Portkeys and glints (Was: JKR's Plot hole)

[linda_mccabe]

No: HPFGUIDX 36195

Rose Swicegood wrote:

 On another topic, my teen (not a real HP fan) said--why couldn't 
 Moody/Crouch turn anything into a port key like from his office?  
*My* response :-) as I always have one, was that a port key would 
not work inside Hogwarts and thus the Tournament had to be held on 
the  quidditch field.  Please no angry words if this has been 
covered, I'm new here.
 
And Dicentra replied in part:
As for the portkey question, I don't think anyone has come up with a
satisfactory explanation, IMO. I believe that the Quidditch field is
considered a part of Hogwarts grounds, so whatever rules apply to the
castle about Apparating and portkeys also apply to the grounds.

--Dicentra, who is happy to say that no one gets beat up around here
if the Magical Mods and List Elves can help it 

Athena:

Here is my take which I'm sure is probably a little different - 
There are two big reasons for this.  One is technical in that when 
writing a book you should have a climax at the end and then have a 
short epilogue to tie up any loose ends.  (JKR broke that rule when 
she had three, count 'em three chapters after the bloody climax.)  
But if Moody/Crouch Jr. had used a portkey to transport Harry on an 
odd dated Tuesday in March, then there would have been too many 
months afterward to speed through as an epilogue.  Since JKR has set 
up each volume as representing one year, we know that it is during 
the final exam time that Harry's life will be in mortal peril.  
(Another reason to dread the coming of finals!)  So she had to try 
to do something that would be at the end of the school year.

The second reason is more character-oriented and does not deal with 
the finer points of how one should diagram a plot for the most 
effect.  This has to do with Voldemort's ego.  He wanted to have as 
much bang for his buck in his resurrection.  He lives the 
Machiavellian rule that "it is more secure to be feared than to be 
loved."  He wanted everyone to be in total fear and have a greater 
level of fear than they had in 1981 when he fell.  To do that, he 
devised the scheme to have all eyes on Harry Potter again.  Being 
the leading contestant (and sentimental favorite) going into the 
final would make all eyes in the wizarding world be on Harry once 
again.  If instead of cheering Harry's victory, they found out that 
Harry was now dead and Voldemort had risen once again - Voila!  No 
one could escape the emotion of FEAR.


He had waited for thirteen years without a true body, a few months 
here or there wouldn't make that much of a difference to him.  Now 
if Voldemort had risen on an odd dated Tuesday in March, he'd still 
have the wizarding world in a turmoil, but there wouldn't be the 
same buildup of hopeful expection for Harry and then have hopes 
dashed and their greatest fears realized.

Instead, Voldemort's return is known at the end of the book to those 
students at Hogwarts who will now tell their parents.  They'll in 
turn not want to believe it and start pestering the Ministry of 
Magic.  Since it hasn't been in the Daily Prophet yet, many will 
likely be highly skeptical - feeling that this is such big news how 
could it not be known in the press if it is indeed true.

Not the fear factor that Voldemort had envisioned on his return.  
Besides that Harry embarrassed him in front of his minions.  He had 
hoped to deftly dispose of Harry but instead was once again bested 
by the young one (although for the first time Voldemort wasn't 
harmed during the confrontation.)  Right now Harry represents hope 
for the wizarding world.  They know about Harry being "The Boy Who 
Lived" and they'll have heard about the SS/PS climax because 
everyone at Hogwart's knew about it.  They won't know the the Riddle 
confrontation, but they knew that Harry did something spectacular 
again at the end of his second school year which saved the life of 
the youngest Weasley, and now they'll start hearing about Cedric 
Diggory's death/Voldemort's return/Harry surviving a duel with 
Voldemort.  Harry represents HOPE, the only thing that drives out 
fear.  That will make Voldemort crazy and I think now he won't care 
how Harry is killed and will be satisfied if anyone working for him 
accomplishes the task.  Since we've seen the Polyjuice Potion used 
twice - everyone needs to watch their hair and Harry will have to 
watch his back everywhere.

And as for the glint in Dumbledore's eyes - my guess is he's 
thinking about the Life-Debt thing.  Voldemort's body was made of 
unicorn blood (makes the person drinking it cursed), the bones of 
his murdered father (that would also make him cursed), the hand of 
Pettigrew who owes a life debt to Harry Potter, and Harry Potter's 
blood - someone who's goodness and the love of a mother saved him 
from evil - taken by force (also would be then cursed.)  To me that 
adds up to Voldemort being triply cursed and in debt to Harry 
Potter.  Dumbledore may have sized all that up quickly and felt 
triumphant that possibly Voldemort can be permanently dispatched at 
some point like Grindlewald was back in 1945.  (Which I'm waiting to 
hear that backstory told.)

I also *know* in my heart of hearts that Pettigrew did not tell 
Voldemort about Harry saving his life.  If he had, then Voldemort 
would never have used Wormtail's hand.  He would have found another 
Death Eater for that ingredient and he probably would also have 
killed Wormtail at some point just to be rid of a deputy in Harry 
Potter's debt.  That deceit on Pettigrew's part towards Voldemort 
will come back to haunt the nasty guy.

I'm also gratified that Elkins shares my wonderment about 
Dumbledore's admission about Snape being a double agent in front of 
a roomful of witches and wizards.  It may have been dramatic, but 
not very shrewd.


-Athena