[HPforGrownups] Salazar Slytherin's descendants (Was Re: A strange silver instrument)

[Taryn Kimel]

No: HPFGUIDX 86456

 "Berit Jakobsen"
 He can speak
> > parseltongue BECAUSE he is a direct descendant of Salazar; in fact:
> > He's the Heir of Slytherin.

K:
What makes us think that the Heir has to be a descendent anyway. Why can't
it be more a case of someone who embodies the characteristics that that
House holds in highest esteem. With purebloods being so keen on who's
related to whom, wouldn't everyone have known if Riddle's mother was a
descendent of Salazar.

Taryn:
Well, TR seems to be a blood descendent, at least. (He thinks so, anyway.)

"You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle fathe's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side?" (CoS, American paperback pg. 314)

So he's clearly talking about being a /blood/ Heir.

It's possible that everyone might have known Riddle's mother was descended from Salazar Slytherin--it could very well have been the way he found out! Imagine getting to Hogwarts and getting sorted into Slytherin and all these pureblood classmates going, "Ohmygosh! You're descended from Salazar Slytherin!" (Sounds a bit like Harry, doesn't it? Being known for something you have no idea about and coming in to Hogwarts and people knowing all about it?)

K:
What I really want to know is how TR managed to convince anyone that Hagrid
was behind the opening of the Chamber. I mean a half-giant Gryffindor? Who
in their right mind is going to believe he was the Heir?

Taryn:
It's a good point, and TR even talks about in in CoS.

"It was my word against Hagrid's, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so *brave*, school prefect, model student...on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls...but I admit, even *I* was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought *someone* must realize that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin." (CoS American paperback pg. 311-312)



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Taryn : http://taryn.shirataki.net

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