CHAPDISC: DH12, Magic is Might - How Many Steps

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 180908

---"Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
>> ...
> > Potioncat:
> > The first step was covered by the FC. So no one would see 
> > Lupin or the Trio there. I think the step is visible. Have
> > we determined that the house itself is invisible to the 
> > DEs? <snip>
> 
> Carol responds:
> 
> ...
> 
> So, Lupin is landing on an invisible step, but he's not 
> invisible himself until he enters the house. So how does 
> he avoid being seen without an Invisibility Cloak for the 
> few seconds it takes to land, regain his balance, and open
> the door? If Apparating very precisely onto the front step
> keeps Lupin from being seen (204), why should it matter if
> Harry's elbow sticks out of the Invisibility Cloak for a
> second if he's on the top step when it happens? (224).
> 
> Carol, who thinks she's found yet another inconsistency in
> the seventh book.
>

bboyminn:

So, let me ask Carol, how many steps are there to the entrance
to the Black House? One? Two? Three? Five? Seven? 

Notice that the Black House is what we might call a split 
level here in the USA, though not exactly. There is nothing
on the entrance level but the entrance and associated hallway.

You either go up to the general living area or you go down to
the kitchen, but does anybody remember anything being on
that ground or entrance level?

Now, I would suspect that a house that has an entry like this
is not likely to have more that two or three steps. This, 
though quite uncommon, would  be a very low entry. Now if you
are on the top of two or three steps and the wind catches
your cloak, or you lose your balance and your arms swing out,
in both cases you could breach the boundary of the Fidelius
Charm, and your cloak or hand could be seen, even though the
house itself was not reveal. 

In fact, I think that very thing is referenced in the books.
Someone apparates to the top step, loses their balance, and 
for a second the DE's think they might have seen something, 
but then it's gone and they can't be sure. 

It is perfectly possible for the steps to be inside the
boundary of the protection charm, but still so very close
to the edge that it might be possible to accidently breach
the boundary of that charm.

Makes sense to me.

Though I readily confess I never envisioned an old London 
house like this having only a couple of step to the entryway.
I pictured more the old brownstones typically seen in New
York City, with people sitting out on the stoop/steps.

Still a short series of step works.

Steve/bboyminn