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CellBioGuy comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, March 2015, chapter 116 - Less Wrong Discussion

4 Post author: Gondolinian 04 March 2015 08:11PM

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Comment author: CellBioGuy 05 March 2015 03:39:51AM *  12 points [-]

This story will collapse after a very few prior incantums on Quirrelmort's wand by the investigators.

Comment author: MarkusRamikin 05 March 2015 07:42:02AM *  9 points [-]

Yeah, and not just that. The magical equivalents to forensic science would have to be terrible indeed if this works, with a lot of fail from intelligent people like Bones, Moody, or for that matter Snape.

I'm kinda hoping that what we're actually heading for in the next chapters will be some kind of payoff to this:

But there are a very few, seated on those wooden benches, who do not think like this.

There are a certain few of the Wizengamot who have read through half-disintegrated scrolls and listened to tales of things that happened to someone's brother's cousin, not for entertainment, but as part of a quest for power and truth. They have already marked the Night of Godric's Hollow, as reported by Albus Dumbledore, as an anomalous and potentially important event. They have wondered why it happened, if it did happen; or if not, why Dumbledore is lying.

And when an eleven-year-old boy rises up and says "Lucius Malfoy" in that cold adult voice, and goes on to speak words one simply would not expect to hear from a first-year in Hogwarts, they do not allow the fact to slip into the lawless blurs of legends and the premises of plays.

They mark it as a clue.

They add it to the list.

This list is beginning to look somewhat alarming.

PS. I wonder what an analytic charm cast on Harry's "bleeding" scar would show.

Comment author: TylerJay 05 March 2015 08:14:29AM *  4 points [-]

Yup. Part of my justifications to Harry setting the stage in 115 were (from right before this):

If the most terrible Dark Lord in history, confronts an innocent [girl] - why, how could he not be vanquished?

Comment author: Benquo 05 March 2015 08:51:51AM 6 points [-]

Last spell cast with Quirrell's wand was the acid for the plant.

Comment author: CellBioGuy 05 March 2015 08:57:33AM 2 points [-]

Was just about to ask where the switchover occurred.

There was an AK before then, as well as infuriating (?) fluffy.

Comment author: TobyBartels 05 March 2015 11:58:38PM 0 points [-]

That won't look good.

Comment author: Transfuturist 07 March 2015 10:39:45PM 0 points [-]

The can only check the very last spell.

Comment author: knb 05 March 2015 08:39:01AM 8 points [-]

They will have to find the wand first:

Voldemort's gun, and his wand, went into Harry's pouch. Harry placed the Stone of Permanency in an ordinary pocket, he wasn't sure what the Stone might do to his pouch.

Comment author: avichapman 05 March 2015 08:46:20PM 7 points [-]

QuirrelMort's wand is in Quirrel's hand.

Harry went to where Quirrell lay, and straightened out the body as best he could, and put Quirrell's wand into his hand.

Voldemorts wand is the one that Harry took.

Comment author: Jost 06 March 2015 11:45:09AM 3 points [-]

Iff there is an investigation.

Given what we know about the wizarding world, I’m not so sure that there will be one.

Comment author: Velorien 06 March 2015 02:26:29PM 3 points [-]

And let's not forget the kind of people who seem to be doing the investigating around here: "Burnt corpse? Roof of the house blown off? Baby with scar on forehead? Must have been the first ever Killing Curse backfire."

Comment author: DanArmak 06 March 2015 04:09:47PM 1 point [-]

Dumbledore was the one who investigated that...

Comment author: Velorien 06 March 2015 05:02:05PM 0 points [-]

But the facts I listed were publically available, and apparently that's the best conclusion anyone else could draw. (and we know Dumbledore didn't tell anyone his conclusion, because even Moody didn't know)

Comment author: DanArmak 07 March 2015 06:33:09PM 1 point [-]

Since Dumbledore didn't give anyone else access to an undisturbed scene, it's merely the best conclusion that anyone could draw who wasn't an actual professional investigator / smart person.

Actual professional investigators would know not to come to any conclusion without actually investigating the scene. (Whether or not they trusted Dumbledore to investigate is a different matter.)

Smart people would think:

They have already marked the Night of Godric's Hollow, as reported by Albus Dumbledore, as an anomalous and potentially important event. They have wondered why it happened, if it did happen; or if not, why Dumbledore is lying.

Comment author: dxu 06 March 2015 04:50:27PM 0 points [-]

And he had very good reason to not release his true hypothesis to the public.