School cut-off date WAS:Riddle and Grindelwald in 1945

[romulusmmcdougal]

No: HPFGUIDX 109290

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, udder_pen_dragon <udderpd at y...> 
wrote:
<snipped>

> Now Udderpd
> 
> Hermione Jane Granger was born on 19th September 1980. In the PoA 
>Dumbledore refers to Harry and Hermione as two thirteen year old 
>wizards. Making her the youngest of the trio and her birth year 1980.

Udderpd,
Yes, if you read Dumbledore's meaning that way, then yes they were 
both 13 yrs old at the time.
However, there is another way that Dumbledore can refer to them as 
"two thirteen year olds".  He can be referring to them as "two 
thirteen year olds" in the same manner that he refers to them as "two 
3rd years".
Let me explain.  First, Professor Dumbledore is not in charge of 
sending out the letters of invitation to those "about to turn
eleven." 
Professor McGonagall is.  So Dumbledore would not know the exact 
birthdays of ANY OF THE STUDENTS.  All he would know is that a
student 
is eleven years old when he is in his first year, twelve when he is
in 
his second year, and so on.
Secondly, the movie PoA, based on the book, and screenwritten by a 
person in close collaboration with Jo Rowling herself, had that scene 
from the book supplemented with the presence of Ron Weasley.
In the movie, Dumbledore refers to them as "three thirteen year old 
wizards".  Well, the date being in late spring or early summer makes 
Ron Weasley fourteen years old (Ron's B-day = March 1st) and 
Dumbledore WRONG IF you read it to mean that they were indeed all 13 
years old at that moment.
But Dumbledore is not wrong if he is referring to "thirteen year
olds" 
as being synonymous with "third year students".
Therefore, the objection that Dumbledore makes them 13 years old at 
the exact time of his statement falls.
To repeat:  1. Dumbledore does not know the birthdays of all the 
students since he has nothing to do with their letters of invitation 
to Hogwarts.
2.  The reference used by Dumbledore about "thirteen year olds" is a 
general term used to describe all the students in the 3rd year.

And finally, there is absolutely nothing "clever" about dentists 
naming their child Hermione if she was born in 1980.
In the Q&A at the National Press Club, October 20, 1999, Jo Rowling 
stated, in regard to Hermione's name, that it came from a
character in 
Shakespeare's play A Winter's Tale, although Jo says that the 
characters are not at all similar. Jo thought it made sense for a 
couple of professional dentists to name their only daughter something 
like that to show how "clever" they were.
If she was born in 1979, on the other hand, there exists a QUADRUPLE 
significance about her name and September 19, 1979.  And this would 
show that the Grangers were VERY CLEVER indeed!

RMM
www.hermionegranger.us