Time-Turning (was Re: Snape and DADA)

[romuluslupin1]

No: HPFGUIDX 112651

"persephone_kore" wrote:
(snip) JKR does not seem to be writing a universe in which one can
> actually change the past. She took considerable pains in PoA to 
make
> it clear that everything Harry and Hermione did after they went 
back
> in time *had in fact already been happening while they lived 
through
> that period for the first time*. 
> 
> The line about it being dangerous to meet oneself, and wizards 
killing
> their past and future selves, does seem to confuse the issue --
> killing one's future self shouldn't actually present a problem of
> feasibility in itself, but killing one's past self should be
> impossible. Still, the *actual* use of time travel in PoA supports 
the
> idea that you don't actually change anything when you go back in 
time.

Trying to catch up on al the posts, pant, pant!
I agree, you can't change the past in the Potterverse. I think 
Hermione's line on killing one' past and future selves can asplained 
as a)She doesn't fully understand the mechanism of time turning, so 
she's repeating MM's instructions; b) time turning is still sort of 
an experimental thing in the WW and they're still unclear about some 
of the rules. Personally, I prefer option one, because I find it 
hard to believe that even wizards would let a teenager play around 
with an experimental, potentially dangerous device, but you never 
know.

Besides, Hermione had her lecture on the use of the time-turner by 
MM, who might never have used one personally and therefore be a 
little fuzzy (unless you buy into the MM=HG theory). I think she was 
passing on the information she got from the DOM personnel, stressing 
the importance of not being seen (which actually makes a lot of 
sense. I mean, imagine the panic if someone was suddenly faced by 2 
Hermiones) and the danger you incur in *trying* to change past 
events. It's been a while since I last saw Back to the future, but 
Doc is actually stressing the same 2 concepts. I seem to remember he 
says something about disrupting the time-continuum and creating a 
paradox that could negate existence. While in that movie they *did* 
change the past without any dire consequences, I'm afraid trying to 
change the past in the WW *would* have catastrophic consequences. 
Hermione may not grasp the concept in its entirety (or she simply 
doesn't have enough time to explain it all to Harry), but she's 
intelligent enough that she's scared of the possibility and follows 
the rules on this.

Romulus Lupin