Godric's Hollow/what happened (long)

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 4435

Hi --

Steve Vander Ark wrote:

> Ah, I understand the direction of your logic. But IMHO Godric's
> Hollow, unlike Ottery St. Catchpole, got it's name not from an actual
> place name but from JKR's wish to tie it in with the name of Godric
> Gryffindor.

That's a distinct possibility.

> After attacking James and Lily and wounding but not killing them
> (perhaps because the defense did in fact block the Avada Kadavra curse
> to some extent), he turned his wand on Harry. But the combination of
> the defense cooked up by James and Lily and the deep magic of his
> mother's sacrificial attempt to save him was enough to blast the curse
> back on Voldemort and he was nearly killed. At this point he fled,
> leaving his wand behind him, soince he couldn't hold it in
> noncorporeal form.
>
> At this point, the sequence of spells revealed by the Priori
> Incantatem hasn't begun. If it had, one of the spells we see
> regurgitated would have been the one that rebounded and almost
> destroyed Voldemort. Therefore someone else must have taken up the
> wand and finished the job, killing first Lily and then James. I am
> betting that that someone was Crouch, although it could have been
> another Death Eater who accompanied Voldemort that night.

This is a creative explanation for Priori Incantatum -- had we heard it
before?  We've heard so many theories on this subject .  . . .  I like
this one.  We were speculating the other day about whether or not priori
incantatum regurgitates the last spells cast by the wand itself or the
last spells cast by the wand's owner, were we not?

> Hagrid didn't stick around. He said he got out before the Muggles
> started swarming around, and frankly, can you imagine him trying to
> be inconspicuous? My guess is that Godric's Hollow isn't a village,
> because if there were Muggles nearby, they would have been swarming
> almost instantly in typical Muggle rubber-necking fashion.

Well, I know Hagrid's veracity has been called into question somewhat in
the last few weeks . . . but, he did refer to Godric's Hollow as a
"village" (Chapter 4 -- SS).  If for the sake of speculation, Godric's
Hollow *were* more or less in the vicinity of the village of
Godre'r-graig, it would be a fairly wooded area it appears.  I can argue
that Hagrid might have spirited Harry away to the nearby woodlands where
Hagrid could be inconspicuous and yet observe what all was going on.

> At any rate, Sirius also turned up at  that point, and in order to
> allow Hagrid to travel more quickly with  Harry, he lent him his
> motorcycle. He could apparate anyway and would  use other means to
> track down Pettigrew.

Hagrid might have accepted the motorcycle but would have likely known
that he couldn't turn up with Harry in Privet Drive in broad daylight;
therefore, his arrival would have to wait until the following night.  He
might have laid low with the motorcycle, observing what all was going on
while he was stuck waiting anyway.

> So they developed a plan involving Arabella Figg, the Dursleys, and
> probably others who would watch over him and guard him. Dumbledore
> probably cast some deep family-related magical guard spells which are
> why Harry now has to stay at the Dursleys.

Not that Voldemort is anymore believable necessarily than Hagrid, but he
does say in GoF that it was *Dumbledore* who was left to "work out"
Harry's future.  I guess it's possible that Hagrid's role was unknown to
Voldemort or he just wasn't mentioned.  I think it's fairly clear that
Dumbledore did cast some magical guard spells that require Harry to
return to the Dursleys each year.

> And somewhere in London, more or less at the same time, Sirius Black
> meets up with Pettigrew, so no one on Privet Drive that night knew
> anything about it yet...

It's not specified but I have the impression that the Black/Pettigrew
confrontation happened in daylight (PoA - Ch 10).  It might be difficult
to have "eyewitnesses" & kill a street "full of muggles" late at night.
I know that's possible but . . . . daylight seems more likely to me.  I
think "the next day" was actually Nov 2nd.  I think the Voldy attack on
the Potters commenced on Halloween night around (just before) midnight.
So, when Black arrived at the ruins of the Potter home was actually the
wee hours of November 1st.  Hagrid might have known that even if he left
right away, he couldn't get Harry to Privet Drive in time for him to be
left.

In any case, I still do maintain that Hagrid's point of origination just
prior to arriving on Privet Drive had to be Wales, Ireland or the
Hebrides in order for them to fly over Bristol toward Surrey.  As to
whether Godric's Hollow is one of those places or whether Hagrid went to
one of those places while waiting until he could take Harry to Privet
Drive .  . . . . well, we can debate.  <g>

Of course, what's interesting is that Hagrid's recount of events leaves
one with the definite impression that he rescued Harry from the ruins &
set off immediately for Privet Drive, with baby Harry falling asleep
over Bristol.  We all know that really can't be right though.  Can it?

Penny


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