An acronym, why can't JKR count, etc.

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 57775

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ersatz Harry" 
<ersatzharry at y...> wrote:
<snip> 
> (2) No doubt JKR's problems with counting have been discussed many
> times in the archives, but they are sometimes so bad that they make 
me
> question all theories about the unnamed fourth man in one of the GoF
> pensieve scenes, the third missing death eater in the GoF graveyard
> scene, and so on.  The earliest bad one I can think of comes early 
in
> the series, right at the end of the sorting ceremony in PS/SS (p. 
122
> in my US edition).  Harry has already been sorted, and the text
> shortly after states:  "And now there were only three people left to
> be sorted."  The names of Thomas, Dean and Turpin, Lisa are 
mentioned,
> "then it was Ron's turn".  Sounds like three to me, but the next
> paragraph refers to one more sortee: Zabini, Blaise.  I'm hoping no
> one has any theories about how this is not an error, or how it 
somehow
> supports the idea that Harry is Riddle or Voldemort.  But I'm sure
> someone can get creative along these lines.

Annemehr:
No creativity neccessary.  Dean Thomas was inserted in the Scholastic 
version; he his completely absent from the sorting account in the UK 
editions.  So it was a Scholastic editor who couldn't count in this 
case!

For a complete breakdown of the differences between US and UK 
versions, see Steve VanderArk's HP Lexicon.  There is a link to it in 
the HBFile somewhere...  They *definitely* changed more than "jumper" 
to "sweater," too -- makes me wonder if JKR ever reads the Scholastic 
versions sometimes!

Annemehr

"I'm /not/ going to be murdered," Harry said out loud.
"That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily