3rd Task (was: Ludo Bagman Is Ever So Evil)

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 34216

Alexander wrote:

>   Do you mean that the spectators were assumed to sit on
> their seats for damn whole hour and observe the outer walls
> of the labirinth?
>   There _must_ be some way for spectators to see what's
> going on, or else Triwizard Tournament would become the
> greatest failure in entertainment industry. :)
> 

Eh, there has been some discussion of this in the past, but I don't 
really recall it clearly.  I thought the consensus was that both the 
second and third task are rather FLINT-like because great numbers of 
people come to watch something they can't see.  Maybe it is like 
bobsledding -- you can be at the finish, but you can't be someplace 
positioned to see everything.  

There are a few canon clues suggesting the spectators and judges 
couldn't see the second or third task.  In the second task, there 
would be no reason for Dumbledore to take a report from the merperson 
if everyone could see the underwater events take place.  Sounds 
weird, but that's how it looks like JKR intended it to be.  Go figure.

You're right that there's nothing conclusive about whether spectators 
and judges could see the final dash to the Cup.  However, Mrs. 
Diggory suggests that Harry's account of the end of the Tournament is 
news to her:  "And after all, Amos, . . . he died just when he'd won 
the tournament.  He must have been happy."  Also, Dumbledore asked 
the students not to "question [Harry] or ask him questions or badger 
him to tell the story of what had happened in the maze," further 
suggesting that no one could see what was going on.  

Alexander wrote:

 
>   I'm myself a math specialist. ;)
>   Quidditch field is 180 feet wide. I assume that the stands
> are ~50 feet high. Given wall height of 20 feet and assuming
> that the stands are 45 degrees to the ground, we get that
> the central room must be 60 feet in radius for the Cup to be
> observable from the highest seats.
>   Thus, I find Grey Wolf's idea highly unlikely (whole
> labirinth is 180 feet wide, and central room is 120 feet in
> diameter?).

That's very impressive, Alexander.  Downright L.O.O.N.y, IMHO.  Nice 
work!

Alexander again:

>   Personally, I didn't even _think_ that it was possible to
> _look_ into the center - rather that the Cup itself, being a
> magical object, may transmit data outside the labirinth.
> After all, as soon as the Cup is reached, the labirinth
> itself disappears - thus there IS some magical link between
> the Cup and it's surroundings.

Hmmm, I don't see anywhere where it says that the plinth disappears 
when Harry and Cedric touch it.  By "labirinth", do you mean the 
walls?  If so, I don't think that works because Harry states that he 
came back to the "edge of the maze."

Alexander again (about Bagman's absence):
 
>   But all this was invented only because Ludo was not
> mentioned in the scene after Harry returned. But in fact
> there's no need to do it at all. All scene is described from
> Harry's PoV which was pretty "limited" (so to say) at the
> moment. The fact that Ludo wasn't mentioned doesn't prove
> anything at all, just like all other arguments that were
> presented before.
> 

Well, sort of.  The fact that Bagman wasn't mentioned after Harry 
returned with Cedric's body doesn't necessarily mean Bagman wasn't 
right there too.  But Fred and George do tell us that Bagman ran for 
it "right after the third task."  Leaving us with the same old 
question:  where did Bagman go and why?  

Alexander again:

>Cindy indeed proved
> that Ludo MAY be a Death Eater, but I can easily build
> similar "proof" for almost any character in the books (yeah,
> including Harry, too :)
>   IMHO this is a subject not worth discussing - no matter
> what we won't know the truth until subsequent books come out
> of print.
> 

Aw, gee.  Making up wacky theories and trying to prove them based on 
logic with a foundation in canon is half the fun.  How else are we 
supposed to survive the interminable delay in the release of OoP?  
:-)  Seriously, though, I started all of this nonsense by saying two 
things:  I think Bagman is an evil DE, but I just can't prove it.  
Both of those things are still true.

> c> Cindy (who might have to refer this to the league for a
> c> fine and possible suspension <bg>)
> 
>   Oh, I'm sooooo scared! :)
> 

Cindy (handing the yellow flag back to the referee, reversing herself 
on referring this to the league, and instead nominating Alexander for 
L.O.O.N. status and the fast track to the Hall of Fame for that 
snappy math analysis)