Time Turner operation

[GulPlum]

No: HPFGUIDX 57839

Just time for one short post. More in other threads later this evening, 
with any luck (unless someone else beats me to making the points I'd want 
to make) :-)

At 23:47 13/05/03 , Steve wrote:

<snip>

>We know magic can be modified by intend, or, perhaps more correctly,
>our observations of events in the story would seem to imply that, and
>it is a popular theory.
>
>So I speculate that the magic of the Time Turner was modified by
>Hermione intent. She knew that the place she needed to be if she was
>going to effectively help, was the entrance hall. So she coupled the
>changing in time of the Time Turner with her desire to be in another
>more effective location.

Surely the most effective location at which to "drop" Harry & Hermione 
would have been the edge of the Forest? They have to negotiate leaving the 
school building and crossing the lawns hoping nobody's looking out of a 
window, and get to the other side of Hagrid's hut without being seen by 
themselves or Hagrid.

Please note that it's *Hermione* who raises being seen in all of these 
circumstances as a potential problem. Hermione's *intent* was quite clearly 
and explicitly to get to the edge of the Forest, whilst she was clearly not 
surprised to have been "dropped" in the Entrance Hall, close to where her 
original self (with Harry and Ron) are leaving under cover of the Cloak. 
She gets her bearings of where and when they have been "dropped" extremely 
quickly. I would assume that her ease is based on the fact that she's been 
regularly using the Time Turner for the previous nine months.

Harry's intent appears to be irrelevant as he is taken completely by 
surprise in all respects.

I therefore submit that the only rational explanation without inducing or 
inferring facts not stated in canon is my "close enough" theory (thanks for 
the name, Darrin). :-)

I suspect that the next thing you're going to say is that Harry's intent 
somehow "confuses" the Time Turner, by being "incompatible" with 
Hermione's, but that's just inferring *further* facts not stated in 
canon.  The "close enough" theory is fully consistent with all known uses 
of the Time Turner and the application of Occam's Razor.

--
GulPlum AKA Richard, who has to rush off but will be back