All of Sheaman3773's Comments + Replies

Ah. Even ignoring that the context is from when they are children, I don't consider the black sheep disowned from the family as having a bearing on where the House stands, but alright. Semantics, I suppose.

0TobyBartels
As I said, it's a minor detail.

The Black House isn't 100% in the pure-blood faction?

What HPMOR fact am I forgetting?

2TobyBartels
BrindIf said it, but I'll confirm: Nymphadora Tonks appeared in MOR, and there was no suggestion that her mother [ETA: Andromeda, who is Narcissa's and Bellatrix's sister] differs from canon. (ETA: In particular, Andromeda must have still married a Muggle for Tonks to get her surname.)
3BrindIf
Tonks?

"This explains why it is so important to shoot missionaries on sight."

So, this is the single change that makes this story an AU?

From chapter 1:

This is not a strict single-point-of-departure fic - There exists a primary point of departure, at some point in the past, but also other alterations. The best term I've heard for this fic is "parallel universe."

Above is the Doyalist reason, and almost certainly the root reason.

The Watsonian reason was that it would force Voldemort to waste an hour in the preparation, making any attempt to steal the Stone take an hour longer. As traps go, it's reasonably clever.

The potion did serve its in-story purpose of banishing the flames blocking the doorway, after all, so it's not like Voldemort spent that time on the potion and then used his wand to take care of the flames.

The doom-sense could have a lot to do with both the strength of the magic and the degree to which it inherently clashes with the senser's inclinations or goals.

To me, it seemed that it scaled with their current mindsets and actions, with stronger being the more they contrasted.

Consider how strongly it was felt when Harry's "anti-death-ness" was particularly strong (e.g. after Harry killed his first Dementor) or when Voldemort's desecration of death was higher than normal (e.g. when he makes Inferi).

Inversely, look at weak the feeling is when ... (read more)

I can see him believing that it would be very difficult to get them to agree regardless.

Though, given the Drought of Living Death...

Naw, they still wouldn't want to leave him in Harry's care. Plus, then they might get all of his magical secrets (including Harry's (soul/mind's) magical heritage, rather than leaving them for Harry to use. Or they might Obliviate everything, depending on whether their paranoia wins over their greed.

0Luke_A_Somers
Yes, that's a more direct objection.

But then there wouldn't be continued speculation that this is still the bad end.

0TobyBartels
Ah, is that what shminux meant!

Yes in HPMOR

Chapter 79:

“Born the 26th of September, 1955, to Quondia Quirrell, of an acknowledged tryst with Lirinus Lumblung...” intoned the Auror. “Sorted into Ravenclaw..."

The disparity is one of the reasons that the Aurors are sure he's not actually Quirinus Quirrell.

Velorien110

But why is any of original!Quirrell's biographical information relevant to this discussion? Everyone who knew Quirrell the Defense Professor will remember him as a Slytherin.

Would you risk going back to a live LV just to check it out? Take the risk that Harry didn't notice some annoying bystander get dispatched, or just didn't mention it? A lot of those revelations only came out when the subject came up, after all. Using a Pensieve would be much safer.

You assume Snape isn't one of the headless minions on the ground...

4cousin_it
Just watch from a distance, using a telescope.
2Astazha
Snape isn't, because he can't apparate from Hogwarts. Amusingly, Snape may interpret his exclusion from the mass sacrifice as a deliberate "kindness" from the Dark Lord.

Considering the only DE to raise shields also tried to kill LV and attempted to enlist the rest of them to join him...

The persona of LV might well have considered it a betrayal, to have their shields up around their lord. For why would you need them, if you were not plotting treachery?

… this is highly unusual for an obliviation, so I think it is very likely that V has not left his body.

It appeared to be clear to me that this was some sort of sign that the Prophesy had been completed.

It seemed strange, but that was my reading of the text.

Well, that's certainly one way to explain away all of the strange aspects. Establish them as fact, through the mysterious bond between LV and HP, and do so in front of a huge crowd so that the word can spread and mutate on its own. By the time anyone comes to investigate or question, they will already be influenced by the show or rumors they've heard, promoting that hypothesis to their attention rather than coming to it naturally.

It's pointing the police at Mortimer Snodgrass, from chapter 17, as it were.

3lerjj
It's actually the same tactic as the Weasley twins used to cover the "engaged to Ginever Weasley" story- plant so many make newspaper reports that everyone gets confused. And it kinda happens again after the Hermione/Draco incident. Guess Eliezer like the theme of people not being able to discern the truth from wild rumours if the truth's weird enough.

Edit: I mean talked about drugs in a school.

