my Mirror of Erised theory

[Athena Appleton]

I have a few theories surrounding the Mirror of Erised, and I shall enlighten you all now.

When Harry looks into the Mirror of Erised, he sees his family. This is all we know.

I think the Mirror of Erised is EXTREMELY exact (after all, only one who wanted to find the stone but not use it would see it, anyone else would only see exactly what they wanted from it)... this is kinda hard to follow.

Harry believes all his relatives are dead, except the Dursleys.

Harry obviously does not desire to see the Dursleys in the mirror or anywhere else.

Harry only sees his dead relatives (thinking that's all his relatives) in the Mirror of Erised.

But there is some really hard-to-get-rid-of evidence that there is more family on Lily's side of the family. Most people discredit this, saying that he wouldn't have HAD to go to the Dursleys if there was anyone else in her family still alive. Not to mention, Harry saw a lot of dead relatives in the mirror. But Harry wouldn't have seen live relatives, since he doesn't believe they exist. His greatest desire would be to see his family who has died, not his living relatives, which he thinks are only the Dursleys.

Also, I believe that the charm Dumbledore and Lily placed on Harry works best with someone with the exact blood line. The only person who would have the exact blood line would be a completely biological brother or sister. Not a half-sibling, cousin, or even grandparent.

Reading about Mark Evans in OotP is what really got me thinking about this, and it's only gotton worse by wondering if Harry has living grandparents. I don't think it's a coincidence that Mark shares the same last name as Lily's before she married.

So if the Mirror of Erised showed his EXACT desire (to see his dead relatives, not his living ones) and the charm relied on an EXACT blood line, it's quite plausible that Lily has other relatives who are not full-blooded siblings, and that one of them could be as close as a half-brother on her father's side (Mark Evans's dad)...

[Emma'I'm a real witch']

I think in the recent web chat JK states that Harry's grandparents are all dead.

The reason I think he was sent to live with the Dursley's is because they are the only Muggle relatives of Harry's. At the beginning of PS/SS when McGonagall and Dumbledore are talking outside the Dursleys there is the following conversation.

"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now.'

"...These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in future - every child will know his name!"

"...Exactly, it would be enough to turn any boys head. Famous before he can even walk and talk. Can't you see how he's better growing up away from it"

By all of this I take it to mean that DD saw that it would be better for him to be away from the magical world while he was impressionable. I don't think it necessarily means that he has no family at all left. Maybe he has wizarding family left DD thought it would be better he was away from.

[Athena Appleton]

that's pretty much exactly what I think... I don't think he has grandparents alive, but I didn't know about a recent chat that she says his grandparents are all dead... but I do think it's highly likely Lily has a half-brother or half-sisters whom Harry doesn't know about yet...

[Emma'I'm a real witch']

I think this is a real possiblity, although you do wonder why DD hasn't told Harry about them yet.
Especially as he was so upset at the end of OotP, and he did say he would tell him everything. The only other thing I can think of is DD doesn't know about them either.....

[Athena Appleton]

Yeah... that does stump me... I just dont see any other possibility with this Evans kid than he's somehow related to Harry on Lily's side...

Maybe Dumbledore doesn't know about other relatives... maybe he felt like if he told Harry there are other relatives out there, Harry would not be able to see that not just any relative could provide the most protection... that his happiness at living with someone other than the Dursleys isn't as important as getting the maximum protectiont the charm would allow (just like using any wand can work okay, but you get best results with an exact one, I think the protection charm could work, only not as well, with other more distant relatives).... *shrug* these are the only two possibilities I can think of... but then, there are two more books, so that leads me to believe that while it's easy to sit and think we have all the facts, we almost certainly don't...

[Ferrus]

...Maybe JKR put Evans´s name there to give us all tremendous headaches...

well, I think that the magic would be stronger if Harry was with the Dusleys, and that DD hasn´t mentioned the fact that Harry doesn´t have more family because Harry is only safe while he can call Privet Drive his home...(doesn´t he mention something about that is OotP?).

[Athena Appleton]

Hmmm, I just REALLY don't see the Evans thing being a coincidence...

That is what I think, though, that Dumbledore didn't mention the other relatives because Harry might not be willing to sacrifice his happiness for slightly better protection... He could easily think, "I would still have some protection, and I wouldn't have to be at the Dursley's anymore"...

[Meg Boyd]

My theory is that Mark is the product of a half-brother to Lily and Petunia that is unknown...like if Grandpa Evans (a squib) married a muggle woman who did not know his wizarding connection. They produced a son, who's surname is Evans. Then Grandpa Evan's wife finds out about his Squibbiness (nice word, eh?) and leaves him, taking their child. Well Grandpa Evans finds a nice squib woman (the future Grandma Evans) and produce Petunia and Lily...and never talks about the pain of his former family...not to mention back in the day remarriages and second families were taboo...so Petunia and Lily and the rest of the wizarding world never knows about the wife and son. However, since at least Grandpa Evans is a squib, Lily has wizarding talent and goes to Hogwarts so that would explain for their pleasure in her admission. Anyways the long lost son grows up a muggle-squib and gets married and produces Mark. It is my guess Mark becomes a wizard.

[Cruzio]

I believe in this:

Hmmm, I just REALLY don't see the Evans thing being a coincidence...

and I believe in this:

...Maybe JKR put Evans´s name there to give us all tremendous headaches...

[Athena Appleton]

Meg: I agree with what you're sayin...

BUT...

It was the sixties and seventies, honey... NUTHIN was taboo.

[Meg Boyd]

The sixties and seventies were when James and Lily were children...meaning a possible first marriage scandal probably was in the squeaky clean fifties...I never agreed with this idea, but according to the lexicon the HP series takes place in the late eighties/early nineties, so this time line would put a taboo marriage (or perhaps even an affair?) in the fifites or early sixites and the early sixties were clean too (just watch Andy Griffith...hehe).

[Athena Appleton]

The HP series takes place in the 80's/90's??? Well, I guess I knew about the nineties, since my calculations had Harry being born in 1982, the "official timeline" has him being born in 1980 (I think)...

That's weird, though!!!

If it were an affair, though, Grandpa Squib's son could be younger than Lily and Petunia.

[Jotomicron]

Do you really think that the woman Grandpa Squib liked would want to call her son "Evans" if it was an affair? I think Mark and HP are related, but it will be a very peculiar relation... Hmm! A familiar relation, but a peculiar one...

[Athena Appleton]

well, it is possible that there was a former wife... that would explain the Evans last name...

[pandora315]

As long as we're talking about affairs and ex marriages and baby's out of wedlock (which I'm not sure JK would put into a childrens book anyway) why not explore the possibility that at one time Lily and Petunia were close as sisters tend to be, Lily hooked Petunia up with some sexy wizard dude, Petunia got pregnant and the wizard dude took off so she gave the baby away (I guess the new parents kept his name or something). It would explain why Petunia hates magic, why she knows so much about the wizarding world, and it would make the Evans kid related to Harry.