DanielLC comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 19, chapter 88-89 - Less Wrong

12 Post author: Vaniver 30 June 2013 01:22AM

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Comment author: DanielLC 30 June 2013 05:04:28AM 0 points [-]

How exactly did Hermione die? Am I missing something about how the injection Harry gave her works? Was she murdered by someone who was more concerned with killing her than making sure it looked like an accident? Did the murderer make sure she'd die not knowing Harry had a method to save her that would render her death implausible? Did something other than lack of blood to the brain kill her?

Comment author: Vaniver 30 June 2013 05:51:14AM 2 points [-]

Am I missing something about how the injection Harry gave her works?

Oxygenation is worthless once circulatory shock progresses far enough, so magical explanations are not necessary (but not ruled out).

Comment author: Qiaochu_Yuan 30 June 2013 05:22:02AM *  1 point [-]

A troll bit her legs off, and she died from what I assume is some combination of blood loss and shock? I don't really understand the question.

Comment author: Alsadius 30 June 2013 05:42:17AM 0 points [-]

Blood loss shouldn't be fatal with that potion. There's other ways to die, of course, but the most obvious getting prevented makes the cause of death at least a question worth asking.

Comment author: Qiaochu_Yuan 30 June 2013 05:47:28AM *  2 points [-]

Quote:

he was reaching for the syringe of glowing orange liquid that was the oxygenating potion, pushing it into Hermione's neck at what Harry hoped was the carotid artery, to keep her brain alive even if her lungs or heart stopped, so long as her brain stayed intact everything else could be fixed, it had to be possible for magic to fix it, it had to be possible for magic to fix it, it had to be possible for magic to fix it, and Harry pushed the plunger of the syringe all the way down, creating a faint glow beneath the pale skin of her neck. Harry then pushed down on her chest, where her heart should be, hard compressions that he hoped was moving the oxygenated blood around to where it could reach her brain, even if her heart might have stopped beating, he hadn't actually thought to check her pulse.

The paragraph gives two reasons (Harry might not have found the carotid artery, he might not have done chest compressions correctly) why the potion could have failed to work. I don't see a compelling reason to hypothesize that there was some other force behind Hermione's death here.

Was she murdered by someone who was more concerned with killing her than making sure it looked like an accident?

If this were true, why bother with the troll?

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