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<DIV><TT><FONT face="Times New Roman">Kelly</FONT>:<BR>> <BR>> I'll echo the confusion on this one. I use it only for posting<BR>> mistakes, i.e. the poster should have known the detail at the time he<BR>> or she posted. I've mentioned before that I don't think we should<BR>> toss well-developed theories (or even not-perfectly-developed)<BR>> theories based on the fact that subsequent books proved them wrong,<BR>> because these theories are part of the history of this list. Someone<BR>> may want to look up Fourth Man even knowing it was wrong.<BR></TT></DIV>
<DIV><TT>Sean:<BR><<If it's in the VFAQ, or JKR has ruled it out, I think it's fair to<BR>reject: Fourth Man is quite valid to keep around, but insisting that<BR>Sirius is in Slytherin is not.>></TT></DIV>
<P>Two thoughts: </P>
<P>(1) JKR is so inconsistent, and corrects herself so often,that it's hard to know what she's ruled out. She's probably reliable when it comes to Sirius' house, but in my view the Weasleys' ages are still wholly unsettled. So I'd err on the side of caution, remembering that what one person thinks is settled is, to someone else, an invitation to speculation.</P>
<P>(2) Even assuming JKR definitively said Sirius was not a Slytherin, I'd keep a well presented post arguing that MWPP represented the four Hogwarts houses, or one that argues well that Sirius has Slytherin traits. I would, however, toss unsupported assertions or predictions, and mindless repetition,in the trash.</P>
<P>So, I'm with Kelly on this one.</P>
<P>Debbie</P>
<P>whose has computer lost its internet connectionagain </P>
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