To throw on the pile of random maybe-foreshadowing:
I can well foresee that I am fated to sit in the Headmaster’s office and hear some hilarious tale about Professor Quirrell in which you and you alone play a starring role, after which there will be no choice but to fire him. I am already resigned to it, Mr. Potter.
-McGonagall, Chapter 17.
This did get me thinking, however. Firing Quirrell would presumably include removing his registration as “Defense Professor” from the Hogwarts wards. What did adding him to said wards do in the first place? The implication must be that the wards somehow distinguish students and staff from intruders, yet they have never actually prevented anyone from illegally entering Hogwarts, nor alerted anyone to such an intrusion.
I am less confident than I was before that the plot will resolve before the academic year is over.
I considered the possibility of some sort of timeskip in which Harry is engaged in intensive research, but weighing against that, I strongly doubt that Harry is going to bring back a twelve year old Hermione at a point when he himself has grown substantially older.
We’ve seen nothing but evidence that Harry really does care for Random Bystander #4231. His True Patronus wouldn’t work if he didn’t genuinely want immortality for everyone.
Even if Harry stops caring for Hermione on a personal level (… not likely), he’s still going to get around to resurrecting her in the process of resurrecting everyone.
Harry’s reaction to her death suggests he’d be willing to use methods to bring her back that wouldn’t work applying to everyone, e.g., some type of equivalent exchange. Heck, most of the more promising ideas for saving Hermione involve killing someone else.
Wrong.
Lots of people came up with ideas that involved that. This is not because those options were better. heck, it was not even because they were any good. Generously, it is because those ideas were more dramatic—fit a certain kind of story logic. They were also very, very likely to fail, because they were much too complex. Far to many things would have to go just right in order for any of them to come off, most of them not under the direct control of the plotter.
The only timey-wimy gambit I would even attempt in their place is the one I suggested - a substitution of the injection Harry gave her, because that is a single change that does not violate the observed course of events.
To throw on the pile of random maybe-foreshadowing:
-McGonagall, Chapter 17.
This did get me thinking, however. Firing Quirrell would presumably include removing his registration as “Defense Professor” from the Hogwarts wards. What did adding him to said wards do in the first place? The implication must be that the wards somehow distinguish students and staff from intruders, yet they have never actually prevented anyone from illegally entering Hogwarts, nor alerted anyone to such an intrusion.
Relating to the foreshadowing part,
This is very likely foreshadowing.
How close are we to the last day of the school year? The most recent date is April 16th. Does anyone know when Hogwarts ends in cannon?
According to the wiki, the end-of-term feast of Harry’s first year took place on the 8th of June in canon.
Ok. Yeah, I think the last story arc will be about Quirrell and will take place in June, which makes me think this one ends without the world ending.
I am less confident than I was before that the plot will resolve before the academic year is over.
I considered the possibility of some sort of timeskip in which Harry is engaged in intensive research, but weighing against that, I strongly doubt that Harry is going to bring back a twelve year old Hermione at a point when he himself has grown substantially older.
Why?
Remember, his motivation isn’t to live a life together with Hermione or something. His motivation is for Hermione to live out her life.
I think it’s more probable in narrative terms that there will be at least some respect in which Hermione can remain Harry’s peer on restoration.
I’m not convinced this is the case. Or rather I suspect his main motivation is the former, with the latter being a rationalization.
Um.
We’ve seen nothing but evidence that Harry really does care for Random Bystander #4231. His True Patronus wouldn’t work if he didn’t genuinely want immortality for everyone.
Even if Harry stops caring for Hermione on a personal level (… not likely), he’s still going to get around to resurrecting her in the process of resurrecting everyone.
Harry’s reaction to her death suggests he’d be willing to use methods to bring her back that wouldn’t work applying to everyone, e.g., some type of equivalent exchange. Heck, most of the more promising ideas for saving Hermione involve killing someone else.
Wrong. Lots of people came up with ideas that involved that. This is not because those options were better. heck, it was not even because they were any good. Generously, it is because those ideas were more dramatic—fit a certain kind of story logic. They were also very, very likely to fail, because they were much too complex. Far to many things would have to go just right in order for any of them to come off, most of them not under the direct control of the plotter. The only timey-wimy gambit I would even attempt in their place is the one I suggested - a substitution of the injection Harry gave her, because that is a single change that does not violate the observed course of events.