[HPforGrownups] animagi/life cycle

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 4283

I wrote:

>"I'm not so sure that Dumbledore would be an unregistered
>Animagus, and that raises an inconsistency: why didn't Hermione see his name
>listed as one of the registered Animagi?  It's a nice idea though."

Simon said:

>As Dumbledore is 150 years old he would not appear on this list, which
>covers the last 100 years. This is assuming Dumbledore became an animagus
>before he turned 50. Also Hermione never says that Dumbledore is not an
>animagus, just that the Marauder's can't be (as they are not registered) and
>that McGonagall is.

Good point! However, it's possible that the list Hermione read included all
living Animagi, and she only mentioned the ones from this century because
she was checking for Peter Pettigrew (who is a relative youngster).  If
Dumbledore had been on the list, wouldn't Hermione have said something like:
"Guess what?  Dumbledore is a bumblebee Animagus!!"  Maybe she just didn't
read the full list and stopped when she got to 1900, assuming that anyone
older than that would be dead.

This raises another point, about life expectancy:  Do witches/wizards just
live longer or is their life cycle different?  As a Muggle-born witch will
Hermione develop differently to the pure-blood or half blood witches in her
year?  Are the children grouped by physical age or chronological age?  If
it's the latter, won't most of Hermione's classmates be due for puberty at
around 20, instead of 13/14?

Neil

            Flying-Ford-Anglia

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   "Then, dented, scratched and steaming, 
   the car rumbled off into the darkness, 
   its rear lights blazing angrily"

 [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]

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