[HPforGrownups] British school system

[SALeathem at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 28940

I typed this all out before and it didn't make much sense, so I hope this 
version is better...

Heidi wrote (in respone to British school system/Hogwarts cut off):
<< I note (because this argument has come up before in relation to cutoff 
dates
 and Hermione) that people do *not* receive their Hogwarts letter *on* their
 11th birthday; Harry is set to get his at least 5, possibly 6, days before
 (not having my book handy, I am not perfectly sure which it is).  >>

Putting aside the cutoff/school system for Hogwarts for a moment. I was 
thinking about the whole is-Hermione-older-or-younger-than-Harry thing last 
night, and came up with this - 

JKR has said that the way it's worked out is by a magic quill that writes 
down the name and birthday of every person born that possesses (sp?) some 
magical ability. Then, when they are about to turn 11 the quill/Prof 
McGonagall makes sure they get a letter telling them about their place at 
Hogwarts. 
And Hogwarts school year runs from September 1st till about late june/early 
july the following year (by School year here, I'm referring to time school is 
in session, not cut off dates, and the significant part is September 1). 

So, the letters didn't arrive *on* Harry's birthday, but just before, 
however, it was still July when they were sent. I think that Hogwarts, like 
other schools/doctors etc. every month they check for birthdays of 
prospective students occuring in that month. So for example, lets go with 
Harry's birth year as being 1980. July 1991 they'd look up people that turn 
11 that month and see Harry as being on the 31st. Then they'd send out a 
letter to get to him around about his 11th birthday, so it probably went out 
a max of 5 days before the 31st.  

Going on all of the above Hermione & Angelina can't possibly be younger than 
their class mates (unless someone was born on september 1/before them but 
after Sept1). 
Taking Hermione in particular - why can't she possibly be younger than Harry? 
Because she still wouldn't have been 11 when the school year started, 
therefore she wouldn't have gotton her letter yet and wouldn't know about 
Hogwarts, because the quill/McGonagall wouldn't have reached September 1980, 
because students born in September 1980 wouldn't be 11 in time for the school 
year to start. So Hermione *has* to have been born in Sept 1979 if she were 
to be eligable to be in harry's year, otherwise she'd have gone in Ginny's 
year (Ginny's the year below right?). 

*breathes* So, does any of that make any sense at all? I don't remember 
seeing such an argument before but apologies if this particular option has 
been done to death already.

Oh and even if the letters do arrive about a week before their birthday, 
that's still a good 5 days after the start of term at Hogwarts, so Hermione 
still wouldn't have known about it, even though she was supposed to be there 
already, if she was born in Sept 1980.

I'll just er... get my coat ;o)
Sara