Alright, so I just watched the scene in PS where Hagrid is telling Harry about Voldemort and doesn’t want to say the name. Harry is like, “Maybe if you wrote it down?” and Hagrid is like, “Nah, can’t spell it.”
And that reminded me of how it’s basically canon (I headcanon it anyway) that nobody pronounces Voldemort’s name the way Voldemort (and J.K. Rowling) intended – with the T supposed to be silent. Bc it’s French, right? And so it’s kind of a joke in fandom that nobody says Voldemort’s chosen name right and it drives the Dark Lord absolutely nuts or whatever. So what if people not being able to spell Voldemort is actually pretty common in the Wizarding World?
Like, what if, when Voldemort first started to go public, the newspapers kept on spelling his name wrong? Like sometimes it’s Volldemort and sometimes it’s Voldemore because no one at the Daily Prophet or any other publication is actually sure. Anyway, who the hell cares if they have a typo or two? (Voldemort. Voldemort cares. A lot.)
Maybe Imogen Thorpe in Fashion writes an article commenting on the Knights of Walpulgis’ choice of robes at the Minister’s New Year’s Ball and decides that she’ll just write it as Voldimorte. And Wilbur Hicks in Financial Reports is the worst with getting names right and just writes Volbimort in the hopes the editor will catch it, but Intern Beatrice Fowler is a muggleborn Hufflepuff in the middle of getting her university degree, so she’s just like, “Huh, weird name, right?” and Intern Travis Collins who hasn’t slept in five days just shrugs at her. And Hester Whittle in Political Reports is hard of hearing and this isn’t a name from the Sacred Twenty-Eight, so she scribbles down Vuldimmori and wonders what those damn frogs think they’re doing trying to get involved in British politics – foreign bastards wouldn’t have dared back in her day.
And imagine, even during both wars, people are still getting it wrong. Diagon Alley has graffiti on the shop walls that says DOWN WITH BARON VOLLDINORT! The Ministry of Magic under Death Eater occupation has a room full of anti-Voldemort fliers where the name continuously switches between Voledeemorte and Vouldiomrt and, oh god, Wuldimurr. “It’s foreign,” Fred explains very seriously to Kingsley, right before Potterwatch, as George and Lee turn them out by the hundreds and Remus is basically crying with laughter into a table.
Tags:
#Harry Potter
Brinens and Things - Tumblr Mirror 