After reading the FAQ on the missing 24 hours -- a thought

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52316

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "marephraim <htfulcher at c...>"
<htfulcher at c...> wrote:
> I just read over the FAQ on the missing 24 hours ... Consider 
> the following scenario...
> 

> 
> Hagrid is dispatched by Dumbledore to ... Godric Hollow. ... Hagrid 
> gets there around the same time as Sirius Black. They discover the 
> house ... in ruins,. Sirius ... gives ... Hagrid his motor- bike and
goes off in search of him (Petigrew). 
> 
> Hagrid ... sends a post owl or uses flu powder [firetalking] to
> update Dumbledore ... need not be  assumed to indicate more than 
> a sequence of events -- Hagrid was ordered to do A and later told 
> to do B.
> 
> ...edited... 
> 
> And where would he have hidden (Harry)? What if Hagrid had taken Harry 
> to Hogwarts and hidden him in his hut? Secrecy would dictate that 
> Harry not be taken to Hogsmeade, or Diagon Alley or the Castle 
> itself -- too many witnesses. But Hagrid's Hut? 
> 
> ...edited... 
> 
> ...edited...
> 
> The 24 Hours does not necessarily have to be flint or a matter of 
> speculation. Verifying what had happened, ensuring that no other 
> threat to Harry was imminent, planning what to do with Harry, etc.. 
> would all take time.
> 
> ... Harry (living) with the Muggles must have been ...  known as 
> when Harry and Hagrid first enter the Leakey Cauldron Tom ... says,
"Welcome back, Mr Potter, welcome back!" (PS p. 54 pb AE) This 
> _does_ harken back to the nature and number of the charms protecting
>  Harry.
> 
> Does any of this sound reasonable?
> 
> MarEprhaim

bboy_mn:

Generally a good analysis of the events. I've never had a problem with
Hagrid taking care of Harry that whole time, although others doubt
that Hagrid is capable of taking care of a hysterical 1 year old baby.
Three headed dog = yes. One headed baby = No. 

However, you still have some transportation problems to solve. It's
between 400 and 500 miles between Hogwarts and Surrey, straight line
distance. At 200 miles per hour, it's a 2 hour flight. 

In general, in PS/SS Hagrid's modes of transportation are a little
vague. On the Hut on the Rock Harry askes Hagrid how he got there,
Hagrid replies that 'he flew'. How? By Floo powerder? No fireplace. By
broom? So where did the broom go? Can you just tell you broom to go
home, and it will fly off without you? Portkey? Would there have been
time to enchant a portkey to such an obscure location? Portkeys can't
be that easy of everybody would be using them. 

Next, Hagrid drops Harry off at the train station to return to the
Dursley's. Harry looks back, blinks, and Hagrid is gone. So how?
Apparate? Hagrid was kick out in third year, you don't learn to
apparate until 6th or 7th year. Since Mr. Weasley says it's difficult,
I doubt that Hagrid just picked it up. Portkey? In this case, this is
actually the most reasonable possibility.

Next problem, Harry fell asleep over Bristol which is on the west
coast of England, while Surrey is in the east just south of London.
How do you fly from Scotland to south of London and end up flying over
Bristol? 

I speculated that for security reasons, Hagrid flew straight south
from Hogwarts over the Irish Sea, turned left at Bristol and continued
on to Surrey. One small problem, Irish Sea is the training ground for
the Royal Air Force. Don't think Hagrid would have had a good time
flying through a pack of fighter jets. 

Although, if he stayed below 200ft which is still pretty high when you
are on a motorbike or broom, he could have avoided air traffic and
radar. The problem with this route is that it adds an additional 100
miles to the travel distance making it about 600 miles. At 200 miles
per hour, that's a 3 hours of fly time. Three hours is certainly not
impossible, I'm sure we have all take 3 hour car rides.

Then we must ask, 'can an enchanted motorbike fly at 200 miles per
hour?'. Less speed means more fly time; 100mph = 6 hours of flying.

Now there could be the Magic equivalent of a warp jump. That is you
combine flying and apparation, so you take off like the Starship
Enterprise, kick it into warp drive and enter a whole new dimension of
travel. Get to Bristol, kick off the magic warp drive, and fly to Surrey. 

I can actually picture wizards and witches using a combination of
flying and apparation. When they arrive at a destination, instead of
zooming in from the horizon, there is a loud POP and they appear on
their brooms just half mile away, then all they have to do is land.
Absolutely nothing in the book that supports my magic warp drive
(fly/apparate) theory though.

Once again, in general, your sequence of events is pretty good in my book.

bboy_mn