6th Year Apparation Confirmation

[Risti]

No: HPFGUIDX 73002

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> Can anyone confirm for sure which year students begin to study
> apparation? 
> 
> It would seem to be 6th year, since Fred & George are currently (or
> were) in their 7th year and already have their license to Apparate.
> 

This is actually something that's bugged me since my first read 
through of OotP.  If of age is seventeen, Fred and George have 
obviously turned 17 since the start of the triwizard tournament.  
However, Percy didn't learn to apparate until after his seventh 
year.  This suggests he turned seventeen in his seventh year.  JKR 
confirmed North American schooling age cut offs with Hermione's age, 
in which this makes sense.  The twins have an 'early' birthday
(spring), while Percy has a late birthday(fall).  However, Angelina 
apparantly turned seventeen in the fall of her 6th year, since she 
is now in her seventh.  This implies that she is in fact 18 most of 
her seventh year.  Yet Percy was seventeen when he left HOgwarts.  
Or is this all settled by saying that Percy took his apparation test 
late.  This is possible, but doesn't seem likely.

~Risti