After Gnlybe orpbzrf n Jneq, fur unf gb qb n choyvpvgl ovg ng n tenqr fpubby.

She told them that taking drugs was fun, and felt great...until it wasn't, and ruined everything good about your life. It's in chapter 23.04

ETA: Dang, didn't notice someone below me already posted much the same. Oh well.

Which is amusing, and also means that it's the last thing he should tell LV.

It is clearly a spell that is practically guaranteed to work against LV, since it could appear to miss only to swing back and hit either him or his shields.

I would not be surprised in the slightest if it was essential to passing the test, given how perfectly it would work in this situation of magical resonance.

Do note that Voldemort cannot actually use Legilimency on Harry, due to magical resonance.

Not only would this be expected due to how the effect has manifested in the past, but EY has also confirmed that this was the original reason for the resonance in the first place.

It could be possible for a Death Eater to do so in his stead, but I do not think it at all likely without further orders from Voldemort, given his explicit desire for privacy in their conversation.

Regarding Dumbledore's decision, it could simply be that (due to the prophesy) he believed Ha... (read more)

0Epictetus
I may be misinterpreting, but I thought the whole resonance business got cleared up when Voldemort lured Harry into shooting at him.

I'm not too sure about your #4, but #2 definitely cannot be counted upon to be true.

In Chapter 92, in a conversation between McG and LV:

“Are you mad? You think that Mr. Potter could—this is ridiculous. Mr. Potter cannot possibly—” A wordless image crossed her mind of a patch of glass on a steel ball. “—Mr. Potter would not do such a thing!”

It has been pointed out that if LV discarded treating this as a game, which does appear to be the case, then he may well have been using Legilimency on McG, in which case he would know of it, at least.

Which isn't to... (read more)

It clearly stipulates 12:01 am to avoid just this kind of confusion.

Further, the chapter will be posted at 10:00 am on Tuesday.

So the deadline is Monday night.

7see
The available dates were Monday, March 2nd, or Tuesday, March 3rd; the "12:01 am" did not distinguish which of those dates was meant by "Tuesday, March 2nd" in the slightest, since both possible dates had their own 12:01 am. This has been subsequently corrected by EY to "Tuesday, March 3rd" (which was the correct day for the 60 hours promised).
1TobyBartels
The tradition in timetables is to list 11:59 pm for endings (such as we have here) and 12:01 am for beginnings. Eliezer should have followed the tradition; the evidence for my claim is that janos was confused when EY violated the tradition. (Edit: Well, actually, janos was apparently confused by a bona-fide error, not by this.)

I was wondering how much retroactive power we would have.

Harry would know, or be able to look up, any number of chemicals that would react very poorly to the open air. It would be exceedingly foolish to carry one on his person, transfigured, such that he would simply have to negate the tranfiguration to have a distraction or attack, but would such a thing be in our power to suggest into existence, if we thought of a sufficiently non-foolish way for Harry to carry this?

Do you not remember the Courtroom, where something similar to this was done?

People speculated at the time that it was a practice run for something later. It looks like they were right.

Keep in mind the following:

  1. Harry must succeed via his own efforts. The cavalry is not coming. Everyone who might want to help Harry thinks he is at a Quidditch game.
  2. Harry may only use capabilities the story has already mentioned; he cannot develop wordless wandless Legilimency in the next 60 seconds. Of course, Harry may find more clever ways to use abilities he has already been established to have.
  3. Voldemort is evil and cannot be persuaded to be good; the Dark Lord’s utility function cannot be changed by talking to him.
  4. If Harry raises his wand or sp
... (read more)

It's likely observation bias, but the whole of the wizarding society seems to lack empathy; I join you in doubting that much research on the subject has been done.

Quirrell has been killing unicorns and storing away their flesh.

http://hpmor.com/chapter/100

Then a final gesture from Professor Quirrell ripped a huge chunk out of the unicorn's side, leaving behind ragged edges; the raw meat hovered in the air, then wavered in Vanishment and was gone.

Though unreliable narration is always possible.

http://hpmor.com/chapter/28

Those dreadful words, spoken in that terrible booming voice, didn’t seem to fit something like partial Transfiguration.

http://hpmor.com/chapter/86

it will be something stranger to him than Muggle artifacts. Something perhaps that he cannot comprehend at all, even having seen it...

Still, good catch.

http://hpmor.com/chapter/15

Her wand came down and tapped her desk, which smoothly reshaped itself into a pig.

Speaking in terms of significance:

The Dugbogs were not crushed by a strong Re'em, but by a Re'em's strength. The strength was used to crush them, and the strength was what you got out of it.

