McGonagall Location On Oct 31, 1981

[Alexander]

No: HPFGUIDX 36880

  Greetings!

--- Cut from Harry Potter Lexicon follows: ---

> When and where did McGonagall find out from Hagrid that
> Dumbledore would be on Privet Drive that next night?

> Think over the timeline. Hagrid arrived in Godric's Hollow
> very soon after the attack. From that point on, he knew
> what happened and had Harry with him. So when did he talk
> to McGonagall? And whenever that was, why was she so
> totally in the dark about events afterwards?

> Picture the meeting. Hagrid has a baby with him and is
> flying a motorcycle which everyone knows belongs to Black.
> How could she not have known more than she does in Privet
> Drive?

--- Cit from Harry Potter Lexicon no longer follows. ---

  I don't know if this subject has been discussed in-depth
on the List, as my connection with the List is sparse
lately, but I think this topic is not quite correct in the
Lexicon.

  First of all, it's nowhere said nor implied that Hagrid
met McGonagall *after* he had visited Godric's Hollow.
Theory proposed by Steve does not cover the time period
between the moment when Hagrid received the message from
Dumbledore to arrive to Godric's Hollow and his actual
arrival there.

  It was October 31. During this time both McGonagall and
Hagrid had to be at Hogwarts. We do not know how did Hagrid
get to Godric's Hollow initially, but somehow I don't think
it was Hogwarts Express. Apparation is also out of the
question - Hagrid cannot apparate (inability to apparate in
Hogwarts doesn't come into account because he could simply
leave Hogwarts grounds). Broom? Ridiculous. Look at Hagrid
and look at a broom. It seems that the only way for Hagrid
to get to Godric's Hollow *quickly* was to use the floo
network.

  However means of transportation are not important. What
*is* important is the following: both Hagrid and McGonagall
are together at Hogwarts for some time, Hagrid knows that he
must go there and there, and he also knows that Dumbledore
will be at Privet Drive by the evening of November 1.
Chances are that if he meets McGonagall at that moment, he
will tell her what he knows. But he knows exactly what
McGonagall knows at Privet Drive according to the book!.

  Indeed, look here: she knows that James and Lily are dead,
that Harry has survived, that Voldemort has disappeared and
that Dumbledore will be at Privet Drive tomorrow evening.

  From this we can easily deduce approximate text of
Dumbledore's message to Hagrid: "Hagrid, get fast to
Godric's Hollow, Lily and James are dead, Harry will be
there, alive, take him and go to Little Whinging, Privet
Drive as fast as you can, I will be there tomorrow evening".

  Lexicon also states that location of Hagrid is unknown for
almost 24 hours. This I will also try to refute. First of
all, though he had arrived to Godric's Hollow before
muggles, we do not know how long did it really take him.
Then we don't know what distance is there between Bristol
and Godric's Hollow (it's location is a total mistery -
there are no hints about it). And I'm not even sure about
Bristol - do you think Hagrid knows muggle cities so well
that he easily recognises them *from above*? Godric's Hollow
can easily be in Scotland or Ireland. We don't know. And of
course we don't know how much time did it take Hagrid to fly
from GH to Little Whinging. And how much time did it take
him to *find* Little Whinging.

  Short summary: the only persons whose location is really
misterious are Dumbledore and Mrs. Figg. And even for them
we can make reasonable guesses.

  So the final timeline looks as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------

October 31, 1981.

In the evening Voldemort arrives to Godric's Hollow, kills
James and Lily Potter (I will not touch the problem of their
identities) and unsuccessfully tries to kill Harry Potter.

Dumbledore somehow knows about the result of Voldemort's
access (Scrying spells? Observers? Was he himself there?)
and communicates with Hagrid to tell him what to do.

Hagrid meets Minerva McGonagall (my version is that he asks
her to give him access to Hogwarts floo terminal, but other
possibilities exist as well) and tells her what he knows.

Hagrid and McGonagall are the two people who most probably
started the information spread. Most likely candidate is, of
course, Hagrid. Did he meet anybody else? Another suspects
are Dumbledore's observers at Godric's Hollow (though their
existence is purely my speculation) and Dumbledore himself
(after all, he did meet some people that night).

November 1, 1981.

Hagrid arrives to Godric's Hollow, takes Harry, meets
Sirius, borrows his motorcycle.

In the morning, rumours start flying in Wizarding Community
about Voldemort's fate.

In the morning, Minerva McGonagall arrives to Privet Drive
and waits until evening (maybe Hagrid forgot to tell her
Dumbledore will only be there in the evening?).

During whole day, wizards are partying and celebrating.
Hagrid either waits with Harry in a safe place or is simply
searching for Little Whinging.

In the late evening, both Dumbledore and Hagrid (with Harry)
arrive to Privet Drive.

------------------------------------------------------------

Sincerely yours,
Alexander Lomski,
(Gryffindor/Slytherin crossbreed),
who has stumbled upon a fresh source of origins and feels he
now may come back to the newsgroup.

Quote: 2,000,000 lemmings can't be wrong.