Heir of Slytherin ... or NOT???

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 58006

Grey Wolf wrote: 

> 
> Of course, the legend isn't true: Harry opens the chamber too. I 
> discount Harry being somehow descendant of Voldemort (mainly because 
> it's too StarWars-ish, which JKR told us it is not and because I have 
> the feeling Voldemort cannot reproduce in his snake form anyway), so 
> the only way for Harry to be descendant is by the tricky business of 
> cousin selection I mentioned above, and I find the whole idea 
> unprobable.

My read of why Harry could open the Chamber -- which hinges on him being 
a Parselmouth -- is because of transfer of power from V-Mort's attack when he 
was a baby. That is Dumbledore's theory, anyway, and since we're relying on 
him to deduce so much more, his theory must be at least considered.

So essentially, it was  whatever remnant of V-Mort that is bouncing around in 
Harry's head that opened the Chamber, so in a way, Riddle IS still the only 
one who can open the thing.

> I believe, without canon to back me up, that when Salazar left he left 
> the country and founded Durmstrang, with policies that suited him 
> better. He didn't take the basilisk with him for purely logistic 
> problems: taking a 20 metre long snake that must weight over a ton, can 
> kill with a stare, is very poisonous and is extrictly regulated since 
> ancient times (maybe) across Europe isn't going to be an easy job. So 
> he leaves it in the school - he hasn't got the heart to kill his little 
> pet, and it is quite capable to take care of itself anyway. He doesn't 
> have to be evil - at the time, his ideas maked sense, even if they were 
> radical. Maybe leaving the basilisk in the school wasn't the best of 
> ideas, but there is no moral reason to kill it, and it is better to 
> leave it there than to set it loose.

I don't know. We've got cloaks that can cover dragon crates and spells that 
can make things feather-light. It seems like it wouldn't be nearly as difficult  as 
one would think.

Darrin