World Building And Time Travel

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 167356

---  "Jordan Abel" <random832 at ...> wrote:
>
> > Ken:
> >
> > .... I cannot take this
> > seriously as a plausible element in a "serious" work
> > of fantasy or SF, there are way too many problems 
> > with it. .... It's just a big, ugly wart on the HP 
> > series to me. I can ignore it well enough to truly 
> > enjoy the rest of the story, I can never accept it.
> 
> I meant that there was no easy "go back and change things"
> like you see in certain genres like alternate history - 
> everything they did when they went back in time, happened 
> the first time around. ...
> 

bboyminn:

Once again, sorry to have cut so much. I've been around 
here a long time, and I have been involved, deeply
involved, in all the time travel discussions, and I
invariable find this -

If you believe 'Time Happened Once', everything is cool.

If you believe 'Time Happened Twice', headaches and misery
ensue.

I can't say what Ken and others believe, but Jordan seems
to clearly believe that 'time happened once' and we are
merely seeing it from two perspective. Naturally, that is
the camp that I am in.

JKR dropped enough subtle clues to synchronize the two 
versions of events. Norm!Harry and Norm!Hermione hear the
thud of the axe and Hagrid cry out. TT!Harry and TT!Hermione
hear those same events, only now they also see them and
it becomes clear the the axe hit a pumpkin and Hargid
cried out for joy. In entrance hall, Norm!Harry and
Norm!Hermione stay hidden until the hall is clear. The
people they heard clearing the hall, are TT!Harry and
TT!Hermione. TT!Harry and TT!Hermione then stay hidden
until the hall is clear. What they hear while hiding
is Harry, Ron, and Hermione leaving to go to Hagrid's.

There are clues like this hidden in both versions of
events that serve to synchronize the events, and make
it clear we are really seeing one set of events from
two different perspectives.

Again, I can't say how Ken sees the events, but I can
say with absolute certainty that if anyone see 'It
Happened Twice', then all I can say is - 

'This way lies madness'.

Steve/bboyminnn