Errors, or plot points?

[tinyjo]

I read the new Potter on Sunday evening by illegal means (I plan to buy the paperback but didn't want to be spoilered) so it's possible these items weren't in the published text but there are two things nagging at me vaguely and I can't decide whether they're mistakes on JKR's part or are hooks for cunning tricks in the next book.

1) Harry rules out his father or his friends as possibilities for the Half Blood Prince based on the printing date of the book. Now this is slightly shaky logic because it assumes the prince was the first owner of the book but if we accept it then doesn't that also rule out Snape? He was at school at the same time as they were. If we rule out Snape on the basis of timing, I suspect Voldemort to be honest. Could even be another horcrux.

2) Kreacher and Dobby apparate and disapparate inside Hogwarts. I don't know why I've never noticed this before. Does the prohibition not apply to house-elves? Can either side use that information?

Comments

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

1) As I just said below, for some reason I only associated the mother as an explanation for the choice of name, not the age of the book but that does makes sense.

2) That's cheating :) And the book does specifically use the word disapparate to describe it at one point.

[asciident]

on 2) yes, it does, but the series also agrees with angelsk: house-elves use a different kind of magic.

I don't know for sure of course, but it seems that house-elf-apparition may be permitted even if human-apparition isn't, to permit the house elves to perform their job better/faster. They have a lot of cleaning to do, even if it is the largest concentration of house elves in Britain!