[HPforGrownups] Re: Newbie theory - Harry at Godric's Hollow

[Jordan Abel]

No: HPFGUIDX 163912

> Carol responds:
> It takes one turn for the Time Turner to take the user back one hour.

Says you. According to hp-lexicon (no access to primary source at the
moment), at the department of mysteries, "A large glass-fronted case
stands against a wall within which many Time-Turners of various sizes
rest on shelves." - various sizes. I imagine there are probably time
turners that count in days, maybe weeks - a year might be a bit
far-fetched.

Let's suppose that the amount of time a time-turner goes back
corresponds to the size of the "hourglass" contained therein. A
one-hour time turner is small enough to be worn around the neck
conveniently. Now, to hold 24 times as much sand, an hourglass would
only have to be a bit less than three times the size in all
directions.

5844 turns is still a bit much, but it approaches feasibility, only
taking a bit over an hour and a half at one turn per second. Now, a
one-week time turner would only be a bit over 5.5 times as large in
all directions as a one-hour one, and would only require 835 turns.
Now - a time turner of one month would (assuming that larger
time-turners still need to be based on a regular time period, rather
than adhering to calendar months, the most likely would be a synodic
month of 29.53 days, but even 32 days would) be a bit under nine times
as large - we're pushing the bounds of plausibility here, so let's not
go to a year or more. 16 calendar years would be 198 such months -
taking the glass through this many turns would still perhaps be a
chore, but at, say, five seconds per turn (it would be rather
unwieldy), it would only take 16 minutes and 30 seconds, and it'd be
easier to keep count. (and, it's better to err on the side of more
turns if you do lose count - you can always sit and wait)

> Even if Harry got hold of one or found one that had, say, belonged to
> Lily, he would have to figure out exactly how many hours it would take
> to go back to October 31, 1981. Let's say, for simplicity's sake, that
> he visits Godric's Hollow just before midnight on October 31, 1997. He
> needs to multiply 24 hours in a day times 365 days a year times
> sixteen years, not counting an extra day for the Leap Years (1984,
> 1988, 1992, 1996) that occurred in between. By my calculations, that's
> exactly 140,256 turns of the Time Turner. If we calculate one turn per
> second, that's approximately  minutes or roughly 39 hours of standing
> there turning the Time Turner, trying not to lose count or allow

The bigger issue, as I see it, is that with a time turner you can't
actually *change* anything. The best he could do would be to take his
parents into hiding (making sure that lily's sacrifice / protection on
baby!Harry still "counts" or providing an alternate mechanism for the
scar and Voldie's "death") and keep them from being noticed for the
duration (and I do mean the duration - so far as we know, the only way
forward in time is the long way)