That Time Turner...

[sandra87b]

No: HPFGUIDX 122866


Hello everyone, this is my first ever post - and I'm almost finding 
my way around this site...

Anyway, I'm writing in because I just don't get the time line of 
Harry in the Prisoner Of Azkaban. Maybe someone can put me 
straight on it? It didn't occur to me until I watched the dvd, and 
now it spoils it all.
My headache is tricky to explain but I'll have a go.

When Harry and Sirius are being attacked by the Dementors by 
the lake, the natural result ie NO interference from his future 
self, is that he would have been left in a very, very bad way - and 
we're never told what should have happened. That's Time Line A, 
okay? No interference from the future Harry is the natural course 
of events.

However, the natural course is ignored by JKR. It never happens
because the 'future'  Harry interferes by going back in time and
stopping the Dementors and the story carries on along the new Time 
Line B. But how? JKR seems to have completely skipped over a very 
simple principle, ie if the Dementors had never been forced away by 
the 'future' Harry, the 'future' Harry would have never been in a 
position where he could go back and force them away.

I hope that makes sense, because it drives me round the twist. A 
simpler way of showing the principles is this :
Imagine Harry goes to cross a road and gets hit by a bus and 
terminally damaged. But before it hits him, someone calls to him 
from behind, he turns to see someone who looks a bit like 
himself, and the bus therefore misses him because he never 
steps into the road. Time has been altered by his future self. But 
how?

See, Time Line A would have him getting hit by the bus and 
possibly killed, certainly wrecked for a while. But we ignore that, 
because Time Line B takes over and a 'future' Harry stops the 
bad thing happening. And that's what I don't get. How did Harry 
skip the consequences of Time Line A in order to be on Time 
Line B which is how he saved himself?

Ohh my head. Feel free to ignore this if you like, but if you do get 
it thn please put me on track. Thank you! 

Sandra.