protective enchantments

[Carol]

Lee Storm wrote:
> > As far as the Hand Of Glory, that's easy.  Harry probably mentioned it to Ron since he had seen it; Draco probably went back to B&B when he had some extra galleons and bought it for himself.
> 
> Miles
> I agree and disagree ;).
> On the one hand, there's no problem about things happening offpage. It's necessary to have most of the things happen offpage <snip>. And Draco was interested in the Hand of Glory in CoS, and could easily have bought it in the following years, or got it as a birthday gift or whatever. And Harry could have told Ron, and Ron could remember when he sees it.
> 
> But on the other hand, why should Harry remember the hand, Draco's interest in it AND talk about it to Ron? Is there any indication that the Trio would talk about Draco's private life in their leisure-time? Is there any probability that Draco would boast about having a "Dark Object" for burglars at home - at least if he is not among Slytherins?
> 
> While it is possible that Draco owns the hand and Ron knows about it, it's quite unlikely. It's not really a Flint, but if I had to bet, I'd bed on a JKR mistake.
>
Carol responds:

I agree. Not to mention that Ron (twice) remembers the Hand of Glory as something that Draco already has in his possession as if he and Harry have actually seen it at Hogwarts. Needless to say, it wasn't in the Slytherin Common Room when Ron and Harry went there disguised as Crabbe and Goyle in CoS because Lucius had refused to buy it. And Draco had no actual need for it, no reason to bring it into the school, at least, until sixth year. Since Filch, who confiscated Crabbe's shrunken head, had a Dark Detector, he would also have detected a Hand of Glory, another Dark object from Borgin and Burke's. 

The only way Draco could have gotten it into the school during sixth year without its being detected was through the Vanishing Cabinet when he finally succeeded in fixing it. He could not have had it all along (he wouldn't have left it at school after buying it or receiving it as a gift some other year). And, as you say, Draco certainly didn't go around showing it off at school. Not only was the Hand of Glory intended, as you say, for use by robbers, his intended use was worse than robbery, and he was keeping his Vanishing Cabinet plan secret even from his helpers, Crabbe and Goyle.

So Ron could not have seen Draco's Hand of Glory at school, and he could not have seen it in Diagon Alley or on Platform 9 3/4 or the Hogwarts Express, either, because Draco could not have had it there and because we readers see all the interactions between Harry, Ron, and Draco in those places. The most Ron could have said is, "Remember that Hand of Glory thing you told me that you saw Malfoy looking at in Borgin and Burke's right before second year?"

But there's no evidence that Harry even told Ron about the Hand of Glory (as you say, why should he have done so?), and no reason for Ron to remember it. More important, he has no reason to act as if he's seen it himself and knows it to be in Draco's possession as he does twice in HBP. He can't possibly have seen it or know that Draco has it.

JKR has said herself that she doesn't read her own books once they've been published. That's unfortunate. If she reread them, or at least consulted the relevant chapters, she wouldn't make so many mistakes. As for the consistency editor, there might as well not be one given all the inconsistencies that get by her.

Carol, who hates moments like Ron's two remarks about the Hand of Glory that jerk her out of her willingly suspended disbelief