Hermione's Magical Power - Molly and Arthur's age

[aja_1991]

No: HPFGUIDX 55597

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Marina" <marinaj_22 at y...> 
wrote:
> mmboy (or was it Fox?) wrote:
> <<
> I agree with you that Arthur and James couldn't have gone to school 
> together.  But, dude -- you like the odds that a 70-year-old Molly
> Weasley has a ten-year-old child?  :-)
> >>
> 
> Me again:
> 
> I think the odds that Molly is in her 70s are more than good. In 
>chapter 31 of GoF, not only does Molly say that the Whomping Willow 
>was planted after she left school, she also "reminisced at lenght 
>about the gamekeeper before Hagrid, a man called Ogg". 
> 
> We know Hagrid was expelled fifty years before CoS, and if memory 
>serves, he became gamekeeper right after, so that means Molly had 
>either already finished school at the time, or was somewhere between 
>her 1st and 7th year at Hogwarts (because if not, she wouldn't 
>remember Ogg) . That would make her at least 63 (but I think she's 
>older than that). 

My turn:
You are making an argument similar to Steve (bboy_mn), namely that 
Molly (and presumably Arthur) are older than Hagrid because they 
remember the gamekeeper before Hagrid.

First, to nitpick a bit, Molly and Arthur could certainly be younger -
 or the same age as - Hagrid.  My reading of the argument you are 
making is that Hagrid immediately became gamekeeper upon his 
expulsion in his third year at Hogwarts, so if Molly can remember 
Ogg, she must be older than Hagrid.  (There's another possible 
reading, which I'll get to shortly).  Assuming this, Molly could 
remember Ogg if she was at Hogwarts at the time, including if she was 
in her first or second year (younger than Hagrid), third year (same 
age as Hagrid), or fourth year up (slightly older than Hagrid).  So 
even with that reading, there's no assurances that she's older (or 
significantly older) than Hagrid.

Secondly, let's take in to account the possibility that a 13 year old 
boy (Hagrid) might not become gamekeeper right away, but need some 
kind of tutelage.  Hagrid does seem a natural around wild magical 
creatures, but even then he probably needs *some* training, even if 
only for a few years.  So a previous gamekeeper would be around to 
train Hagrid as an assistant.  If the previous gamekeeper were 
anything other than a very old witch/wizard, he/she might not decide 
to retire right away either.  (I can't see Dumbledore or Dippet 
expelling Hagrid, then turning around and firing the current 
gamekeeper so Hagrid has a job, or a fantastic coincidence that Ogg 
is in his final year and is retiring anyway).  In the intervening 
years, following the expulsion of Hagrid, the gamekeeper retires, and 
Hagrid takes over full time.  Somewhere in that time period, Molly 
comes to Hogwarts, meets and builds her store of memories about Ogg, 
and later reminisces to her children.

Third point (and this is purely on memory, so very subject...) I 
think Hagrid's title is "Keeper of Keys and *Grounds*" at Hogwarts.  
Or at least, that's how he introduces himself to Harry when the first 
meet.  (Possibly movie contamination here...).  No mention of being 
the *gamekeeper*.  Is it possible Hagrid shortly after expulsion 
became groundskeeper (wonder if he knew Frank Bryce?), then sometime 
later, after Ogg retired, took on the position of gamekeeper as well?

And finally, in my reading of this quote:  "reminisced at length 
about the gamekeeper before Hagrid, a man called Ogg" - I took into 
account what might be called the familiarity factor.  If Hagrid was 
serving an apprenticeship or was otherwise employed at the time Molly 
was at Hogwarts, while she would know Hagrid (or at least of him - 
who could miss him?), she'd realize her children already know Hagrid, 
and might think they'd like to know about the man he succeeded in the 
position.  It's entirely possible that she's shared memories of 
Hagrid with her children - and Harry - around the dinner table at 
home, but being back at school brought back memories of her days 
there.


aja_1991, who sees Hagrid as mid-60s, Arthur and Molly as early 50s, 
Lucius as mid-late 40s, and the surviving Marauders as mid 30s.