MuggleNet - Godrics Hollow Theory.

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 163678

Jordan Abel wrote:
> Actually - I don't think there's a "Missing 24 hours" at all. I
think it's more JKR bad math. She needed both scenes to be at night,
and didn't realize how out of line it is to have Hagrid spending a
full day in transit. <snip>
>
Carol responds:
I've considered that possibility as well. For me, the most glaring
math error involves the Quidditch Cup, which Gryffindor hasn't won for
seven years in a row in both SS/PS and PoA (two years apart), despite
the legendary Charlie Weasley being their Seeker (and later, the team
captain) for about five of those years. The number of students in
Harry's year (and Hogwarts) also seems to increase significantly in
GoF and especially OoP from the 40 for Harry's year (or roughly 280
for the school) in earlier books. So, yes, there's no question that
JKR is bad at math and the copyeditors apparently didn't consider the
errors and inconsistencies worth querying. (I would have!)

But the carefully planned (IMO) first chapter of SS/PS is different.
Notice that she has McGonagall spend a whole day at the Dursleys,
watching them until Dumbledore arrives late that night. She also
depicts Vernon Dursley's day, making it clear that "shooting stars"
were seen all over Britain the previous night and that the wizards in
the street are celebrtaing that day (November 1), even allowing
themselves to be seen by Muggles. So the announcement that Voldemort
was dead or defeated, thwarted by a baby (toddler), had already been
made about twenty-four hours before Hagrid arrives with baby Harry. I
don't see how JKR could be *that* bad at math.

She knows what she's doing in this instance, I'm certain. Too bad we
don't!

Carol, who does wish that JKR paid as much attention to dates as she
does to planting clues and red herrings