The Evans Theory

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 85376

Udder Pendragon:
> Mark Evans doesn't have to live in Little Whinging. there aer a lot 
of places in the UK where if you move a mile you will pass through 
three seperately named areas. If the MoM looked in  Greater, Lesser, 
Middle, Upper Lower, Nether or any other of at least a dozen on the 
same theme. They may well have found him.
> 

Geoff:
True. I hadn't thought of this one. There is also the question 
whether Little Whinging is particularly rural (see also below). The 
reason for my saying this is that my local secondary school - the 
West Somerset Community College (in Minehead) - has the second 
largest catchment area of any similar school in the UK, about 400 
square miles. Pupils come from up to twenty miles away.

But. And there has to be a but! Harry sees Dudley and his gang around 
the local park. They appear to hang around there. Harry says to 
Dudley, "I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago." How did he know? 
Seeing? Also "neighbourhood children all around were terrified of 
him..." (OOTP p.15 UK edition) It seems that Dudley & Co hang around 
the village/suburb/estate in the evenings and bash up the local kids. 

It also appears not to be a small village: "...the only sound that of 
the low grumble of traffic on the road beyond the park railings." 
(OOTP p.15 UK edition) So, by my reasoning, Mark Evans very likely 
lives in Little Whinging.
QED.

Geoff