Timeline of Ages

Thu Oct 26 07:22:46 UTC 2000

No: HPFGUIDX 4652

Rita wrote:

	>I drew up a chart to try to figure out everyone's ages based on 
	>information that has been discussed on this list, such as James 
	>must have been out of Hogwarts by the time Bill started or else 
	>Bill would have said something about him. I may have committed 
	>errors, please let me know. 

Cool list! It's obvious a lot of work went into this. I do have a few
comments, though...  :-)

	>1994-5 (years begin roughly July 1) GoF takes place
	>1993-4  Percy's senior year at Hogwarts

	1993-4 Percy's seventh year at Hogwarts

A seventh-year student may correspond to a senior in high school, but it's
not the same thing.

	>1992-3  Ginny's first year at Hogwarts
	>1991-2  Harry and Ron's first year, Gryffindor wins House Cup
	>1990-1  Slytherin wins House Cup for 6th consecutive year

I think the 1990/91 school year was Charlie's seventh year at Hogwarts,
despite the few-babies-born-during-the-Voldemort-years theory. In my
opinion, Gryffindor was missing a seeker Harry's first year because Charlie
had graduated the year before. Remember, Slytherin may have won the House
Cup for six consecutive years, but that doesn't mean they won the
*Quidditch* Cup all those years!

	1990-1 Charlie's seventh year at Hogwarts; Slytherin wins House 
	Cup for 6th consecutive year

	>1989-90 S. wins H.C. for 5th c.y.; Fred and George's first year

Okay, I think 1989/90 was Bill's seventh year. When Bill and Mrs. Weasley
come to visit Harry as his "family" for the Third Task, Bill mentions not
seeing Hogwarts for five years:

	"It's great being back here," said Bill, looking around the 
	chamber (Violet, the Fat Lady's friend, winked at him from her 
	frame). "Haven't seen this place for five years. Is that picture 
	of the mad knight still around? Sir Cadogan?"

	"Oh yeah," said Harry, who had met Sir Cadogan the previous year.

	"And the Fat Lady?" said Bill.
	(from Chapter 31, "The Third Task")

Now, this could be interpreted as having not visited for five years, but
from his comments about the people in the picture frames, it seems he is
referring to a time when he actually lived at Hogwarts as a student. If he
graduated five years before, that would put his seventh year as the 1989/90
school year, also Fred and George's first year.

	1989-90 S. wins H.C. for 5th c.y.; Fred and George's first year; 
	Bill's seventh year

	>1988-9  S. wins H.C. for 4th c.y.
	>1987-8  S. wins H.C. for 3rd c.y.; Percy's first year
	>1986-7  S. wins H.C. for 2nd c.y. 
	>1985-6  S. wins H.C. for 1st c.y.
	>1984-5  Charlie's senior year; Gryffindor wins House Cup

	1984-5 Charlie's first year; Gryffindor wins House Cup

	>1983-4

	1983-4 Bill's first year

	>1982-3  Bill's senior year

	1982-3

	>1981-2  Ginny is born; Voldemort's reign of terror ends 
	>1980-1  Harry is born; Ron is born

And, I might add, Hermione is born as well!

	>1979-80 
	>1978-9  Fred and George are born; Charlie's first year

	1978-9 Fred and George are born

	>1977-8
	>1976-7  Percy is born; Bill's first year

	1976-7  Percy is born

	>1975-6  MWPP+L+S's senior year 
	>1974-5
	<1973-4  Catlady's senior year (not at Hogwarts) 

	1973-4 Charlie is born

	>1972-3

	1972-3 Bill is born

	>1971-2  V's reign of terror begins; Catlady starts high school 
	(10th grade) 

<snip>

	>Conclusions: this is a lot to speculate about. One thing, for 
	>MWPP to have been out of school by the time Bill came in, the 
	>latest they could finish is class of '76. Class of '77 if Bill is 
	>only one year before Charlie. Sorry, Neil.

Well, like I said, I disagree that there is such a large gap between
Bill/Charlie and the rest of the kids in the Weasley family. It just doesn't
make sense, Voldemort or no. Mrs. Weasley is a strong woman and obviously
chose to have seven children. She isn't the type to stop having kids because
of a dark wizard. On the contrary, it's all the more reason to carry on and
live your life as normally as possible, despite all the fear and dispair
around you. That includes having kids and raising them to be the best people
they can be.

<snip>

	>Also, as Ginny is born during Bill's sixth year, the statement 
	>that Ginny has wanted to go to Hogwarts ever since Bill first 
	>went is even more messed up than we had previously thought -- 
	>Bill would be OUT of Hogwarts by the time that she wanted to go 
	>there. PERHAPS we should attribute this to a printer's error and 
	>say, it was really supposed to say that Ginny has wanted to go to 
	>Hogwarts ever since PERCY first went.

No, the statement that Ginny wanted to go to Hogwarts ever since Bill first
went still makes sense if Bill started at Hogwarts in 1983. That makes Ginny
two at the time. What a two-year-old wants, a two-year-old gets, and if said
toddler doesn't get what he/she wants, then everyone in the family will
suffer! Ginny obviously saw her favorite older brother leaving for a long
period of time, didn't understand why and wanted to go with him. Have you
ever tried to explain the concept of going away and coming back to a
two-year-old? It seems as if they think you'll never come back if you leave!
Every time someone goes out the door, the kid must go with! (Sorry, I'm
thinking of my nephew. He's cute, but he can sure throw a fit when he thinks
Mom or Dad is leaving without him!)

So, Ginny is taught about Hogwarts and going to school. The concpet becomes
clearer over time, but she retains that early memory of Bill leaving and
desperately wanting to go with him.

	>Also, by this timeline, Bill would be 29 and Charlie 27 during 
	>GoF. I don't think they seemed quite that old. 

I think Bill is 22 or 23 and Charlie is 21 or 22 as of the end of GoF.

<snip>

	>BUT perhaps they age like Muggles to age 21 and then age more 
	>slowly. How does that affect magic-Muggle mixed marriages? Does 
	>the Muggle spouse get to drink anti-aging potion as long as the 
	>marriage lasts, and thus live as long as wizarding folk? Or is 
	>the slow aging genetically inborn rather than a spell, and thus 
	>the Muggle spouse would get old and decrepit while the wizarding 
	>spouse is still young and strong....

Maybe that's why Dumbledore is apparently single! His dear wife was a muggle
who died years and years ago after 75 happy years of marriage! Voldemort
does call him a "Muggle-loving fool" in chapter 33 of GoF! Maybe he meant it
literally! (Hehehe)

Malabud

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