Interpretation (was Re: Dumbledore's "peaceful expression"?

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 141979

> houyhnhnm:
> 
> There is no way to determine the sun's altitude from the fact that the
> sun appeared to be "falling towards the tops of the trees" from the
> high vantage point of the castle steps. From the top of the castle
> steps, the tops of the trees could appear to barely reach above the
> horizon.
> 

Neri:
Why do you believe the castle steps are high above the forest? Anyway,
they are not on the castle steps. They're on the grounds walking
towards the forest: "The sun was falling towards the tops of the trees
in the Forbidden Forest now as Hermione marched purposefully across
the grass, Umbridge Jogging to keep up." (Chapter 33).

In any case this is splitting hairs. If we stretch everything to save
Snape's name we might conclude it was only 3.5 hours.

> houyhnhnm: 
> <snip>
> The dinnertime to sunset to beginning of civil twilight does give 5-6
> hours or more.  But the action that is supposed to take place doesn't
> seem to add up to that amount of time, which is why I think it is just
> Rowling being inexact with figures again, and, therefore, not
> significant.
>

Neri:
The author doesn't have to describe every small and irrelevant event,
or the book would have been twice as long and very boring. Especially
when nothing much is happening, such as when hiking through the forest
or flying in the dark, the author wouldn't describe everything, which
would make these periods appear shorter than they're supposed to be.
For example, read again chapter 21 in the climax of PoA. Except for
two short action parts it's mostly waiting. Just from reading what's
happening I'd estimate an hour, maybe an hour and a half. Yet it
canonically takes three hours, from 9:00 to midnight.

The question is: in order to coordinate the actions of several
different sets of characters, it is almost unbelievable the JKR didn't
have a table in her notebook showing what and when everyone did
everything. The question is what times are noted in this notebook. And
JKR is quite purposeful regarding the time descriptions. Harry's going
to the forest is described both by dinnertime and the sun's position.
The sunset is described several times in the end of chapter 33 and the
beginning if chapter 34. The growing darkness is noted in chapter 34.
The first light of dawn in the east is described several times in
chapter 37. There's nothing casual or inexact about it.

Neri