When asked to find Hermione, why would Harry’s Patronus have found a simulacrum instead of the real one?
The Patronus that came back to Harry could be Future-Harry’s Patronus, if time travel is involved.
Note: I don’t personally place a high probability on theories involving time travel in this instance, but they do present a possible explanation for that objection.
If the Patronus that came back was Future-Harry’s Patronus, then what happened to Present-Harry’s Patronus? When Harry’s Patronus was countered with Quirell’s Killing Curse in Chapter 54, Harry definitely felt it being countered.
The Patronus that came back to Harry could be Future-Harry’s Patronus, if time travel is involved.
Note: I don’t personally place a high probability on theories involving time travel in this instance, but they do present a possible explanation for that objection.
Every consistent theory I’ve seen involves time-travel somehow. The stakes are simply too high for Harry to permit the attempt to not be made.
If the Patronus that came back was Future-Harry’s Patronus, then what happened to Present-Harry’s Patronus? When Harry’s Patronus was countered with Quirell’s Killing Curse in Chapter 54, Harry definitely felt it being countered.
It’s plausible that having one’s Patronus dispelled by one’s future self is not as noticeable as having one’s Patronus countered by a killing curse.
Alternatively, an even simpler option is that it was still Present-Harry’s patronus, just given updated instructions by Future-Harry.