Mark Evans? Never heard of him!

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 105759

Carol wrote:
>>We were, alas, quite wrong, as JKR informed us on her website in the
Polls question section of the FAQ. You can find her tongue-in-cheek
response (which, after having felt properly chagrined, I now find
amusing) by clicking on the paperclips at either
http://www.jkrowling.com/ or http://www.jkrowling.co.uk/en/<<

HunterGreen:
*very heavy sigh* And I was so convinced too. There goes that theory. 
I'll copy the text below in case any of you don't want to make the 
trip over to her site (its quite worth the read, you're right Carol, 
its quite amusing).

http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/faq_poll.cfm
" Result of F.A.Q. Poll
What is the significance, if any, of Mark Evans?
I couldn't answer the poll question before now, because I've been 
making arrangements to take my family into hiding. It takes time to 
arrange fake passports, one-way air tickets to Bolivia and twenty-
four hour armed security.

Why should I resort to such desperate measures? Because after you've 
heard this answer, I'll have to disappear for my own safety.

Now before I get down to it (you can guess what's coming, can't you?) 
I am going to put up a feeble pre-emptive defence. Firstly, you were 
all spinning highly ingenious theories about Mark Evans, so I thought 
that you would welcome the chance to hear the truth about him. 
Secondly, I tried hard not to raise hopes or expectations by adding 
the crucial words 'if any' to the question. Thirdly... there is no 
thirdly. I'm just killing time. 

(Takes deep breath)

Mark Evans is... nobody. He's nobody in the sense that Mr. Prentice, 
Madam Marsh and Gordon-Dudley's-gang-member are nobodies, just 
background people who need names, but who have no role other than the 
walk-on parts assigned to them. 
(Checks that Neil has immunized the dog and that Jessica has packed 
her Gameboy, and continues)

I've got nobody to blame but myself. Sirius Black, Mrs. Figg and 
Mundungus Fletcher were all mentioned in passing well before they 
burst onto the stage as fully-fledged characters, so now you've all 
become too clever, not for your own good, but for mine. The fact is 
that once you drew my attention to it, I realised that Mark Evans did 
indeed look like one of those 'here he is, just a casual passer-by, 
nothing to worry about, bet you barely noticed him' characters who 
would suddenly become, half way through book seven, 'Ha ha! Yes, Mark 
Evans is back, suckers, and he's the key to everything! He's the Half 
Blood Prince, he's Harry's Great-Aunt, he's the Heir of Gryffindor, 
he lives up the Pillar of Storgé and he owns the Mystic Kettle of 
Nackledirk!' (Possible title of book seven there, must make a note of 
it).

Then why – WHY – (I hear you cry) – did I give him the 
surname "Evans"? Well, believe me, you can't regret it more than I do 
right now. "Evans" is a common name; I didn't give it much thought; I 
wasn't even trying to set up another red herring. I could just as 
easily have called him 'Smith' or 'Jones' (or 'Black' or 'Thomas' 
or 'Brown', all of which would have got me into trouble too). 

What else can I say? Many of the theories you presented were highly 
plausible. If you knew how often I've checked the FAQ poll hoping 
that one of the other questions might edge into the lead...

Well, that's that. The car with false license plates is at the door 
and I've got to glue on my goatee. Goodbye. "