The Timing of Lupin WAS - 'That Night'- Fudge After the Fact

[Josh Warren]

No: HPFGUIDX 109279

Kneasy:
> Back to semantics and grammatical construction, I'm afraid.
> 
> "Black's been talking.." is the key I think.
> I would read this as "Black has been talking" the implication being that
> it is a continuing activity.
> 
> If Black were no longer in residence then I'd expect it to be written
> "Black had been talking".
> 
> "Has" is the present indicative; "had" is the past subjunctive -  or so
> I believe, though it's been one hell of a long time since I did grammar and
> I'll defer to anyone who who has a Fowlers that says differently.


"has been talking" refers to the night of the breakout, meaning that 
it has been going on in the past and has not stopped on its own. "was 
talking" would indicate a one time thing, has been or had been, 
indicate continuity, but "had been" would mean that it had stopped of 
its own. So, "has been" means that he was talking in his sleep for 
some time period up til his escape hours beforehand (he hadn't slept 
that night, obviously)

Josh