Quick Look at Time Travel

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 57776

Let's skip massive speculation and look at what we actually know about
Rowling/wizard time travel.

So far we see only one device - the Time Turner.

So far we have only seen it go backward in time in units of one hour
per turn.

So far we have only seen time travel within a single day. All events
occurring between midnight at the beginning of the day and the next
midnight at the end of that day. Perhaps that represents the
boundaries of time travel. 

So far, since we haven't seen forward time travel, the only way to get
back to the original point in time, that is, the time at which you
disappeared and went back in time, is to relive that span of time again. 

That is, Harry and Hermione go back 3 hours, the only way to move
forward 3 hours to the point where they went back, is to wait for 3
hours of time to pass then assume the roles of the people (them; H/H)
who went back and continue on with their lives. Did that make sense?

If it did make sense, then you realize that the Harry and Hermione who
continued on with there lives are biologically 3 hours older than
their original selves. They lived 3 hours twice, therefore their 24
hour day consisted of 27 hours (24+3=27).

Now expand that to a ten year backward jump in time (87,600 hours).

Example, Let's say at age 30 on Jan 1, 2000 at 12:00 noon you got back
in time to Jan 1, 1990 at 12:00 noon then you simply live for another
10 years with two of you in existance; the original you (age 20 in
1990) and the time travel you (age 30 in 1990, and 2000 @ 12:00). 

You both live in parallel until you reach Jan 1, 2000 @ noon. At this
time, the original you has aged 10 years and is now 30; the time
travel you has aged 10 years and is now 40. So on Jan 1, 2000 @
12:00pm, the original you at age 30 disappears, and the time travel
you having aged 10 years, steps in and continues on with your life;
but at 12:00 you were 30; at 12:01 when you resumed your life, you
were 40. 

That and 87,600 turns of the time turner would certainly reduce
anyone's desire to go any significant distance back in time.

In addition to this mess up in your age, you also have to figure out
how to deal with two of you living at the same time. How do you
arrange your lives so that you don't interfer with each other, and
confuse all the people around you? 

How does the time travel you exist for 10 years in the past without
screwing up other parts of the timeline?

And what happens if the time travel you has an accident during those
10 years and there is no one to come back to the future and resume
your life. In that case, at age 30, you will simply cease to exist;
vanish without a trace.

I won't get into what happens if your original self dies during that
10 years because it obviously didn't happen or you wouldn't have been
able to be age 30 and go back in time.

Given what we have so far, time travel seems somewhat limited.

Just a thought.

bboy_mn