Mark Evans - Who is he?

By Nina T.H.

UPDATE: J.K. Rowling has confirmed that Mark Evans does NOT play a significant role in the books and that his last name being Evans is merely a coincidence.

    Ok! This is a question I've been wondering about for a long time! I'm going to try and find out who Mark Evans is. Since this is an impossible task, I'll rather say who he could be! For all of you who haven't heard of the Mark Evans problem (where have you been the last year???), I'll try to sum it up. If you haven't read the Order of the Phoenix yet, you should avoid this article!

    In the beginning of OotP, Harry asks Dudley something like: "Have you beaten up another ten year old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago". Later in the book, we find out that Lily's maiden name was Evans! If Harry is in some way related to Mark Evans- How?

    I have to admit that the first thing I thought about was that maybe they were brothers. Of course, I was dragged back down to earth when a friend of mine pointed out that if Mark was 10, he was born 5 years after Lily and James died.. So I guess that means we can rule that option out… Then (as blonde as I am) I said: "He could be his half brother though!" For some reason my friend just slapped her hand to her forehead and said: "I still can't believe you get good grades!" But--- How can Harry be related to him then? Below are three possibilities I have come up with:

His cousin - This is the relation most people think is possible. People say Lily and Petunia could have a brother. I guess so, but Dumbledore said that the Dursleys "are the only family he has"... So why couldn't Harry live with the Evans? Maybe Mr. Evans died and Mrs. Evans re-married and kept the name? Or maybe she never even got re-married, but is a single mother? That way Harry wouldn't be related to her with blood, and the protection he has at the Dursleys wouldn't work... Because when Harry asked why he had to go back to the Dursleys, Dumbledore told him it was because Petunia had his mother's blood, and his mother's blood protected him. That would explain why the Evans was never an option.

His unknown second cousin - Well I'm REALLY sceptical about this one, although, I'm not saying it's impossible. I think Dumbledore would have found out about a second cousin. But maybe he did? Maybe he knew about it, but also knew that the blood-relation wasn't strong enough to keep Harry safe! Or maybe he thought it was better to take him to the Dursleys since they already knew about magic- Maybe the Evans didn't? It would be way to much to explain if they had no knowledge of magic or Voldemort what so ever!

Mark Evans is a decoy - Err... I'm not saying yes, I'm not saying no! It's impossible to tell actually. However, I don't think J.K. would put out a decoy like that. I mean think about it: She mentions Mark Evans when he's ten! You start at Hogwarts when you're eleven! I think we will be seeing Mark Evans at the Sorting Ceremony in the sixth book! It's way to much of a coincidence to be a decoy. I don't think it's a mistake either! If you're really eager for more clues (like me), you should check out Rowling's own website http://www.jkrowling.com. At the FAQ section, there's a poll where you can vote at the question you want her to answer next! The Mark Evans question is in the lead, but only by an inch! So go vote folks!

    That's it for this time! I hope I given you some stuff to think about! Stay tuned for the next Triquetra article! If you have any ideas for what I can write about, please E-mail me!