HENRY F. POTTER

It’s all so obvious once you see it:

Harry Potter is the grandson of Henry F. Potter.

Believed by the Muggle residents of Bedford Falls, New York, to be an ordinary, if curmudgeonly banker, Henry “Black Dog” Potter was legendary throughout the wizarding world as a warlock of great skill and the earliest tutor in the Dark Arts to young Tom Riddle, later known as Lord Voldemort.

Just look at the photos of young Henry F. Potter on the right and Harry on the left. See the resemblance?

Henry F. Potter - Revealed

Henry Potter was removed from the faculty of Hogwarts (where he was also head of Slytherin House) when he was discovered demonstrating the Avada Kedavra curse on a spider for young Riddle. The interruption caused the curse to backfire, leaving Potter confined to a wheelchair and nearly stripped of his magical powers. Riddle ruthlessly abandoned him, swearing to the Headmaster that he’d had no idea Potter was a warlock.

Crippled, bitter and alone, Potter had no choice but to make his way from England, where he was born, to his Muggle relatives in Bedford Falls, where he joined the family banking business. He retained just enough of his powers to take over the business – and to convince the town’s wealthiest couple to allow him to marry their daughter. She bore him one son – James Potter –before succumbing to a mysterious illness. Her parents had also died under questionable circumstances not long before, thus leaving Henry Potter the sole heir to their fortune.

Potter had nothing to do with the wizarding world from the time he left Hogwarts until his son James, in his twelfth year, began demonstrating magical abilities. Potter sent James off to Hogwarts, assuming that James would follow in his father’s footsteps: to Slytherin House and a mastery of the Dark Arts.

When the Sorting Hat sent James to Gryffindor, Henry Potter was dismayed. But when James steadfastly ignored all coercion and demands that he study the Dark Arts, Henry flew into a rage and disowned him.

Henry F. Potter spent the remainder of his life in Bedford Falls, using the feeble remnants of his powers to torment his business rival, Peter Bailey, of Bailey Savings & Loan, and later Bailey’s son George.

It was George Bailey who finally defeated Potter, with the help (unbeknownst to George) of James Potter, who came to George magically disguised as Angel 2^nd Class Clarence Odbody. He cast a Confundus spell on George, convincing him that he’d never been born and showing him what Bedford Falls would be like without him. When George awakened from the spell, the rest of the town awoke from years of Henry Potter's malefic influence as well and rallied to George's support, dealing Potter a crushing defeat from which he never recovered. He swore revenge upon his son.

James Potter never spoke about his father to anyone else in the magical community. But not long after interfering on George Bailey's behalf, James and his wife, Lily, were murdered by Lord Voldemort—some say as a casual favor for his first tutor, Henry F. Potter.

------------------------------------------

A salute to the new Harry Potter movie on this week's I.W.H., featuring (naturally) Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys and others.

Also this week: Crosby, Stills & Nash recorded acoustic demos for many of the songs on their first album together - some as a group, some as individuals. These demos have been released on CD and will be featured directly after the Potter set, probably beginning between 8:30 and 9 PM

TUESDAY 7/14/09 8-10 PM

REBRO Friday Midnight after P5K