perhaps naive newbie question about book III ending

[Katie]

No: HPFGUIDX 176108

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Dale" <stittdale at ...> wrote:
>
> When Hermione and Harry went back in time, why didn't they just 
tell
> Remus to take his potion.  Then the book would have ended more 
happily
> with Scabbers being put into custody, Black being cleared and Harry
> living with him for the summer.  Am I missing something?  Of course
> the Hippogriff would still be dead.
> 
> Thanks in advance, I'm new at the books and the group thing.
> 
> Dale
>
***Katie:
A couple of reasons, I think. First of all, Harry and Hermione from 
the future were not to be seen by anyone. Had they reminded Lupin to 
take his potion, he would have seen them! lol

Secondly, as with many things in novels, it couldn't have been that 
way, or we wouldn't have had Voldy returning with the help of 
Pettigrew in GoF. Pettigrew couldn't be captured, and Sirius 
couldn't have been cleared, at that point, because it would have 
screwed up the trajectory of the story and what needed to happen in 
GoF. 

So, basically, a plot device, but a well-supported one, seeing as it 
was very clear that H/H from the future "cannot be seen!!", 
according to Dumbledore. This is, incidentally, usually a component 
of any time-travel story = messing too much with the past can have 
grave consequences. Katie