JKR's Single Biggest Error (GoF portkey)

[Tammy]

No: HPFGUIDX 124030



> >> Dungrollin: 
> >My pet gripe is the whole of GoF, and why Fake!Moody wasted a whole 
> year when he could have given Harry a portkey at any time.<
> 
> Betsy:
> I've seen some good theories thrown around for Fake!Moody's waiting 
> until the end of the Tournament.  One is that the potion Voldemort 
> had made took several months of brewing.  So why take the risk of 
> grabbing Harry early?  Instead, brew the potion and then grab Harry 
> when his blood is actually needed.
> 
> Another is that making a portkey from scratch that would operate 
> within Hogwarts grounds is well nigh impossible.  So instead Fake!
> Moody took the portkey Dumbledore had already made within his power 
> as headmaster of the school, and just modified it a little bit to 
> include a little detour from the ultimate destination.  This theory 
> has the added benefit of explaining how the Cup worked as a return 
> portkey when Harry grabbed Cedric's body and escaped.
> 
> The third theory is more psychological.  Voldemort knew enough about 
> Harry to recognize that Harry would get a big boost out of actually 
> winning the Tournament.  The thought of hitting Harry's pride by 
> revealing the truth that Harry won only because Fake!Moody helped him 
> was too much for Voldemort to resist.  The old, set him up high so he 
> has farther to fall when you knock him down, plan.
> 

Tammy:

I always thought it was obvious - The portkey was set up because then
after killing Harry, Voldemort and co. could then portkey right on
back to Hogwarts and then surprise and kill his biggest enemy, Albus
Dumbledore. With Dumbledore gone, Voldie would have little trouble
conquering the entire WW.

The error with the whole GOF portkey thing, IMHO, is that in the
beginning of the book JKR makes a big deal of explaining that portkeys
work by setting them up to work at a specific time and then going and
making the triwizard cup portkey work simply by touching it. I know it
can be explained away, it's possible they can work both ways - but why
make a big deal of the whole teleporting at a prearranged time?