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

[heather the buzzard]

No: HPFGUIDX 130402

tigerpatronus wrote:

>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. 
>
>
>"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" 
>
>
>"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. 
>  
>

No way.  That second couplet doesn't work for 'mend'.  How does "mend" 
fit with "middle of middle" and "end of the end"?  The answer has to be 
something that fits *all three* of those criteria.  Your original 
assessment of Harry's own solution also only referenced "last thing to 
mend", when in fact it's all of those.

There's also the already-mentioned problem that "DE" as short for death 
eaters just isn't used in the WW, and that "demender" does not sound 
like "dementor" close enough to be a 'good' riddle.  Besides which, 
there hadn't been any Death Eaters at that point in time for 13 years 
(so far as anyone knew)... most people would remember them, but it'd 
hardly be a common term to employ in a riddle.

The ONLY thing about this 'solution' that's better than the actual one 
is the last part, 'unwilling to kiss'.  So yeah, it's too bad that it 
doesn't work for dementor heh. 

But the kicker is that the riddle was actually a clue for what was 
coming up next in the maze.  What did he meet next?  An enormous 
Acromantula.  Spider, indeed.

heather the buzzard