Dumbledore's watch (was time travel is dangerous)

[Berit Jakobsen]

No: HPFGUIDX 89064

Rachel wrote:
>    I think the Dumbledore watch theory is a brilliant idea. Even 
> though you're right in saying that there's no definitive canon 
which 
> fully supports the theory, there also isn't any which denounces it. 
> We have to remember that the books are intended to be mysteries and 
> JKR is far too clever to hand us all the clues on a plate. Perhaps 
> JKR refers to the time turning watch at times when one would also 
> refer to a normal watch purposefully so that on first reading 
> nothing would be thought of it but when deeper thought is given to 
> it, there must be an alternative use for all 12 of those hands on 
> the watch. 
>      I for one think there's more to come with time travel in the 
> book. Dumbledore is ALWAYS one step ahead of everyone and never 
> caught off guard or surprised. 
>   In addition, if this theory is accompanied by the theory that 
> Dumbledore is an animagus and can transform into a bee, then this 
> would explain how he is not seen when he goes back in time. 
Whenever 
> he goes back in time, he can transform into a bee which means that 
> he does not run the risk of being seen by anyone who he doesn't 
want 
> to be seen by. 

Berit replies:

You know; I agree that Dumbledore's watch probably can do more than 
just tell the time as we know it, just like Mrs. Weasleys watch has a 
different use. But if it has something to do with time travel (or 
foreseeing the future), we really can't say yet :-)

As to whether Dumbledore is never caught off guard and always KNOWS 
what is going to happen, I have my doubts. If he does; why didn't he 
know exactly when Harry would be in danger at the end of every book, 
and try to prevent him from getting hurt or killed; BEFORE is got as 
far as it did? I can't for my life see how an intrinsically good 
person like DD chooses to not intervene to try to save the one boy 
the future of the Magical World depends upon... It just doesn't make 
sense. The instances where DD are told Harry is in danger, he always 
rushes to his help immediately; there's no canon evidence he sits 
back in his chair waiting things out because he /knows/ Harry will 
make it anyway.

Yes, DD knows a lot, and can usually make quite good EDUCATED GUESSES 
as to what might happen (and especially what the enemy is up to). But 
that's something completely different.

Example: At the end of GoF, when Harry and Cedric is transported back 
to the maze by the portkey, Impostor!Moody drags Harry away from DD 
to his office to finish Harry off. When DD, McGonagall and Snape come 
to Harry's rescue a few minutes later, just in time to prevent him 
getting killed, DD explains WHEN he understood Mad-Eye Moody was not 
the one he pretended to be: When he saw Moody take Harry away from 
DD's presence. The real Moody would never have done that. So DD puts 
two and two together and makes an educated guess. And he turned out 
to be right. This story doesn't make much sense if DD knew Moody was 
not Moody all along. If DD knew, then he is nothing more than a very 
SICK person :-)

Berit
http://home.no.net/berjakob/snape.html