Rebuttal of specious "Deus ex Machina" claims

[analplardbottom at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 26990

caliburncy at yahoo.com wrote:

> Case 2--Dumbledore's rescue of Harry from Quirrel/Voldemort at the end 
> of PS/SS
> 
> Criterion 3: Fulfilled.  Though Dumbledore is of course engaged in 
> conflict with Voldemort in a grander scale throughout the series, he 
> was not part of that particular instance of conflict between Harry and 
> Quirrel/Voldemort up until the time of his intervention.
> 
> The Luke Verdict: A reasonable case of "deus ex machina", at least in 
> the more modern sense of the term.

'Zounds, nay and forsooth! While lexically loquacious, grandiloquent even, 
the logical reasoning behind Case 2 (Dumbledore v. Quirrell/HWMNBN) is 
flawed. A perfectly logical explanation is given by the author -- upon 
Dumbledore's arrival in London, it is entirely plausible that the revered 
Headmaster was alerted to the existence of villainy at Hogwarts by the fact 
that nobody at the Ministry of Magic was ready to greet him. As such, it is 
further plausible that said Headmaster immediately returned to Hogwarts with 
all possible speed, perhaps by Floo Network or Apparition to just outside the 
school grounds.

I have the honour to be, gentlebeings, your ever ob'd't serv't,

Anal P. Lardbottom
Centaur-Wizard Ombudsman
Centaur Liaison Office
Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures 
(Beast Division)
Ministry of Magic
2b Ayne Alley
London IM2 0DD
anal.lardbottom at clo.drcmc.mom.gov.uk
AnalPLardbottom at aol.com