A current theory is that it contains the Philosophers stone, its certainly more important than just a rock.
If it’s the Philosopher’s Stone, why would Dumbledore say it was James Potter’s Rock, or that he found it in Godric’s Hollow? Then again it might be a big rock from Godric’s Hollow that contained the (small?) Philosopher’s Stone embedded inside. But could Harry Transfigure it if he didn’t correctly know its current Form, or whatever the term is? Is it even safe to routinely transfigure the Philosopher’s Stone?
Which holds a terrible secret.
It also holds the hint that Dumbledore gave Lily that enabled her to come up with the dangerous potion that made her sister Petunia pretty, enabling her to marry Harry’s father Professor Michael E-V. Many people think this is the fabled “single point of departure from canon”. Could be important, but it’s hard to see how.
But EY has specifically said that there’s no single point of departure, so I’m not sure why people are searching for one. If nothing else, the Interdict of Merlin is a departure from canon(even if it took me a while to notice—it’s so natural that it seemed to fit right in), and that’s 1400 years into the past.
I seem to remember that someone else quoted him as saying there is a single point of departure, and that’s why we’re searching for one. Can someone please find the quote if it exists? I’m lazy.
Good point about Interdict of Merlin. But if that’s the one point of departure, I find it difficult to believe that Eliezer has a good explanation of why it generated so few changes after 1400 years of history that we still have a Potter vs Voldemort scenario at all.
Edit: Eliezer has written (at least) this description:
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”.
I presume the Interdict counts as “other alterations”.
If it’s the Philosopher’s Stone, why would Dumbledore say it was James Potter’s Rock, or that he found it in Godric’s Hollow? Then again it might be a big rock from Godric’s Hollow that contained the (small?) Philosopher’s Stone embedded inside. But could Harry Transfigure it if he didn’t correctly know its current Form, or whatever the term is? Is it even safe to routinely transfigure the Philosopher’s Stone?
It also holds the hint that Dumbledore gave Lily that enabled her to come up with the dangerous potion that made her sister Petunia pretty, enabling her to marry Harry’s father Professor Michael E-V. Many people think this is the fabled “single point of departure from canon”. Could be important, but it’s hard to see how.
But EY has specifically said that there’s no single point of departure, so I’m not sure why people are searching for one. If nothing else, the Interdict of Merlin is a departure from canon(even if it took me a while to notice—it’s so natural that it seemed to fit right in), and that’s 1400 years into the past.
I seem to remember that someone else quoted him as saying there is a single point of departure, and that’s why we’re searching for one. Can someone please find the quote if it exists? I’m lazy.
Good point about Interdict of Merlin. But if that’s the one point of departure, I find it difficult to believe that Eliezer has a good explanation of why it generated so few changes after 1400 years of history that we still have a Potter vs Voldemort scenario at all.
Edit: Eliezer has written (at least) this description:
I presume the Interdict counts as “other alterations”.
Yeah, I never thought about it, Maybe D isn’t evil, making Snape suffering with Lili; maybe he was just trying to help Petunia.
Could someone explain how D made Snape suffer?
Telling lies, plotting, sneakering invisible in the girl’s dorm (writing in her book while invisible), so that Lili disliked Snape.
...or teaching Lily more about potions, by getting her to examine what would happen with different ingredients in various potions.