Cup was supposed to be a portkey - out of the maze. All “Moody” had to do was re-direct it to the cemetary. And also the ceremony had to take place at a pre-determined time, so they needed a way to ensure Harry would touch the Cup during the time they had planned, and not show up in the cemetary when Wormtail wasn’t there and ready for him.
That would make sense, but it isn’t mentioned, or even implied, at least not in the UK version (there are subtle differences between the two, even for plot). Moody just says, “I turned the cup into a portkey,” and mentions nothing about it being a portkey to begin with.
Of course, she said once in an interview that she had to rewrite one third of Goblet of Fire because she wasn’t checking her notes often enough, and kept leaving out or repeating vital information. Maybe she forgot a piece anyway, in the end?
How about that her mother’s maiden name was Granger?
[yoda]“There is another…”[/yoda]
Wouldn’t work. Given how much the Dursleys have kept from him, it’s plausible that Harry wouldn’t know. But Hermione would.
I think that the most plausible is some sort of connection with Snape, and since Lily was Muggle-born and Snape is pureblood, a romantic connection (one-sided or two) seems to be the only major possibility there.
Actually, his mother’s maiden name was Evans. It’s in there somewheres…
I think kaylasdad was suggesting it was Harry’s maternal grandmother, not his mother, who probably would not have the name Evans.
I doubt things’ll turn out that way, for the simple reason that Rowling seems to hate it when people expect her stuff is going to turn out like Star Wars.
After re-reading the last few books, I’m beginning to think it had to do with Prof. Snape as well. If so, it must be something deeper, stronger than just that he and Lily got together at one point and James stole/won her away from him.
Maybe in her work as an auror, she is the one who convinced Snape to stop being a Deatheater and rejoing the good side.
I think that one of the reasons the reason the death scene in Book 5 is so short is precisely to set up Harry’s breakdown. A long death scene would have allowed closure etc.
Of course, the whole fight reads like a pastiche of bad B-movies, so she’s echoing Joe-Bob Briggs’ ‘Anyone can die at any time’ isn’t she?
Now I’m beginning to wonder. I’ve started re-reading the books and I had a thought about the “big secret.” Rowling also mentioned:
She also said we’d hear a bit about Grandpa and Grandma Evans, though they themselves won’t be important.
Now I’m probably way off base, here – the Snape relationship is much more likely – but I got to thinking about other characters with striking characteristics – Hagrid’s height, Fleur Delacour’s hair.
What if the Evans aren’t 100% human? Lily would still be considered “mudblood,” because magical creature ancestry isn’t considered “pure blood.” It could be several generations back, resurfacing from time to time in the gene pool.
Any magical creatures out there with striking green eyes?
:smack:
That last post was mine, not my roommate’s
The major problem with that is that it would make Petunia Dursley also other than 100% human, and i can’t see that.
I can see the posiblility of a Muggle-born Hogwarts student washing out after a year, then going on to lead an entirely mundane existence (yes I am speculating on this as an antecedent for Petunia). I don’t know if Rowling has ever addressd the issue, but absent a clarification I don’t think there’s any reason to suppose such a person would be classified as a Squib (Petunia not being a Squib sems to be the primary objection to my speculation about an abortive matriculation).
I’m not wedded to my notion of Grandma Evans being nee Granger, so I won’t defend it too strenuously, but I don’t think the objection of Hermione’s family not knowing about it is fatal. I myself have first cousins who don’t even know of my daughter’s existence, and I have no knowledge of them at this time.
I’d like to withdraw a theory in my OP, specifically the identity of the half-blood prince. I came across another theory today that fits all the facts so well, that I have to consider it a book 6 spoiler, and I am thus boxing it:
[spoiler]We know the following information about the book, right from Rowling herself: It’s called “The Half-Blood Prince;” we’ll hear more about Voldemort’s past, the Prince is not Harry or Voldemort, Chamber of Secrets was originally entitled, “The Half-Blood Prince,” and there is still a clue or clues in that book
Now, most people saw, “It won’t be Voldemort,” and read, “It won’t be Tom Riddle.” Bad mistake, this theory goes, particularly when you consider this pair of quotes from Chamber of Secrets:
“Harry: ‘Hang on – this hasn’t got anything to do with Vol – with You Know Who, has it? You could just shake or nod…’
Slowly, Dobby shook his head.
‘Not – not *He who Must Not Be Named, sir.’” (p. 18, British paperback edit)
Then later on,
“‘I’ve just got one question, Dobby,’ said Harry, as Dobby pulled on Harry’s sock with shaking hands. ‘You told me this had nothing to do with He Who Must Not Be Named, remember? Well–’
‘It was a clue, sir,’ said Dobby…‘Dobby was giving you a clue…’” (p.249)
Yes, indeed. And what else qualifies in this series as being a prince, if it’s not being The Heir of Slytherin? And isn’t Tom Riddle the very first character in the series to be refered to as a half-blood?[/spoiler]
[spoiler]But isn’t Tom Riddle Voldemort? If you are right J.K. is cheating.
Did we ever discover who the heir of Slytherin was?[/spoiler]
In exactly the same way Dobby was cheating, as pointed out by Hamish.
I remain unconvinced, however. I just don’t find the chain of reasoning very compelling.
Yes. It was Slytherin’s sole living descendent (or, as Albus Dumbledore put it in the first edition of COS, Slytherin’s last remaining ancestor I do hope that’s been fixed, Tom Marvolo Riddle, AKA Lord Voldemort.
[spoiler]As I said Dobby makes a clear distinction between the two. Clearly we’re meant to think of them almost as different people, even if one became the other, like we’re encouraged to think of Darth Vadar and Anakin as different people in Star Wars – so different that Obi Wan Kenobi has no problem saying that Vadar killed Anakin.
I think she worded it very carefully, just as she always does – not Harry or Voldemort, but Riddle isn’t Voldemort yet.
I wonder about that title, Heir of Slytherin. His father was a muggle, but his mother was the scion of a powerful, old wizarding family that goes back to Salazar. Wonder if being the Heir of Slytherin comes with an inheritance of some kind – a magic item or something.[/spoiler]
Re: The identity of the HBP, my guess would be Krum. Doesn’t get much mention in OoTP, and I bet JKR wants to play up the Ron/Hermione/Viktor thing.
But a question: (Which I am sure has been answered, but I am too lazy to search)
Slytherin has the Bloody Baron.
Gryf-howeveryouspellit-dor has Nick
Hufflepuff has the Friar
So who is Ravenclaws ghost?