[HPforGrownups] Re: Wizarding Relations, or, Who Left the Sna pes Out?

[jennifer.r.junker at wellsfargo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 66510

I don't think that Voldemort is related to either Sirius or Harry.  
For that matter, we know from CoS that he is the last remaining 
descendent of Salazar Slytherine and, therefore, cannot be related to 
any other extent person.  If he truly is the _last_, than no one else 
who is related to him can be alive because they too, would be 
descendents of Salazar.  I think it quite unusual that after over 
1000 years, Slytherine's descendents are so few.  Something very 
unusual must be going on that prevents the normal outward radiation 
of descendency.  In the muggle world, for example, virtually everyone 
who has any European ancestry is a descendent of Charlamange.  What 
could be going on in the WW, that prevents descendents of Slytherine 
from being more numerous?
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Well, yes he could be related- if Salazar had siblings (or other relatives),
and they had descendants- those descendants would be related to Voldemort
although not be descendents of Slytherine himself.  As far as your question
about why is Slytherine's line dying out- that's a good question- and one
not only applicable to the Slytherine line.  Perhaps the inbreeding is
catching up to them by causing them not to produce viable descendants.

Jennifer