Mirror of Erised, Harry's Family

[Ronale Stevens]

No: HPFGUIDX 39280

--- midgiecat at aol.com wrote:
> 
> Doesn't anyone remember what Harry saw in the Mirror
> of Erised??  I don't 
> have the book in front of me so I can't quote, but
> it said something like ... 
>  not only were Lily and James Potter standing there,
> but rows and rows of 
> people who looked very much like Harry, some tall
> and some short,  but many 
> with that same "hard to manage" hair.  Generations
> and generations of 
> Potters.  
> 
> I don't recall seeing a Riddle among them.  
> 
We may not be looking at the same edition, but in mine
the passages you referred to are in SS chapter 12. 
The first time Harry looks into the mirror, he sees
his parents, other people with green eyes, or noses
like his, or knobbly knees.  At no time does the
passage tell us which side of his family they come
from.  (Though I presume the green-eyed people are
from his mother's side.) 

The time he looks into it while Dumbledore is present,
he sees his parents and one of his grandfathers. 
Clearly he's not seing the other grandfather.  Why
shouldn't this be Riddle?  And remember, the mirror is
showing him only what he wants to see.  He certainly
wouldn't want to see Voldemort.

Other arguments against Riddle being Harry's paternal
grandfather can also be explained away.  Dumbledore
may not know of the kinship.  He may thus believe
Voldemort is the last living descendant of Slytherin
even though it's not true.  He wouldn't be lying, just
mistaken.

And the Rowling interview doesn't deny the
relationship--she just laughingly compares it to Star
Wars.

So?  Laughter is not a denial.  And the tale of a
child killing his father or grandfather has been
around a lot longer than 30 years.  Consider Oedipus.
It's a good story, and I'm hoping Rowling is using it.
 I'll be interested to see how she handles it.

Okay, I'm probably hung up on the fatal child theory,
but I've seen no real evidence against it.  Till I do,
I hanging on to it.

Ronale7

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