Dennis's Great Escape or Another Flint?

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 118860


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Juli <jlnbtr at y...> wrote:
> 
> Juli earlier:
> >> And talking about flints, has anyone come to an answer
> >> of why was the young Creevey brother at the Hog's Head
> >> meeting when Hermione told anyone who wanted to form a
> >> DADA club to go? The kid was only in his 2nd year.
> 
> Charme said:
> > ...edited...
> > 1) Young Master Creevy could be a natural animagus
> > or metamorphagus
> 
> Juli replies: Never thought of that before, but he
> still needs a secret passage, or is it usual to see
> animals around Hogwarts? 

 
> > 2) Dennis and his brother have developed some
> > advanced magic like apparation ...
> 
> Maybe, but you CAN'T apparate within the grounds of
> Hogwarts.


> > 3) The Creevy brothers could already have found
> > their own ways out of 
> > Hogwarts (Dennis is TINY - no telling what he could
> > fit through)
> 
> Please tell me how, I am busting my brains here and I
> can't find a way other than the secret passages.
> 
> I'm sticking to my theory: it's either a Flint or the
> rules have changed.
> 
> Juli


bboyminn:

It's all matter of attitude and imagination. If we stand, as readers,
outside the wizard world looking in, then we have to assume it was a
mistake.

But if we put ourselves into the wizard world, at least mentally, as
if it were real, then we have two facts bridged by an off-page gap; a
gap which must contain a workable truth. The facts are Dennis is a 2nd
year and Dennis was in Hogsmeade at the Hogshead Inn, now fill in the gap.

So, given the the answer is in an unknown /gap/, we can only fill that
gap with speculation. How about something as simple as Dennis got up
at 5:00am, snuck out the front door of the castle, and waited for a
large crowd to leave the caslte at which time he joined them unseen by
Filch who was still busy checking names. That doesn't even require any
magic.

Like I said in my post - 'Filch standing at the front door checking
names would never be enough to stop ... any ... moderately ingenious
student'.

I also think any speculative solution should fall more into the
catagory of schoolboy mischief than extreme or unusual magic. A
levitation charm is pretty straight forward and one of the first charm
every student learns. Climbing out a window, or sneeking out early is
standard schoolboy fair. 

As I said in the first paragraph, if we look at it from the outside,
it is clearly a authoral mistake. However, if JKR were called on this
mistake, I'm sure she would do what I did, just make up an answer; it
really is does work every time. I think that was her solution to the
original FLINT, that is, Markus Flint was at Hogwarts one year longer
that he should have been. Solution: JKR simply said he was held back a
year, in other words, when in doubt, make it up.

If we have Event "A" and Event "C" that seem to contradict each other,
and we, in addition, assume that the ficitonal world is real and
therefore true, then there must be an event "B" that explains it all.
There must be something that creates the logical sequence of A->B->C. 

Since we haven't been give and likely will not be given Event "B", we
can either steadfastly say it is a Flint, or we can make up a likely
and logical solution. Personally, I find making up solutions, or what
I call 'Logical Expansion of the Wizard World', a lot more fun than
harping about author mistakes. 

I have a great fascination with the parts of the wizard world that
occur off-the-page. I have written detail analysis of the wand making
art, most of which has been posted here, although along time and many
thousands of post ago. In addition, I have taken part in long detailed
discussions of business, commerece, import/export, banking, education,
 manufacturing, Muggle/magic trade, the nature of magical objects, the
nature of magical travel, and the list goes on.

Many find these conversation and speculations pointless, but I, and
others, find them endlessly fascinating and great fun.

Just passing it along.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)