[HPforGrownups] Re: Time Travel Paradoces

[Richelle Votaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 57803


Richelle Votaw admitted her brain already hurts before trying to understand
time travel when she asked:

>suddenly the patronus comes and he sees what he thinks is his dad, but is
>himself.  But how did he get away from the dementor to get to the time
>turner to go back in time and save himself (and Buckbeak & Sirius).

GulPlum responded:

<snip GulPlum trying desperately to explain time travel to me>

> The thing I love the most about the sequence is that Harry confirms
exactly
> what had happened  when he says later on that "I knew I could do it this
> time because I'd already done it". Harry, writhing on the ground, sees a
> powerful Patronus. Later on, (time-turned)Harry, realising that the person
> casting the Patronus is himself, knows that he has it in himself to cast a
> powerful Patronus.

Okay, that just goes to show how stupid I really am.  I always thought Harry
knew he could cast the patronus that time because of the one he had cast at
the Quidditch match when Malfoy and Co. came dressed as dementors.  You
know, when Lupin said "That was some Patronus" then told Harry they weren't
dementors at all.  But regardless Harry had cast the patronus successfully.
And so I thought it was from there that he knew he could do it.

But what if, say, the Dementor had performed the Dementor's Kiss on Harry in
the first timeline?  Then Harry wouldn't have been able to get to the time
turner to go back in time.  Which means the D's Kiss wasn't performed, or
else he wouldn't have been able to change it.  Were there just always two
timelines?  No, that can't work.  Grr, I give up.  My feeble minded brain
has been around 7 year olds too long.

Richelle