Voldemort-Potter connection

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 40379

Judy wrote:
> I said that Voldemort is described as the last surviving descendent 
of 
> Slytherin in some versions of CoS, and last surviving *ancestor* in 
> other versions. JKR was asked about this is an interview, and said 
> something like "You've noticed the deliberate error."  
> 
> And Eloise responded:
> > I'm sure I'm stating the obvious, but, in British usage at least, 
> 'Ah, you've noticed the deliberate error,' is such a common way of 
> admitting a mistake ... that I've always taken it to be just that. 
As 
> Judy so graphically demonstrates, you have to jump through a lot of 
> rings to get 'ancestor' to make any sense. <
> 
> No, it wasn't obvious, at least not to me.  I wasn't aware that 
> "deliberate error" was just a euphemistic way of admiting a mistake 
in 
> the UK.  However, I'm still not sure *which* was an error -- 
> "ancestor", or "descendent".  
> 
> I believe the earliest versions of the book said "ancestor", and it 
> was then changed to "descendent."  However, it may have later been 
> changed back to "ancestor."  I have the US paperback version 
> (Scholastic, copyright 2000) and it says "ancestor."  I saw a copy 
of 
> CoS for sale today, and it was the same version that I have, same 
> printing, and yes, it said "ancestor."
> 
> My guess is, it was supposed to read that Voldemort is the last 
> descendent of Slytherin, I'm not 100% sure.
> 


The only explanation I can see right now, barring some confusing time-
travel thing that results in elephant-choking posts trying to 
explain -- or debunk -- JKR's logic, is an interesting splitting of 
hairs.

Dumbledore says that Voldemort is the last remaining ancestor of 
Slytherin.

He doesn't say Tom Riddle. He says Voldemort.

<reaching for straws here>

The evil being Voldemort has existed in one form or another for 
centuries. Mortal wizards of a certain disposition are susceptible to 
being possessed. Perhaps Salazar Slytherin was one of these. We know 
Tom Riddle was.

Again -- a horrible reach that I'm not even sure I like. It involves 
Dumbledore making some Obi-Wan Kenobi type word splits. "Vader 
murdered your father, from a certain point of view."

But I still don't understand why it was changed BACK from descendant.

Darrin
-- Secretly thinks that Voldemort is Harry's seventh-cousin, twice 
removed.