How old is Bella? (WAS: Bellatrix as 'Bella)

[bibphile]

No: HPFGUIDX 69384

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Kirstini" <kirst_inn at y...> 
wrote:
> The Sergeant Majorette places her at about Lucius' age, and I 
myself 
> had always assumed that she was ages with MWPP, based on 
> Sirius' "gang of Slytherins" comment in GoF. She has to be at an 
age 
> where Snape would have associated with her, doesn't she? However, 
I 
> noticed that in "The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black" Sirius 
> mentions that he hasn't seen her since he was Harry's age. "Ah," I 
> thought. "So that means she was two years older, and left Hogwarts 
> at seventeen." The trouble is that that really *would* make her 
> Lucius' age, or just one year younger. What I don't understand, in 
> this case, is why Lucius himself wasn't included in the "gang of 
> Slytherins"? Also, would a third year, for example, associate with 
a 
> first year? Narcissa and Andromeda are also problems. I want to 
> order them, age-wise, NAB, but the family tree went the other way 
> round. Can anyone do maths?
> Kirstini
> head throbbing

Here's the best I can do.

Bellatrix is oldest because that's what the family tree says.  If 
she ran with Snape, then I doubt she more than two years older than 
him.  That would put her 39, if I'm not mistaken.  Like you said, 
that fits with what Sirius said about how long it had been since he 
saw her.  I think it would also put her two years younger than 
Lucius.  That would also put her about half-way between Lucius and 
Snape.  Maybe sometimes she ran with Lucius and sometimes with 
Snape.  Or she could have started running with Snape during her 6th 
and 7th years after Lucius finished school.

Andromeda is listed second on the family tree.  I'm going to assumes 
she's only 1 year younger than Bellatrix.  That would put her at 
38.  Tonks seems to be 22.  Maybe she wanted to get away from her 
family just like Sirius did.  This would be especially true with her 
being in love with the muggle-born Ted Tonks.  She could have left 
school after O.W.L.s and married Ted Tonks right away.  (This would 
be easier if he were a couple of years older than her and had taken 
his N.E.W.T.s, but could also work if he chose to leave after 
O.W.L.s as well.)  Then Tonks was born less than a year later.

Nacissa is listed as the youngest.  Assuming she left Hogwarts at 
the regular age and then had Draco, she between 34 and 37.  Maybe 
Lucius likes younger women.

I hope this helps.  It's the only timeline I could think of that 
fits with the information we have in the books.

bibphile