Timeline Speculations

[xmezumiiru]

No: HPFGUIDX 56796

I have thought of some interesting things regarding the timeline of 
events.

I was reading the books and ran across these lines:

[Dumbledore said,] "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven 
years." (HP&PS/SS, USpb, pp. 10)

[Wizarding card read,] "
defeat of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald in 
1945
"(HP&PS/SS, USpb, pp. 103)

[Riddle wrote,] "In my fifth year..." (HP&CoS, USpb, pp. 241)

[D. Malfoy said,] "Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was 
before his [L. Malfoy's] time..." (HP&CoS, USpb, pp. 223)


Therefore, I have come up with a question that I will post at the end 
after I put together a reasonable timeline.


Known facts:

1926: Tom M. Riddle born (calculated from above cited quotes)

1942: Chamber of Secrets opened for the first time by Riddle 
(calculated from above cited quotes)

1945: The Defeat of Grindelwald by Albus Dumbledore; Riddle graduates 
from Hogwarts (calculated from above cited quotes)

1970: Beginning of Voldemort's Reign of Terror (calculated according 
to above cited quote)

1980: Harry Potter is born

1981: Voldemort is beaten for the first time

1991: H. Potter begins Hogwarts

Assumed facts:

1971-1977: Marauders' and Severus Snape's school years (if assume 
Snape is 31 at the beginning of (HP&PS/SS)

Since Voldemort's Reign of Terror began before the Marauders' and 
Snape's graduation, Snape and the rest of his classmates could not 
have been the original Death Eaters. Therefore, there must have been 
another set of (older) people that were Death Eaters before them. 

It would be logical then to assume that the generation (I use 
generation as in groups of ages [i.e. Baby Boomer generation or 
Generation X], not as familial generations) that included the 
Marauder's and Snape's parents and the generation in between the 
Marauders' and Snape's parents and the Marauders and Snape were these 
Death Eaters and fighters. But there is no evidence in the books that 
states there are elder Death Eaters beyond Snape's classmates. That 
means they are 1) unnamed, 2) retired, or 3) dead. 

If the generation that included the Marauder's and Snape's parents 
served under Voldemort, then they would have been to Hogwarts 
themselves during Grindelwald's Reign of Terror and thus, classmates 
of Riddle. 


Conjuncture:

Going by the timeline I have created, there is a 25 year gap between 
the time Riddle graduated and Voldemort began his Reign of Terror. 
This is an awfully long time. So what was he doing? The obvious 
answer to that is he was studying the Dark Arts and ways to make 
himself immortal.

Riddle would have begun his studies of the Dark Arts right after 
Grindelwald fell. In our own history, there is more than ample 
evidence that show anything that is related to a tyrant or dictator 
is destroyed and beaten back for years (i.e. Hussain in current 
times, Hitler after WWII, the Witch Trails, Akenaton of Egypt). I 
doubt that the wizarding world would be any different, although the 
only evidence of this is Hagrid's reluctance to even allude to 
Voldemort's name. (HP&PP/SS USpb, pp. 54) Where would Riddle have 
gone, then, to gain that knowledge of the Dark Arts if everyone was 
so afraid of it? 

And what took so long for his return? If he was afraid of Dumbledore, 
why did he choose that particular time to become popular again. 
Surly, if Voldemort had found the secret of living forever, or merely 
extending his life, he would have waited the next two decades before 
Dumbledore died, as Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald. That wait would 
have made him about 70 years old, as old as McGonagall. Perhaps he 
used his (young) ages 40-50 to lure his first army of Death Eater, 
which would have been just about his age and the following 
generation.  

But even so, 25 years is a long time. 

Hitler needed only a few years to convince his people to rise against 
the world. He emerged from prison in 1925 and led the first military 
march in 1926. In 1931, he was named President of the Nazi party and 
1933, dictator. In 1936, he led his armies to their first military 
takeover of another country. (_Hitler: A Study of Tyranny_; Bullock, 
Alan; First Perennial Library; 1971)

To conclude, Hitler needed eight years to take over his country and 
eleven to take over another. We all know the story from there, so I 
will not reiterate. Granted, Hitler knew much of politics and war-
craft, being a "Meldeganger", a messenger, but did not Riddle have 
magic training in Hogwarts?




So I ask again, what was Voldemort doing in the 26 year gap? Where 
would Riddle have gone to gain that knowledge of the Dark Arts? What 
was so special about 1970 that he started then and not before? Was he 
waiting for a special group of people to come into power, or leave 
power? Perhaps he was for the government that presided over 
Grindelwald's time to leave, as this would be the relative time the 
last would. 

Another idea is that if (big if) the Marauders' and Snape's parents 
were the original Death Eater, and their parents were the followers 
of Grindelwald, perhaps familial obligations are not so far fetched 
in the making of the Death Eater and hence the ultimate bias against 
Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and others in Slytherin in H. Potter's 
generation is not as childish as first appears.

Any thoughts or comments?

Chris
-who lays awake at night because of a cold

PS: Thanks be to Kathryn Cawte and Anna Benassi for help with the 
correct dates.