Plot Points: Kreacher's Arrival in the Battle.

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 178997

Steve wrote:
> I thought Kreacher's coming out (no not like /that/) was a 
> little weak. How did Kreacher get there? When did he get there?
> What was his motivation?
> 
> I thought the story would have worked better, when in the
> room of requirements Ron expressed concern about the House
> Elves, if Harry had called Kreacher and told him to go 
> warn the other Elves that they were in danger, and that if
> they chose to flee they could.
> 
> Now we have a reason for Kreacher to be there, we have a 
> reason for him to talk to the house-elves, and we have a 
> logical sequence that could have lead Kreacher to rally 
> the elves to help the good guys.

Montavilla47:
I think this is a good idea, but... call me a Harry-basher, but
if he had done that, I think he was awfully presumptuous.  
Harry may be the Chosen One, but that doesn't make him
in charge of the elves, and he doesn't have the right to
say whether they have the choice to fight or not.  I think
that privilege would belong to Minerva McGonagall (as
Deputy Headmistress).

But it's a minor quibble.  I'd have no problem with
Harry summoning Kreacher to *warn* the elves (other than
the problem Harry had that it might summon a Death
Eater along with him.  However, that would be unlikely,
as no one other than an elf can apparate in or out of 
Hogwarts--plus, they would be more alert than
any Death Eater who had been clinging to Kreacher for
several months in the *hope* of being side-apparated
to Harry and could easily get the drop on whoever showed
up.)

Steve again:
> Anybody have any other minor plot points for which you
> can see a better way for them to have been worked out?

Montavilla47:
The things I would want to clear up would in the Prince's
Tale.  The first thing is Snape talking to Dumbledore in
the Headmaster's Office before he became Headmaster.  

There's no reason that Snape couldn't have his own portrait
of Dumbledore in his home.  That would also help the 
post-book plot hole that opened up with JKR's comment
 that "everyone" in the castle thought Snape was a traitor--
including the portraits in the Headmaster's office.  How
did they not notice that Dumbledore and Snape were 
planning ways to thwart Voldemort right in front of them?

The second thing is the sequence of the Prank/SWM.  It's
more dramatic, I suppose, if the Prank takes place prior
to SWM, but it really makes James and Sirius into jerks.  
Maybe that was the point--but I think it makes more 
sense if you reverse the order--and perhaps that scene
between Lily and Snape could have taken place after the
Prank and SWM (there's no reason that the Prank couldn't
have taken place shortly after SWM.)

Montavilla47