Chapt Disc: Prisoner of Azkaban Ch 16: -Cost of Time Travel-

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 190360



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Margaret Fenney <fenneyml at ...> wrote:
>
> > <snip>
> >
> > Steve comments:
> >
> > ... Purely to illustrate ...let's assume this goes on for 9
> > months -
> >
> > 9 mo X 4wks/mo X 5 days/wk X 4 hrs/day = 720 HOURS
> >
> > Hermione is actually TWO YEARS OLDER than everyone else ...
> >
> > Just a random thought.
> >
> > Steve/bboyminn
> >
> <snip>
> >
> 
> Margie:
> 
> Just thought I'd throw out some info re: how many hours per day
> Hermione might be time-turning:
> 
> First, Hermione says, near the end of POA, that she is dropping
> Muggle Studies because along with Divination ..., she will be
> able to have a normal schedule.  ...
> 
> With nine classes as the norm, there is no way that Hermione 
> would be time-turning four classes a day.
> 
> However, if she was also using the time-turner to have adequate
> time for homework, four hours a day might be reasonable. ... 
> this ... would be much more risky ... for ...the possibility 
> of Hermione running into herself ...
> 
> Margie
> 

Steve replies:

That's why I presented it as an illustration rather than an example, couldn't be bothered to work out her schedule in the last detail. But my purpose was to illustrate that excessive time turning can take a toll. Even if I soften the illustration substantially, Hermione live two years in the course of one. 

There are 12 subjects at Hogwarts -

1.) Astronomy
2.) Charms
3.) Defense Against the Dark Arts
4.) Herbology
5.) History of Magic
6.) Potions
7.) Transfiguration
8.) Ancient Runes
9.) Arithmancy
10.) Care of Magical Creatures
11.) Divination
12.) Muggle Studies

We do know it is possible to get 12 OWLs, I believe Percy and perhaps Tom Riddle did it, or was that Barty Crouch Jr? 

Which in turn makes me suspect that you can take OWL Tests for classes you did not take. For example, Hermoine, being from a muggle family, could have taken the Muggle Studies OWL even though she dropped the class. 

We see how incredibly difficult it is for Hermione to take every single class, virtually impossible without the Time Turner, and extremely difficult with. I doubt they are handing out Time Turners like confetti, so it would seem this was a one time exception for Hermione. By extension, I assume other "12 Owl" students gained knowledge in subjects they were not taking through a combination of very high intelligence, ambition, and independent study. 

We do know it is very possible to get 12 OWLs, several people have done it, but we also see it is next to impossible to actually take all 12 subjects at once. What other conclusion can I reach?

In fact, USA Universities allow the same thing. These are called CLEP test (College Level Entrance Placement tests). Though I can't imagine how, I "CLEPed out" of Biology. Through some mysterious circumstance my knowledge of Biology was high enough that I got credit for College level Biology 101, and never had to take the class. 

So, you can get course credits for classes you didn't take, and I see that as the only way for anyone to get 12 OWLs. 

In the end, Hermione (if I remember correctly) got 10 OWLs, but I feel she could have easily gotten 11. Though the Divinations OWL seems very much out of reach. Can't imagine how Percy manage an OWL in Divinations. Maybe he was just better at bluffing that Harry and Ron were. 


As to Hermione running into herself, I'm not sure that is a problem.

There is a fanciful time travel theory that says if you go way back in time, and run into a kid and shake that kids hand, and by chance the kid turns out to be you, the physical contact between the two of you will cause a Temporal Explosion.

But, that is not how I see it in the wizard world. I personally think Hermione could meet her other self and kiss herself full on the lip with absolutely no consequences other than embarrassment. 

Hermione knows she is Time Turning, if she sees herself in the hall or the bathroom, it is awkward, but of no real consequence. Both Hermiones understand what is going on, both know the other is Time Turning. 

However, as Hermione explains to Harry, if Harry goes running into Hagrid's with his wand out, ranting, raving, yelling, and screaming, one of those Harrys is going to think he has gone insane because one of those Harry's doesn't understand what is going on. He could do anything in the panic of the moment.

That is a dangerous scenario, however, Hermione bumping into herself during the school day is not. Now that doesn't mean Hermione can see Hermione in any and all circumstances. During class time seeing herself makes sense. But if she wakes in the middle of the night to find herself standing over herself with wand drawn, that would be time for panic. 

So, the danger of Time Travel, in my view, is situational. It can create situations that are dangerous to the normal person, and to the Time Traveling person. Too many unknowns. 

But, now and as always, just one man's opinion.

Steve/bboyminn