The knuts were not forged by a hot forge, but by the forge's heat. The heat was used to forge them, and the heat was what you got out out it.

In your scenario, the immortality of the phoenix was not used to burn the corpse, so you cannot get immortality out of it.

Freely acknowledged. I was just pointing out that they didn't react with aplomb.

Erm, to be fair, they most certainly do blink an eye:

the roar of simultaneous gasps from the Wizengamot.

2Velorien
There are many plausible explanations for that other than Harry's age, though. I suspect they'd have reacted the same way were he an adult giving a way his entire fortune in one fell swoop to save a Muggleborn attempted murderer.

This makes sense, but thinking along the same lines, I would see a lot of the upperclassmen getting upset at being told what to do by firsties.

2bogdanb
I wouldn’t be surprised if it did happen, at least once or twice. After all, it happened with the adults too, e.g. Juergen or whatever his name was.

I don't really have very much respect for the plots, or really the cunning, that go on in Rowling's books. Those weren't really the lure of the series.

Doing it? Not a whole lot. Coming up with it? Tracking them down closely enough that it could be implemented? Maybe.

I've seen that in a fic as well. Even assuming that the boundary is the house itself rather than the surrounding property, why wouldn't they be able to Apparate into the house proper? Isn't that what they did with the whole Yaxley debacle?

Though, on further reflection, since the charm seems t... (read more)

I interpreted their failure to do such a thing not as being illogical--they did have Lily, after all--but as part of a downside to the spell. As in, yes, the Secret Keeper being in the hidden area would destabilize the spell given enough time. It couldn't be too little of time, or Dumbledore wouldn't risk coming in, but as I recall he just popped in and out. This is what I mean, when I say that it's not perfect--a perfect hiding spell would have allowed the weakness to be hidden inside with it.

That kind of limitation actually makes sense from an in-univer... (read more)

Not to mention this, even before the troll:

Harry had politely declined tea, even knowing that Professor Quirrell would know what it meant. He’d considered bringing his own can of soda—but had decided against that as well, after realizing how easy it would be for the Defense Professor to teleport in a bit of potion, even if the two of them couldn’t touch each other with direct magic.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. Yes, it's referred to as the best they have. But who says it's actually perfect?

If anyone actually said it, they're wrong. If it was perfect, then Lily or James could have been Secret Keeper. Or even Frank/Alice for the Potters and Lily/James for the Longbottoms.

Moody said that the werewolf that he trusts slightly more than usual figured that most Aurors died 8.5 times before 'lucky' became 'prepared.' Assuming he wasn't lying. That doesn't indicate a higher level of competency that many people achieve. Though once you start looking... (read more)

0linkhyrule5
*shrug* Ask Rowling. It's treated as perfect: Voldemort gets foiled by it twice, and both times the only way it's broken is through a mistake by the Secret-Keeper. And "throw balls everywhere" hardly requires the top-tier of competence. Also note that there are some obvious downsides to Apparating onto the top step. Like balance.
0CAE_Jones
I'd say that the secret protected by the fidelius couldn't actually include the Secret Keeper (also that no secret keeper can enter a diffrent fidelius), but Dumbledore attended meetings at #12Grimwald Place, so that can't be how it worked in canon. There could be some nasty side-effect to the secret keeper hiding inside the Fidelius ey keeps, like it threatening to damage their soul or weakening the fidelius or shortening the keeper's lifespan or something, but that'd be the sort of nerfing EY has said he probably won't be trying. I have to assume, though, that if a secret keeper dies and the secret hasn't been given to someone else, the fidelius breaks, otherwise we get permanent secrets, which are just broken.

It occurred long enough afterwards for Quirrell to realize, stop casting Fiendfyre, stop moving, land the broom, and then think for a small time. It wasn't the same instant.

That is supposition. Reasonable supposition, but supposition nonetheless.

It's worth noting that this quote also occurs in the same chapter.

I simply can’t imagine hearing that you’d hurt someone you had not made a deliberate decision to hurt.

we don't know certain things like, 'can you be both at the same time?'

WoG says no, for canon.

The cloak came closer. It was unraveling and shot through with unpatched holes; it had been new that morning, Auror Goryanof had said.

The Killing Curse is unblockable, unstoppable, and works every single time on anything with a brain.

[This comment is no longer endorsed by its author]Reply

Oh, absolutely, that is a way to break it. It requires a certain level of logic that most of the wizarding world lacks, but sure.

Did anywhere state that it was perfect?

Or, more on point, do we know if people even remember the general location of the neighborhood? I didn't think that they could. If they don't remember the general location, how would they narrow it down?

