Hopes for Book 5

[bluesqueak]

No: HPFGUIDX 59073

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Chuck" <chuck_richie_99 at y...> 
wrote:
> Things I hope to see and not see in book 5
<Snip>
> Tighter writing.
> Book 4 was a real downer for me when I got to the end due to the 
> whole Portkey / specific activation time issue.  Not because the 
> whole "Catch an early portkey" line was ignored, rather because it 
> didn't need a lot of effort to make it work.  All that was needed  
> was that a portkey have an activation command instead of an  
> activation time to make that work.  

Hmmm... depends what is meant by 'prearranged time'. Which is what 
Mr Weasley says; not 'specific activation time', just 'prearranged 
time.'

If I arrange to meet someone to catch a train, I might have a 
prearranged time of 11:20. If I arrange to meet someone at their 
house, I might have a prearranged time of 'Saturday morning'. Both 
are 'prearranged times', but one has a window of 1 min 58 secs, the 
other a window of 3 or 4 hours.

The QWC has thousands of wizards arriving. It makes sense that the 
prearranged times would be very specific, to avoid the Stoatshead 
Hill wizards colliding with the wizards from the Black Forest who 
arrive 8 minutes later. 

The Third Task of the Triwizard tournament takes hours, and there's 
no real way of telling precisely when the winner will touch it. But 
if the Portkey has been set to 'night of June 24th', that's also a 
prearranged time, just with a wide window.


> Additionally, all that was 
> needed was a line from Voldemort that Harry's blood was no good to 
> him unless he had a certain level of skill as a wizard for his 
> rebirth spell to work and the purpose of having Harry in the 
> Tournament is validated.
> That smells of rushed writing to me (and validated IMHO by the 
> Lily / James emergence issue).

Or alternatively, Voldemort had some other reason for wanting Harry 
to turn up at a specific, publicly known time. But the author wants 
that reason kept hidden for a later book. 

See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/40044 for my 
take on what might be going on in the background of the Graveyard 
Scene in GoF.

Even without MAGICDISHWASHER, there are certain preparations that 
Voldemort needs to make for his potion. He has to be carried by 
Pettigrew to the Graveyard. Pettigrew has to lug a bloomin' great 
stone cauldron there. The ceremony has to take place at some time 
when the graveyard isn't full of muggles weeping over their 
relatives' graves. All these things suggest that knowing *when* 
Harry will come through is convenient for Voldemort as well.

The toothbrush type portkey has the 'Harry decided not to brush his 
teeth that morning, as he was in a hurry' factor. The first task has 
the problem that it's going to be difficult to 'fix' which dragon 
the contestant gets, and thus which egg Harry will touch. The second 
task means Harry only *has* to touch another human - no portkeys 
there. 

The third task has the advantage that the winner *must* touch one, 
and only one, Cup to win. It is also, unlike the first two tasks, 
held at night. How many people are going to go near a graveyard, at 
night, where a bunch of loonies in cowled robes are holding some 
kind of ceremony? No? Thought not. [grin]

> 
> The book is later than was planned.  Let's hope that means quality 
> control was turned up a notch.
> 
As far as I'm aware, the only major FLINT in GoF is the wand order 
error. There are 629 pages in GoF (UK paperback). With 629 pages of 
plot to consider, an author is lucky to remember that Mad Eye Moody 
also has a wooden leg. ;-) 

After all, other 'classic' authors have made equally 'classic' 
errors. They have forgotten that they've killed off minor 
characters, they have forgotten the names of major characters (e.g. 
Conan Doyle, who couldn't remember whether Dr. Watson was called 
John Watson or James Watson).

Having analysed Chapters 32 to 34 in some detail [grin], I can only 
say that they don't 'feel' like they're loosely plotted. Quite the 
opposite. They feel like densely plotted chapters where the reader 
doesn't yet know what's really going on. And the wand order, whilst 
dramatic, isn't actually important to the later plot, so JKR thought 
she could rely on memory and didn't check her notes ...

I think the proverb is 'even Homer nods'. Even the greatest of great 
authors have their FLINTS.

Pip!Squeak

["you need cool calculating bastards to save the world" ? I like it!]