Paradox of Time Travel in PoA - The Twist.

[alshainofthenorth]

No: HPFGUIDX 132092

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at y...> wrote:
> --- 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.´

Alshain neatly snips away the rest as will only add a point: We also 
don't know if Hermione is quoting McGonagall literally, the way she 
would if she were explaining the principles of time travel to Harry 
and Ron in front of the common-room fire. One of the things I love so 
with Hermione is that she doesn't handle stress very well and tends 
to lose her otherwise wonderfully clear and cool head in crises; it 
makes her human (and boy can I relate to it). Examples: "There's no 
wood!" (PS) and "Oh, help, help" and "dancing uncertainly on the 
spot" (POA). Her entire body language and speech pattern during the 
three hours of time travel show that she isn't dealing well - she 
fumbles, she's breathless, she looks terrified, she squeaks, she 
looks shaken. She's at a loss at understanding what Dumbledore wants 
them to do and hasn't planned in advance for the emergence of a feral 
werewolf. Not at all our usual, competent, logical Miss Granger.

Hermione is at the time doing something that is probably going to be 
both dangerous and illegal, Harry chooses this critical moment to 
have a bad idea, and she has to explain *somehow* and *fast* why it 
is a bad idea in a language that he will understand, while at the 
same time her synapses aren't working at optimal speed.

Just my opinion.
Alshain