A question about portkeys

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 91728

Sue wrote: 
It is not that I had trouble understanding the way the portkeys 
worked at the QWC, it was that there is not consistency across the 
board with regard to portkeys.  The TWC portkey takes them to the 
graveyard when they touch it not at a specific pre arranged time.  
Last time I checked, I am not able to touch an airplane and leave.
 
Ginger attempts a RL parallel:
Going with the plane analogy, let's say the QWC was a regular old 
plane for which you buy a ticket and have a set time of departure.  
The portkey to and from the graveyard would be like hiring a charter 
and telling the pilot to wait to take off until you get there and 
wait to go back until you have reboarded.  Obvious flaw:  Harry 
didn't charter the plane, C/M did.  Anyway, the portkey from DD's 
office to #12 is like having your own plane.  You just ask if 
everyone is on board and then take off at will. 

Carol:
Or just to simplify things, I think the normal way to enchant a
portkey is to have it take effect when touched without any regard to a
specific time. In fact, I think even the keys at the QWC were
enchanted that way, but they were only *available* at a given time so
that everyone from a given part of the country would meet at the same
time and arrive at a prescheduled time. That way, no one would have to
go back to that spot and make *another* portkey available for
stragglers. They were trying to organize a complicated event and keep
track of a lot of people.

In ordinary circumstances, time wouldn't make a difference. The winner
of the Tri-Wizard Tournament touches the portkey when he gets to it
and is transported out of the maze. Crouch!Moody changed the
destination but time was of no consequence. Same thing with the
portkey that gets Harry out of the MoM. The only time that matters is
the moment itself. He touches it and he goes to his destination. The
only problem I have is with Mr. Weasley's definition of a portkey,
which seems to imply that a prearranged time is always involved (GoF
70). It isn't, IMO, except in special circumstances like the QWC.

Carol