[HPforGrownups] Re: The Longbottom's secret message

[Allison Denny]

No: HPFGUIDX 103020

Neri:

> WS1) <snip> I mean, picture a 
> large portion of Book 6 devoted 
> to the trio and Neville solving the 
> Droobles Bubble Gum puzzler and > deciphering the message, 
> and then it turns out to be the 
> prophecy and Harry says: "oh 
> yeah, DD told me about it last 
> year". No, no, that wouldn't do at all.


Allisonblair:

To me, this fits the pattern JK has set up in the books so far. Harry
and co. have found a "bad guy" (or at least an evil plan of some sort)
in every book, and they go to great legnths to foil him, but in every
book they have some detail terribly wrong.

In PS/SS, they are convinced that Snape is going after the Stone. In
order to find out why anyone would want the Stone in the first place,
the trio puts in hours of research, and then proceed to risk their
lives in order to protect it from Snape. However, it turns out that
Snape has been protecting the Stone and that Quirrell has been trying
to steal it. Quirrell was their Defense teacher, and while he was
rather inept they didn't suspect him. In fact, they thought that
Quirrell was keeping Snape from the Stone.

In CoS, they are convinced that Draco is opening the Chamber of
Secrets. They brew a difficult, illegal potion in order to prove
Draco's involvement, but it turns out that Ginny had been opening it
(admittedly not of her own free will, but opening it nonetheless).
They didn't suspect Ginny for a moment.

In PoA, Harry thinks Sirius has betrayed his parents and is coming to
kill him. He hates Sirius and is almost willing to kill him in the
Shrieking Shack, but it turns out that Sirius was always loyal and did
everything within his power to protect Harry. The real traitor had
spent the greater part of three years sleeping in the same room as
Harry and no one suspected Scabbers was a man, much less had been
friends with Harry's parents.

In GoF, no one suspected that Moody was really Crouch and was planning
to deliver Harry to Voldemort.

In OotP, no one suspected that Harry's visions weren't actually happening.

Throughout the books, Harry has spent a great deal of time laboring
under some illusion, and every single time, he's gotten some critical
detail wrong. It would fit perfectly with this that the Trio and
Neville would spend time with the wrappers, only to discover that
they've been following a red herring.


- Allisonblair, who has just made her first post and is only slightly
intimidated.