Twins' age and when they leave Hogwarts

[psychic_serpent]

No: HPFGUIDX 43246

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "lupinesque" <lupinesque at y...> wrote:
> Jodel asked:
> 
> > Where exactly does it say that the WW counts 17 as being "of 
> > age"? 
 
> GoF, chapter 12.
> 
> "Only students who are of age--that is to say, seventeen years or 
> older--will be allowed to put forward their names for 
> consideration."
> 
> What is not clear is how this corresponds to being "of age" in the 
> Muggle world (what kind of "of age" anyway?  drinking, marriage, 
> military service, voting . . . ?  and *which* Muggle world?).  

Thanks for finding that, Amy!  (Saved me the trouble--I just read 
that to my son recently.)  I strongly suspect that JKR chose 
seventeen because it is the age at which teenagers may legally drive 
cars in the UK.  I originally saw this connection in the section of 
GoF in which Percy's excitement about Apparition is discussed 
(Apparating downstairs every morning, just to prove he can do it).  
I think JKR may be thinking of Apparition in the wizarding world as 
the Muggle equivalent of driving a car.  Since the drinking age in 
the UK is 18 and students often leave school at 16, after taking 
their GCSEs (formerly O-Levels, which JKR lampoons with the 
O.W.L.s), the logical parallel is with the driving age. 

--Barb

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