offbeat - and must have been discussed to the pulp before too..

[kiricat4001]

No: HPFGUIDX 144843

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister" 
<gbannister10 at t...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "scamjunk22" <latha272 at i...> 
> wrote:
> 
> scam:
> > Sorry people, if I am asking something that has already been 
> discussed 
> > to the hilt before... but this was such a nagging doubt that I 
had 
> to 
> > post....
> > 
> > We see in GoF that the portkey and the Apparating are used with 
the 
> > same purpose ... to transport to some other place. Then, how is 
it 
> that 
> > PortKeys work inside the Hogwarts grounds!  Isn't it possible 
then, 
> > that Draco need not have spent an entire year repairing the 
> Vanishing 
> > cabinet... instead they could have just conjured a portkey and 
come 
> > there!  We have seen a DE conjuring the portkey to go out of and 
> > come back into Hogwarts before (GoF)... and from the Ministry to 
> > Hogwarts in OotP... so why wasn't it thought of?
> 
> Geoff:
> because, basically, anyone of age can take the Apparating exam and 
> then use it freely.
> 
> Portkeys have to be authorised and they also have to be set up 
which 
> means that you also need a suitable object to make one...
> 
> 'He (Dumbledore) walked away from the pool to the place where the 
> golden wizard's head lay on the floor. He pointed his wand at it 
and 
> muttered "Portus" The head glowedblue and trembled noisily against 
> the wooden floor for a few seconds then became still once more.
> "Now, see here, Dumbledore!" said Fudge, as Dumbledore picked up 
the 
> head and walked back to Harry carrying it. "You haven't got 
> authorisation for that Portkey! You can't do things like that 
right 
> in front of the Minister for Magic, you - you -"'
> 
> (OOTP "The Only One He Ever Feared" p.722 UK edition)

Marianne:

Yes, Portkeys are supposed to be authorized, but obeying the law 
doesn't strike me as something the DEs worry their pointy, little 
heads about.  And we know from GoF that a suitable object could 
simply be an old shoe. Why a DE couldn't create a portkey from 
wherever he/they were and use it for Grayback and friends to get to 
Hogwarts at an opportune time is still unexplained. 

Is there some sort of magical alarm generated if someone creates and 
uses an unauthorized portkey? Would that attract Aurors or some 
other official Ministry people who would then be able to detect 
where the illegal portkey transported whoever used it?  If so that 
could explain why this wasn't used. 

Also, we don't know how quickly Draco could communicate with people 
on the outside. If Draco had to try to kill DD when an opportunity 
suddenly presented itself, rather than relying on a specific plan 
with a timetable that both he and the other DEs knew of in advance, 
would he have been able to contact his DE allies to get them to 
Hogwarts right away? If not, the other DEs wouldn't know when to 
create an illegal portkey to get to Hogwarts. The Vanishing Cabinet 
served quite nicely to allow for communication and secrecy.  Draco 
realizes DD has left with Harry, pops through to Borgin's to rally 
the troops and they all get back into Hogwarts with no one the wiser.

Marianne