Not My Canon!

WTF: Stasis

Origin Universe

This is our present setting. The constant. Where the world is in stasis. We have no reason to think otherwise. The events within Harry Potter and the (insert seven titles) all took place in the Origin Universe. The first scene of the play, while having noticeable differences, should be considered as a true representation of what we were shown in the Epilogue of Deathly Hallows.

In this universe, a Time-Turner is discovered in the possession of Theodore Nott, a former Slytherin student of Hogwarts. That device is obtained by Harry and placed under the protection of Hermione, the Minister of Magic, but not before rumors spread and Amos Diggory asks him to use it. The man yearns for his son. He believes firmly that Cedric's death shouldn't have happened and argues that Harry needs to right the wrong.

This is the first break in canon and established time travel logic because it suggests early on (Scene Six) that "righting the wrong" is possible. This is further supported by Harry through his silence. He doesn't counter the pleas of Mr. Diggory with a statement that time travel is incapable of changing the past, therefore supporting the theory that it can and will.

Albus Potter overhears this exchange. Feeling a sense of dissatisfaction with his father and his place in the world, he chooses to do what Harry would not. Albus will save Cedric Diggory.

For some reason (*his eyes embark on a journey of heavy-lidded rolling*), Harry's son doesn't consider that it would be more advantageous to his own personal life if he were to save his grandparents or his Uncle Fred... or a lineup of other people who seemed to matter greatly to his family. But, whatever, I shouldn't try to force any sense on a play that... refuses to make sense.

With the aid of Amos Diggory's niece, Delphini, Albus and his best friend Scorpius steal the Time-Turner against all odds and decide to travel to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament during his father's fourth year at Hogwarts. Once there, they plan to ruin Cedric's chances of winning and, consequently, his ability to retrieve the Portkey-charmed cup that transported him to the setting of his eventual demise.

This presumes a lot. What if the only reason Harry survived unscathed was because he saw what happened to Cedric? It's battlefield psychology. Witnessing the death of your brother-in-arms causes you to take on the task at hand in a completely different manner. Your adrenaline starts pumping, your mind is clearer to focus, and your odds of making the most rational decision increases.

No one at any time considers the fact that, by removing Cedric from this scenario, this alone could overthrow major events in the future! But that would have required JKR and Co. to adopt a credible form of logic in their plotting, and that clearly didn't happen, so...

Whatever. You'll get the fan edit soon. ;)

Once the boys use the Time-Turner, all activity freezes in present-day. Actions, movements... the waves of the ocean, gravitational pull. Everything. If the play is supposing that past events can now be altered by employing the use of time travel, then all present-day events are put on hold... as all situations, motivations, connections, even the histories of life and death are capable of being displaced due to the new causality.

Cause and Effect, remember?

If everything about you and around you is an effect of an earlier cause, messing with that cause will create a chain reaction that results in different effects. Therefore, everything freezes because it may all be about to change. Or be completely erased.

At no point would life in the present continue, because they are helpless against the whims of the one traipsing about in their shared past.

And as long as nothing at all is changed (although something is always changed in this variant of time travel) the present will remain intact until Albus and Scorpius return.

The world is on pause.

Stasis.

Or at least it should be...

This is an important aspect you'll want to recall as we get further into this discussion.