Time travel is dangerous! (part 1)

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 88803

> Helen (LizardLaugh):
> 
<snip>So... whatever Ron does as Dumbledore 
> is whatever he did as Dumbledore, even if he conciously tries to 
> change something, it won't be changed because that is exactly what 
> happened in the first place, unbeknownst to him. This is, of 
course, 
> assuming JKR is consistant with the model she set up in PoA. 
> 
> As for Dumbledore sending Ron back on a mission... no, I don't 
think 
> so at this point, at least, not in a way where he gives Ron any 
real 
> knowledge. My bet is that it will be an accident. <snip>

Neri answers:

I also don't see any special mission that DD/Ron would have sent Ron 
to carry out. I only said that such a scenario can be managed in WDID 
without a paradox. This is because *any* scenario can be managed in 
WDID, as long as you take care not to change the past. However, such 
scenarios might get so weird (while still fully consistent!) they 
would be practically unbelievable. I suspect that you still do not 
comprehend how weird and cruelly deterministic is the situation of 
DD/Ron condition under WDID. Ron knows that Harry was not warned 
about the prophecy. That this is why he went to the DoM, and that 
Sirius died because of it. So according to your scenario DD/Ron knows 
it too. He have known it during the whole Year 5, and during all the 
years before that, and he can't warn Harry, he can't warn Sirius, or 
prevent it in any other way, and he most probably knows why he can't 
(he was the mastermind behind the PoA time travel, after all). He can 
tell Harry that he must try these fine chipolatas by the table, but 
he can't add  "and don't let Voldemort lure you into the DoM because 
Sirius will die". I think I would have gone insane in such a 
situation. And the whole dramatic speech of DD by the end of the Year 
5, how he did not tell Harry about the prophecy in his first year 
because of this, and in the next year because of that, and so on, it 
is not only an outright lie but completely besides the point. He did 
not tell him because he could not. I still find this scenario 
revolting. Personally, I can't believe JKR is tricking us in such a 
nasty way.

There may be ways to have a DD=Ron theory without such a scenario. 
Take a look at part 2 of my post (#88974).

Neri