GoF Sphinx's riddle: Did Harry get it wrong?

[jlv230]

No: HPFGUIDX 130395

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "tigerpatronus" 
<tigerpatronus at y...> wrote:
> (I have too much time on my hands.) 
> 
> Howdy All, 
> 
> I'm just finishing up the rereading of GoF in prep for HBP, and I 
was 
> bumped out again by Harry's answer to the Sphinx's riddle within 
the 
> maze of the 3rd task of the Triwizard Tourney. 
> 
> The Sphinx's Riddle: 
> "First think of the person who lives in disguise,
> Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies,
> Next tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
> The middle of middle and end of the end?
> And finally give me the sound often heard,
> During the search for a hard-to-find word.
> Now string them together, and answer me this,
> Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?" 
> 
> Harry's answer was a "spider," as such: 
> A person who lives in disguise: spy
> last thing to mend: "D"
> search for a hard to find word: er
> A creature you're unwilling to kiss: spider
> 
> As you can see, as in British-style (and NYer-style) cryptic 
> crosswords, spelling doesn't matter and "spy" can become "spi"-
der. 
> 
> However, what if Harry got it wrong? Maybe Crouch!Moody Confounded 
> the Sphinx to let Harry pass. I submit, the real answer is thus: 
> 
> "First think of the person who lives in disguise,
> Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies,"
> 
> A Death Eater, or a "DE."
> 
> "Next tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
> The middle of middle and end of the end?"
> 
> The last word on the first line: "mend" 
> 
> "And finally give me the sound often heard,
> During the search for a hard-to-find word."
> 
> Harry got this part right: "-er." 
> 
> Now string them together, and answer me this,
> Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?" 
> 
> "DE-mend-er" = dementor. 
> 
> I think Harry got the riddle wrong, and Crouch!Moody must've 
helped 
> him out so that the Sphinx didn't attack. 
> 
> Anybody else? 
> 
> TK -- TigerPatronus

I really love this - it is well thought out and a great idea - and I 
don't want to rain on it - but the way I say it, dementor doesn't 
sound much like demender. I'm British (if that helps) and I 
pronounce the t like the t in tea. It's also, now I try, really hard 
to describe the difference!

JMO,
JLV (whose pal Katie can't understand why Americans call her Kay-dee 
not Kay-Tee!)