[HPforGrownups] Tonks not male (was: Why is Tonks clumbsy?)

[caesian]

No: HPFGUIDX 111798

On Aug 30, 2004, at 12:49 AM, Lindsay W. wrote:
> Hi, I'm Lawless.  Long time lurker, first time poster.  <snipped>
>  Maybe Tonks as we know her...is a disguise.  OR...Tonks spends so 
> much time
>  in disguise that she can't easily adjust to her "original" body.
>
>  <snipped>
>  A) She's "really" a he and has a hard time adjusting to the female 
> center
>  of balance.
>
>  or
>
>  B) She is a she, but spends a majority of her time as a he, so that 
> when
>  she finally becomes a female again, she has an extremely hard time 
> getting
>  used to it, again.
>
>  <snipped>
>  ...although she /is/ half-blood, and we can't REALLY know her 
> gender...or
>  her age, for that matter (she could really be OldMan!Tonks)...it 
> could all
>  be a lie...
>
>  --Lawless
>
> Caesian responds:
It's unlikely that Tonks is male, because her voice is apparently 
female.  Unlike polyjuice potion, which does transform the voice, Tonks 
the metamorphmagus seems to retain her characteristic voice despite 
altered appearance.

"I'm a metamorphmagus," she said, looking back at her reflection..."It 
means I can change my appearance at will."  No mention of voice in that 
definition. (OotP, The Advance Guard)

And while it is not stated explicitly, the text implies that Tonks in 
disguise still sounds like Tonks.  For example, when she escorts Molly 
Weasley, Harry and Sirius to King's Cross:
An old woman greeted them on the corner.  She had tightly curled gray 
hair and wore a purple hat shaped like a porkpie.
"Wotcher [i.e. What Cheer?], Harry," she said, winking. "Better hurry 
up,..."

She is also in disguise on the journey back to Hogwarts on the 
nightbus, again as an older woman.  And again, while there is no direct 
mention of her voice, she retains her characteristic speech patterns 
and vocabulary.

I've read this to mean that while she may appear different, she will 
sound like herself.
Cheers,
Caesian



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