0linkhyrule5
The thing is, even though Voldemort/Harry level competence is absurdly rare, Moody level competence is significantly more common. And yes, the Fidelius is supposed to be the highest-end absolutely-perfect conceptual defense against being found. As far as finding the general location... it's nontrivial, but it's a whole lot easier. Tail known Order members and track where they go; if you see a vague density start tossing balls around. Or, if you're clever/powerful, come up with a city-wide version and then go in order of population.

It's just the ones in Britain, I understood.

they are considered national possessions, Harry, weapons in case of war.

Ah. I made an assumption here, but from this I got that they kept their Dementors in reserve so that they would not lose an advantage that their enemies had. But an equally applicable interpretation would be that they did not want to lose an advantage that they had over their enemies.

Keeping that in mind, however, I would rather doubt that other governments would allow Britain to have such an exclusive advantage, not when the weapons are... (read more)

...are you seriously that sure that Quirrellmort isn't Mr. Hat & Cloak & thus didn't Obliviate-blast Hermione & didn't set her up for murder & didn't have Draco nearly killed (not to mention that debacle with the Armies), and that he didn't have anything to do with the Troll (despite canon) & Hermione's body disappearing (though there are serious suspicions that Harry dealt with that himself), and that the deal with the Dementor eating Harry wasn't intentional, and that perpetuating the conflict with the bullies via the 100 House Points... (read more)

Of course he had that opinion, Rowling was writing themes so deathist that even the me of that time--who had yet to even hear of transhumanism--was thrown by it.

Voldemort is defined as evil partially just because of his fear of and avoidance of death--if you notice, she explicitly built it so that most of his atrocities occurred after and because of the steps he took to avoid death.

I thought about this for a while too, more than five whole minutes by the clock, and eventually I came up with a possible explanation.

It's not that Lily sacrificed herself for her child. As you and uncountable other people pointed out, that must have happened innumerable times throughout history, even just among the witches and wizards. It's that she sacrificed herself for her child when she could have lived.

Think of the oddness of the situation. The murderer arrives to kill the child, but not the mother. How often is that the case, historically? Then the... (read more)

You are underestimating the irrational love that parents have for their children. When a family is in danger, parents constantly work to save their children first, even when doing so is stupid. It's enough that the oxygen masks on planes have explicit instructions for parents to put on their masks first, because they can just put their kids' on next if they are still conscious.

Not that I agree that such a new artifact existed.

I was under the impression that it just appeared to take up no space. It was there, just your brain couldn't actually take notice of that. People do keep describing it in terms of it being impossible to locate, not that it spawned a pocket dimension or anything.

Using your example, the baseball wouldn't vanish at the boundary, you just wouldn't notice that it was passing a house, and couldn't be able to explain why you can't throw it as far in this spot.

0linkhyrule5
The problem is, there's an easy way to break that. If you toss a ball so that it lands in the yard, it's in a place you can't access: from your point of view the ball has vanished. Then you can break the Fidelius for certain purposes by figuring out the general neighborhood and then tossing conjured balls everywhere, then picking up all the ones you can find (magically) and counting them. If you're missing a ball, it's because you can't find it, so there's a Fidelius or equivalent nearby. Repeat on smaller scales until you've narrowed it down to a particular house, then Fiendfyre.

Sheerly for the sake of playing devil's advocate (do we have an alternate term here?):

The "fact" that volcanoes and earthquakes occur because of magic doesn't mean that our model is wrong. The tension that is building up for these natural disasters would still be there--the magic would just trigger it earlier that it would have otherwise.

I thought that that would be where Earth was, but at that distance, you're right; the Sun would make much more sense.

I was going to say that it appears that their connection is not symmetrical, because Quirrell was able to track down Harry during the troll event. Further research seemed to reduce this likelihood, however.

Quirrell started burning through the substance of Hogwarts once he realized that Harry had found the troll. He didn't know that the two had met until he read Harry's emotions. That he did not realize that they were getting closer before means that he wasn't tracking both the troll and Harry. I was going to say that it appears clear that Quirrell was tra... (read more)

1Shmi
Or maybe Harry is not aware that it is or not as attuned to it. I don't recall him seriously trying to investigate or exploit it.

He did specify only the textbooks that Harry deemed safe for Draco, presumably keeping with the wizarding model of "the lesser perils."

...but yes, likely so. Couple "if you know what you're going to think in the future and just think it now" with "any technique which is good enough to defeat me once is good enough to learn myself" and he has every reason to want to figure this out pronto. On top of wanting to be Harry's sole source of information, of course.

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