Parents' ages (was Re: Schooldays)

[Andrea]

No: HPFGUIDX 55540

--- Faith wrote:
> I'm just reading CoS again and I'm up to the point
> where Arthur and Lucius 
> start to fight, and had a thought. This has probably
> been discussed before.. 
> But Harry, Ron and Draco all being the same age and
> all, what are the odds 
> that Arthur, Lucius and James all went to school
> together? I realize that Ron 
> is the second youngest, which would probably mean
> that Arthur is somewhat 
> older than Lucius and James, but it still makes for
> some interesting 
> thoughts. 

I doubt that ALL of them were in school together.  For one, it's a little
too convenient, and as you said, Ron was the sixth child and Harry the
first, so their parents are probably not the same age.  We know at the
very least that Molly and Arthur pre-date MWPP&L's time by at least a few
years.  Molly said the Whomping Willow was planted after she left, and we
know she and Arthur were in school at about the same time because they
were caught out together after curfew by the caretaker, Pringle.  So they
have to be at least 7 years older than the MWPP crew, since the Whomping
Willow was planted when Lupin *started* and they couldn't even be 7th
years then.

As for Lucius, we don't have any details about when HE went to school,
other than it was more recently than Tom Riddle. (Draco says the last time
the Chamber was opened was "before his time".)  I know a lot of people put
him in the same time as MWPP and make him part of Snape's gang of
Slytherins, but that has just never sat well with me.  I personally think
he's a contemporary of Arthur, and they had a bit of a schoolboy rivalry
that's carried on through the years.  A man of wealth and position often
waits a few years to get settled and all wild oats sown before settling
down with a wife and child, rather than marrying and having a baby right
out of school like the Potters did.  

Now, I think the Weasleys are the *exact* type to get married and start a
family right out of school, so we have a good approximate date for their
school leaving -- 9 months before Bill's birth. ;)  Unfortunately, we
don't actually have a set age for Bill.  We know that Bill is older than
Charlie and Charlie's last year of Quidditch was 6 years before POA (POA
would've been the 7th year in a row they lost the Quidditch Cup.)  I think
it's most logical that he played right through his 7th year, so that puts
him at approximately 24 in POA, 11 years older than Harry. (Always
assuming my math is right, which is never a safe assumption to make. [g]) 
My *guess* for Bill's age is two years above Charlie, which is the Weasley
standard. (Percy's two years older than the twins, who are two years older
than Ron.  Just the extra long gap between Charlie and Percy and the
shorter one between Ron and Ginny.)  So that puts Bill at 26, 13 years
older than Harry.  

Which means Arthur and Molly (and IMO, Lucius) are around 13-15 years
older than MWPP & co.  Phew. :)


Andrea

=====
"Reality is for people who lack imagination."

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