Paradox of Time Travel in PoA - The Twist.

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 132088

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "smilingator4915"
<smilingator81 at a...> wrote:

> smilingator (now):
> 
> ...edited...
> 
> Anyway, a couple of comments that Hermione made in PoA (U.S.
> version) makes me understand fully where Dave is coming from ...
> 
> "Nobody's supposed to change time!" (page 398, US) Hermione didn't
> say that you CAN'T change time, just that you are not supposed to 
> ...
> 
> "Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened when
> wizards have meddled with time... Loads of them ended up killing 
> their past or future selves by mistake!" (page 399, US). There have 
> been quite a few theories to explain how this could possibly happen. 
> 
> Just my thoughts...

bboyminn:

One itty-bitty teeny-tiny problem with this. These are warnings from a
stern teacher to a precocious little girl who is somewhat prone to
getting herself in dangerous situations. We really can't take these as
anything more that hearsay. We don't know the truth of them beyond the
fact that McGonagall was trying to impress on Hermione that the Time
Turner was not a toy to be played with; it was indeed a dangerous object.

So whether these things are true or whether they were scare tactics by
McGonagall we really don't know. On the otherhand, the rule about not
being seen, I and Hermione have already explained, and those
explanations fit with any reasonable logical analysis of the situation.

Being seen time traveling by yourself or anyone else is not a good
thing, depending on the circumstances, it opens the door to serious
problems. Of course, going back in time and killing yourself, has its
own set of obvious problems, and would be recommended against with
equal enthusiasm and logic.

Anyone who has even a basic Sci-Fi knowledge of time travel will tell
you that changing history is a dangerous thing. It's outcome is
extremely difficult to predict. One small change can create a chain of
events that cascades into a cataclysmic future. 

As far as JKR setting specific rules of time travel, not all sci-fi
spells out its rules. Sometimes the rules are just divined from the
unfolding of the story. JKR has a significant plot twist that she is
building up to. That means she has to be very subtle in the clues and
hints she does give out, or she risks blowing the whole plot twist.

For example, when normal Harry, Ron, and Hermione witness (of sorts)
the execution of Buckbeak, JKR uses the Trio's reaction to invoke
similar feelings in the reader. Because the Trio believe Buckbeak was
executed, we the readers believe it too. But JKR never comes out and
says it. We assume it based on assorted sounds we hear and the
conclusion of the Trio. JKR wants us to think Buckbeak was executed
because that makes the Plot Twist that much more sweet. But JKR never
lied to us, we reach a conclusion on our own.

Further, this thread has already pointed out incidences where each
pair (TT!Harry, TT!Hermione, N!Harry, and N!Hermione) were aware of
each others presence in the unfolding of time. But again, JKR could
not make it too obvious, or it would give away the whole story.

Just a few random thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn