Turning Back Time: A Look at the Importance of Time in Harry Potter, especially in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Time is a major theme in the Harry Potter series and shows up in two major ways: time-turners and the trace which underage wizards have placed upon them. Time-turners are the most prevalent example, when a person thinks of time in the Harry Potter series. However, the trace that is mentioned throughout the Harry Potter series most people do not think of when it comes to time. What does it really mean that time-turners can be set to multiple times, where the trace is related to an age-based definition of maturation?
The trace is a charm put on wizards and witches who are under seventeen years of age. It states that when any magical activity is performed in the vicinity of the…show more content… “In Time and Narrative, Paul Ricoeur describes how traces work: “the trace indicates ‘here’ (in space) and ‘now’ (in the present), the past passage of living beings. It orients the hunt, the quest, the search, the inquiry”.” (Zimmerman 194) There is a scene in Goblet of Fire, where Harry and Voldemort’s wands connect (later identified as the Priori Incantatem) and something odd occurs, shadowy figures emerge. These shadowy figure could represent remnants of the past that withstand in the present. There are many figures that appear, the most important for Harry are his parents, James and Lily Potter, killed on the night when he was marked as Voldemort’s mortal enemy. Harry’s parents’ shadows are indeed traces that indicate Harry’s present in the “past passage of living beings.” Since Zimmerman said the trace orients the hunt, the quest, the search, and the inquiry, a person can infer from this scene that Harry’s parents are going to be with him at all times through his journey against Voldemort in the rest of the