Puzzles: Wormtail's finger and Shrieking Shack tunnel

[a_reader2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 79458

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "a_reader2003"
> <carolynwhite2 at a...> wrote:
> > I have just been re-reading PoA and two logistics problems 
occurred 
> > to me:
> > 
> > (1) How did Wormtail simultaneously cut off his finger and blow a 
> > hole in the ground whilst he was holding his wand with both hands 
> > behind his back ?? (snip)> 

> bboy_mn:
> (snip)
> I can picture several ways in which he could have cut off his finger
> and blasted the street. As a simple test, take a pen or a pencil and
> hold it in one hand behind your back with the point pointing down at
> the floor. ...there, that wasn't so hard, was it? Now put your other
> hand behind your back and put a pen mark at the base of you index
> finger. ...again, not so hard, was it? 
> 
> He could have cut his finger off behind his back and let the severed
> finger fall to the ground, then pointed his wand a few feet to the
> side and blasted the hole in the street. 

CW comments (tied up in knots having followed instructions):

I think there is a difference between marking your finger with a pen 
and slicing it off with a knife.. for a start there is a bone to cut 
through, which actually needs a sharp chop rather than a quick slice 
(don't try it at home...), and it would HURT, wouldn't it ? Judging 
by his agony as he rolled around having cut off his hand for Voldy, 
he doesn't seem too good in the Madame Pomfrey dept. He's got to 
simultaneously hold a very sharp knife behind his back in one hand, 
and his wand in the other (?)and do a powerful street-busting spell 
whilst reeling with pain and transform into a rat at the same time. 

I brought it up because it seems to me all very difficult and 
suggests someone else was involved. You commented:

> And, you are right, Peter wasn't willingly there for the purpose of
> meeting Sirius. Sirius caught up to Peter, as Peter moved through 
the muggle world thereby hoping to avoid detection by wizards. It's
> possible that Peter was in an area where he had friends, or perhaps 
it was several blocks from where his mother's or uncle's wizard's 
house was hidden in London. There are lots of possible speculations 
about how Sirius could have found Peter in a big city like London. 
Either way, the way I read it is that Peter was moving through muggle 
London to avoid detection by wizards, and Sirius was still able to 
track him down and confront him on a muggle street.
> 

(CW again): Surely all this took place at Godric's Hollow, which 
although we admittedly don't know where this is, is probably not in 
London ? Anyway, I raised in an earlier post how odd it was that 
Peter should return to the scene of the crime the day after, and 
especially, apparently to confront Sirius, who was much better at 
duelling than him, and extremely angry. I felt that Peter was forced 
to return for some reason, or by somebody, and this would more fully 
explain his actions when Sirius 'cornered him'.

By the way, loved your explanation of my question (2) about the 
Shrieking Shack tunnel ! I actually think it was just careless 
writing on JKR's part, but we are so loyal in finding explanations 
for what she might have meant !