That Time Turner...

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 122876


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sandra87b" <sandra87b at y...> 
wrote:
> 
> Hello everyone, this is my first ever post - and I'm almost 
finding my way around this site...
>

Hello Sandra welcome to HPGFU.... and BTW, same to all the other 100 
or so people who joined this week *WOW*.
  
> 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.
>

Valky:
Ummm the answer to that is probably no. You see JKR has interpreted 
the concept of a time paradox, that's a huge unsolvable scientific 
mystery risen from theories of manipulating the time-space 
continuum. Science and logic don't give a solid answer to it because 
science has raised the question and in real life has not been able 
to answer it. That makes it Sci-Fi/Fantasy fodder, there is no right 
or wrong answer, just endless possibilities.



> 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.
>

Valky:
Your logic is good Sandra, in Theory. The question is, test it and 
see if thats what happens. 
Because theoretically JKR's logic is equally sound. Let me explain.
You say that the natural progression is that Timeline A doesn't have 
future Harry in it until timeline B is played out. Fair enough. 
Jo's theory for the purposes of her story is that there is no time 
line B. All are one. 

The eternal question of the time paradox is if one was to return in 
time to the past and destroy ones chance of going back in time.... 
does any of it happen? See Star Trek NG All Good Things episode for 
an interpretative answer.

Likewise Jo has written the paradox in its mirror image, If Harry 
wasn't to go back in time he would not survive to go back, so could 
it be any other way? 

To put it bluntly, there isn't supposed to be an answer. It is what 
it is, and that is I suppose JKR's take on the eternal question.

Sandra: 
> 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?
> 

Valky:
But you see JKR never let Harry get hit by the bus the first time 
round. Time forwardly and backwardly created ONE scenario only, no 
alternative. *One reality* created by time approached from two 
directions. 
Is that starting to become clearer?