Other LV relatives; Belletrix, Narcissa & Sirius (was: Wizarding Relations)

[Genevieve]

No: HPFGUIDX 66553

<snip>
That isn't quite true.  Let's say that it is on his mother's 
father's side that he is related to Slytherin (since his mum was 
said to have given him the middle name "Marvolo" after her father).  
There's still his mother's mother's family.  He could have a whole 
slew of relatives through that relationship, and while they wouldn't 
also be related to Slytherin, like him, they WOULD be related to Tom 
Riddle/Voldemort.  So there's no reason to believe that Voldemort 
couldn't have distant cousins and great aunts/uncles through the non-
Slytherin-related relatives.  I still don't think that Harry is 
related to him, nor Sirius, though.  I'm not sure what purpose this 
 would serve.
<snip>

I suppose it "could" be possible in a very minute way, seeing as all 
pure blood families are intermixed because in order to stay pure 
blood you must marry pure blood.  That being said, JKR has already 
shot down any notion of Voldemort being related to Harry, as 
how "Star Wars" that would be.  As for Sirius, we got a really good 
look into his family tree in this book, I don't think he's related 
to Voldemort, because I think that would shine brightly perhaps on 
the tree.. although because Voldemort is half-blood that may not be 
true because Black is a pure blood family.. 

<snip>
For that matter, I felt rather like Narcissa Malfoy being born 
Narcissa Black was just conceived of for this book, purely for the 
purpose of Kreacher considering her to be family, so he could go off 
and use the excuse that he was still with a family member to whom he 
was supposed to be loyal.  After all, Harry gives fairly good 
descriptions of both Bellatrix Lestrange (nee Black) and of Narcissa 
Malfoy (nee Black) in GoF, and they don't seem like they could 
genetically be full sisters.  Belletrix is described as having very 
dark coloring, whereas Narcissa has very fair hair (and, I think, 
light eyes, but I'd have to check GoF again--if she doesn't have 
light eyes, it would be against the odds for her son to have 
inherited his father's light eye color).  I think putting all of 
these people into the same family was probably a last-minute affair, 
and something I found to be a little irksome (although not as much 
as using the tapestry to communicate the info about the family tree).
<snip> 

Again, I have to disagree on this.  Sirius is the cousin of 
Bellatrix and Narcissa, not siblings.  So it is quite easy to 
explain the differences between them and Sirius feature wise.  Even 
siblings can look fairly different. I know in my family I don't look 
much like my siblings, 2 of my sisters have blonde hair and blue 
eyes, while I have brown hair and green eyes.  If you go out farther 
and look at compairing cousins, I have cousins with red, blonde, 
brown, and black hair,  green, brown, hazel and blue eyes.  So 
saying that it is impossible for them to be cousins is rather 
silly.  Its like saying, its impossible for people with blonde hair 
and blue eyes to have a child with green eyes and brown hair.  Then 
if you want to talk skin tone, while my skin is olive toned, both my 
blonde haired sisters have fair skin.  So I say, JKR knew ahead of 
time the connection between Bellatrix, Narcissa and Sirius.  Also, 
via the family tree, Sirius and Arthur Weasley are 2 cousins once 
removed (or something like that) and Arthur has red hair and fair 
skin, opposed to Sirius's dark hair and I would think olive skin 
tone.

<snip>
Another thing, from PoA, which makes it seem that JKR hadn't thought 
all along of Narcissa being Sirius' cousin, is the way Draco Malfoy 
talks about Sirius, especially when he's suggesting to Harry that HE 
would go and hunt down Sirius himself if he were in Harry's shoes.  
In light of OotP it just doesn't ring true.  If Draco Malfoy were 
related to Sirius Black, he'd probably be gloating to Harry about 
how his cousin had fooled Harry's stupid parents into thinking he 
was their friend, before handing them over to Voldemort, and that he 
hoped Sirius, his cousin, got away scot-free.  
<snip>

I think someone has already said it, but Sirius was disowned when he 
was 16 because he didn't follow along with the pure-blood is better 
mentality.  That being said, Draco probably has no idea that he is 
related to Sirius in any way.  Besides Draco only said that stuff to 
Harry because he's constantly pushing to get Harry in trouble, hurt 
or killed.  Just IMO.

Also, JKR has a road map she did before she started writing of the 
basic path for the story to go, I think she very much thought out 
the details, more so than she is give credit.

Gen