Percy's B/day & new FLINT? (was New B-day on JKR's site )

[carolynwhite2]

No: HPFGUIDX 110906

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "carolynwhite2" 
<carolynwhite2 at a...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, shalimar07 at a... wrote:
> > Just thought I'd let everyone know that the birthday has changed 
to 
> > 22/08/04 for Percy Weasley.
> > 
> > "shalimar07"
> 
> 
> Actually, that must be 22nd August *1976*....
> 
> Carolyn


Carolyn (again)
I just posted the above, but realised I made a mistake, and hasten to 
correct it before another L.O.O.N. steps in.

If Percy's birthday is 22nd August, this means he was born in 1977, 
not 1976. The reasoning is as follows:

The books are dated from Nick's death day, 31st October in CoS. He 
has been dead 500 years and died in 1492. This means CoS is set in 
(1492+500) 1992/1993.

In POA (1993/4), Percy is in his 7th and final year and sitting his 
NEWTS. In GOF, Ch 6 (1994/5), he had passed his apparition test 'two 
weeks ago', which you can't do until you are a WW 'adult', ie 17. 

If he was 17 in the summer of 1995, this means he was born in August 
1977.

So that sorts that out then, but in working this out, I came across 
what I think is yet another dating FLINT.

GOF Ch 2 opens on a Saturday morning, with Harry trying to remember 
his dream about Voldemort. It states quite clearly 'there was still a 
fortnight to go before he went back to school'. In the opening 
paragraph of Ch 4, it is even more specific, he was: 'counting the 
days down to September the first' - the day he goes back to school. 

Sept 1st in 1995 was a Friday (not a Monday as is stated later). But 
setting aside the often-made point that she forces all her Sept 1st's 
onto Mondays, regardless of their real dates, her own internal logic 
causes additional problems now we know Percy's birthday.

For JKR's own dating to work, Harry must have been having his dream 
on the night of Friday/Saturday 18/19th August (I'm using the real 
dates here, but they are about 2 weeks before the end of the month). 
He is then collected by the Weasley's on Sunday 20th August, and they 
go to the QWC overnight on Monday/Tuesday 21st/22nd. However, the 
22nd is now supposed to be Percy's birthday - so this dating must be 
wrong. The events relating to the QWC have to be taking place on 
22nd+2 weeks, ie 4th/5th September, if the comments about Percy 
passing his apparition test 'two weeks ago' are also true.

It is also evident that the kids don't go back to school for about a 
week after the QWC - 'neither Mr Weasley or Percy was at home much 
over the following week' (Ch 10), and they are described as getting 
their things together 'the Sunday evening before they were due to 
return to Hogwarts'. Well, by now, this has to be Sunday 10th 
September, not the 1st !

Explanations for this muddle?

1. JKR certainly didn't bother to consult a calendar when writing the 
books (well, we pretty much know this by now).

2. You can take your apparition test before your 17th birthday.

3. She forgot she'd made Percy's birthday the 22nd August. Even 
cutting her some slack on the real dates, her internal chronology 
only really works if his birthday is sometime at the end of July or 
early August.

Carolyn
Exasperated yet again by JKR's maths...