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

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 142045

 
> Pippin:
> But Hogwarts is well north of Edinburgh, where JKR lives, and she 
may have only a vague 
> idea of how much earlier dawn is as you go north. F'rinstance, I 
have a vague memory of it 
> being light in May in Leningrad (which shows you that it was a long 
time ago) at 2 AM. 
> Maybe Leningrad is well north of Hogwarts, and maybe it was really 
three. But that's my 
> impression, and if I were writing a story I might not bother to 
look it up, especially if it 
> wasn't really important. You've got a circular argument going -- 
JKR would have looked 
> the time up if it was important, but it's only important if there 
was a delay, and we only 
> know there was a delay because of the time... 
>

Neri:
The argument isn't circular, because I demonstrated (up thread, the 
part you snipped) that the timing is consistent with the PoA climax, 
and in PoA the time is certainly important. The whole plot is built 
on it. Moreover, the fact that the timing is consistent between PoA 
and OotP, written several years apart, shows that either JKR 
remembers it very well, or she used the same time table to write both 
books, probably taken from some weather site (there's no need to go 
as far as an almanac).

I don't think we know that Hogwarts is north of Edinburgh, and if so 
is it by significant amount. The time of sunset in the PoA climax 
(considerably after 9:00 but most probably not later than 10:00) fits 
with the real time of sunset at Edinburgh in the summer.
 
> Pippin:
> Imagining an alternate means of communication is not only wildly 
speculative, it opens an 
> industrial size can of worms. <snip>

Neri:
I'm not imagining any alternate means of communication. I'm only 
saying it's unlikely the Order would isolate Snape in an impossible 
situation during so sensitive a time. They had a day to decide how to 
respond after the attack on Hagrid and McGonagall. For example, 
station some people in the Hogs Head when they are available by a 5 
minutes patronus (BTW, why didn't Snape send his patronus to 
Aberforth, who surely can apparate or find a secure fire to 12GP?). 
The possibilities are numerous without assuming anything really 
speculative. 

If the Order did isolate Snape, then they were the weak link, but I 
think it would be very OOC for them to do so after they worry so much 
about Harry's security throughout the book. It just seems much more 
probable that Snape was the weak link.

> Pippin:
> http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2000/1000-scholastic-
chat.htm
> Question: How does the wizarding world protect Muggle banks and 
vaults, etc. from 
> wizards apparating into them and stealing the contents?
> 
> J.K. Rowling responds: Well, the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on 
people apparating. That's 
> why you have to have a license to do it, and the moment you abuse 
it you can find yourself 
> in serious trouble (or Azkaban!).
> 

Neri:
I suspect you misinterpret this. When she says the Ministry "keeps 
tabs on people apparating" I think she means something more similar 
to the way that the muggle government keeps tab on people driving. It 
doesn't necessarily mean that they know who drives to where and when. 
I doubt the Ministry can track Order members apparating to the 
Hogwarts gates (or alternatively to Hogsmeade, and then walking the 
short distance to Hogwarts). If the Ministry could do that they would 
know to where Dumbledore and Harry apparated and when they came back, 
and they'd know to where Snape apparated when he ran away, and that 
just to start with. This *would* open a whole can of worms. 


Neri