Random Questions

[Aberforth]

don't be sad. take mine!

Yummy. Thanks Selenia.


Here you go Athena -

[Scellanis]

Aberforth, that is a really bad case of spam you have there.....if you want to continue your discussion on ice cream sandwiches you should take them to Zonkos....

[Aberforth]

Hey man, I didn't start the ice cream sandwich thing.

If you read my previous post you will see I am discussing HP-related topics.

[Athena Appleton]

Tom Riddle being Slytherin's true heir has confused me a little. Salazaar lived like a 1000 years ago, so I think it unlikely that he only have one heir or descendent.

I know, I've had trouble with this too, and the way I explained it to myself is like the heir to a throne... Let's take our life lessons from The Lion King and apply them to Harry Potter, shall we ?

There's a lion

That lion had Mufasa and Scar

Mufasa becomes king, Scar does not (but he's second in line if Mufasa dies)

Mufasa has Simba, Scar gets sideshifted, and Simba's second in line, Scar's third in line

Let's say Mufasa had a second child, Simba's first in line, second child is second in line, Scar is third in line

Mufasa dies , Simba's king, Simba has a child

Simba's king, Simba's child is 2nd in line, Simba's sibling is 3rd in line, Scar is 4th in line

This would sort of explain how Tom Riddle could have been the true heir of Slytherin... so many people being sideshifted to make way for firstborn babies coming along that after a 1000 years, people lose sight of being one of the sideshifted people...

[Jotomicron]

Yeah... it explains it! But I think Voldemort's mother was the first child of her father, who was the first child of his father, ... etc, ... who was the first child of Slytherin! I think there were no sideshiftings, or Voldemort wouldn't be so... heir, you know? So he is the truly and only descendent of the great Salazar Slytherin.

[Athena Appleton]

but what are the chances that every generation in 1000 years had only one child? slim to none... SOMEWHERE in the mix there would have had to be a second-born, just because of the mathmatical probability of it... But if that happened generations ago, then the sideshifting would have made those decendants so far removed they might as well not be decendants anymore... ie I don't think Tom Riddle had an aunt or uncle on his mother's side, etc...

[Athena Appleton]

dadgummit i forgot to ask my question in that last post: do y'all think Tom Riddle knew he was the heir of Slytherin from the beginning? If not, how and when do you think he found out?

[jarvan49]

I bet sitting there all alone in the orphanage; he slowly learned that he was a magician. I think he was probably very smart; so learned.

But how he knew he was slytherin's heir, who knows?

maybe the sorting hat told him!

[Athena Appleton]

I bet sitting there all alone in the orphanage; he slowly learned that he was a magician. I think he was probably very smart; so learned.

But how he knew he was slytherin's heir, who knows?

maybe the sorting hat told him!

That's a very interesting thought! The sorting hat could very well have told him he was the heir of Slytherin...

just curious, do we know when Tom Riddle's mother died? If it was in childbirth, the theory I'm coming up with wouldn't work, but if she died when he was a little boy, since she was a witch, Tom would have been aware of the wizarding world before going to the Muggle orphanage... and he would probably know for sure that any "strange things" were caused by his being a wizard.

[Aberforth]

If the sorting hat didn't tell him, then discovering he could speak paseltongue would probably have been the first step to discovering he was a descendant of slytherin.

However, being half-muggle and in slytherin there would surely have been some eyebrows raised in his house, so maybe that put him onto the descendant track.

Maybe its a lie to make himself sound more powerful.

Maybe he had a family tree like the black family (or one of his friends did) and he saw his relations on it and followed them back to slytherin.

[Jotomicron]

but what are the chances that every generation in 1000 years had only one child? slim to none... SOMEWHERE in the mix there would have had to be a second-born, just because of the mathmatical probability of it... But if that happened generations ago, then the sideshifting would have made those decendants so far removed they might as well not be decendants anymore... ie I don't think Tom Riddle had an aunt or uncle on his mother's side, etc...

I see what you mean. He must have relatives (actually, not very related) all over the magic community... but he is the true Slytherin's son's son...

As for your question, I think he found out. I don't know how, but Aberforth's last idea seems great!

[pandora315]

I see that this thread is called random Questions, so I'm going to ask one and hopefully it'll come up with something interesting. I've always wondered why Ron has a spot on his nose. Or more specifically why its talked about so much. In PS before getting on the train Mrs. Weasley says Ron has something on his nose and tries to wipe it off. Then later (hours later most likely) Hermione come in and says Ron has something on his nose. Odd. Not only that, but it was included in the movie. I mean, why put so much emphasis on something that appears so trivial? Unless its not.

[Aberforth]

I believe that this is for establishing his character. Poorer kids at school tended to just look a bit dirtier sometimes and it may have been that they travelled by floo powder and Ron hadn't cleaned up properly.

The dirt may also contrast with the perfect outward appearance of Draco, who has all the best robes etc bought for him.

[pandora315]

Thats a possibility, but why say it 3 times? (I forgot harry comments on it as well) Especially when Ron himself tells Harry about his hand-me-down robes, wand, pet and his home-made lunch. I just think its odd.

[darkcloak]

I think that Ron's 'spot' is JKR's subtle way of show the similarities between Harry and Ron and developing their bond.

Everyone is noticing Harry's scar on his first day, yet everyone also seems to be noticing Ron's mucky face as well.

It's just a way to show they both don't like being picked on and therefore another way in which they instantly bond.