Only Lving Relative...

[oiboyz]

No: HPFGUIDX 82954

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> So, I agree with everyone that Mark Evans is a very significant
> character, and will concede that they might share common ancestors;
> but, give that, I will add that I don't see that as any conflict in
> the statement by Dumbledore that Petunia is Harry's only living 
relative.

I hope my early-morning logic has analysed this correctly. :)

True, it's possible for Mark and Lily to have the same last name but 
be so distantly related that for all intents and purposes, they're 
not related at all.

But in that case, what's the point of even having them be third 
cousins once removed or whatever they are?  You lose the impact of 
Mark and Harry being related if you make it that distant.

If Mark is going to be Harry's cousin, then the simplest way out of 
this predicament is to say that Dumbledore just didn't know about 
Mark's branch of the family when he made his "only living relative" 
remark.  That strikes me as quite plausible, since Lily is from a 
family of Muggles (so the wizarding world wouldn't have had a reason 
to keep close tabs on them).