Dumbledore hiding...Marchbank's Age

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 98254

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "finwitch" <finwitch at y...> wrote:

> 
>  Finwitch:
>  ...edited...
>
> Marchbanks  was also one who said: 'did things with a wand I had 
> never seen before' (just how  old IS she, if it's true that *she* 
> graded Albus Dumbledore's OWLs and NEWTs?! Has she, perhaps, a 
> connection to N. Flamel and taken a little of his Life Elixir?)
>  
> ...edited...
> 

bboy_mn:

Well, I'm probably not going to add much to the current direction of
this thread since I am going off on a tangent, but none the less, here
it is.

I too have wondered just how old Madame Marchbanks is. To preface my
comment, let's estabish the maximum lifespan of a wizard. Remember
that MAXIMUM lifespan, not average lifespan. I estimate that wizards
live twice a long as muggles. Muggle have a /potential/ lifespan of
about 120. A few people in the real world do live to an age that
approaches this limit. But I think the number who actually reach it is
EXTREMELY small, if any. Barring some extraordinary break through in
medicine and lifestyle, 120 seems to be the upper boundary.

That would bring the MAX lifespan of a wizard/witch to about 240.
Functionally, that would mean several wizards and witches would live
to an age greater than 200, just as more and more muggle reach an age
of 100 or more.

Now Madame Marchbanks. I think the least she could be is 30 years
older than Dumbledore making her about 180. But I think she would need
more experience to become a Standardized Test Administrator for the
Ministry, so I would suggest that 50 years older than Dumbledore is
more likely. That would make her about 200, and I think her
description relative to Dumbledore's physical description would bare
that out. 

Given Marchbanks age of about 200 (100 in muggle years) and her
physical description, I think she would be luck to make it another 20
years (110 in muggle years). R.I.P - Madame Marchbanks, dead at the
age of 220 (give or take a couple of years).



> Finwitch:
> 
>  Oh, and just as many times as Hermione says that Hogwarts: a 
> History claims you cannot apparate or disapparate into/from Hogwarts
> - but does that necessarily include apparating *within* Hogwarts, as
> long as you don't leave the grounds? (I see the anti-apparating as a
> shield that can't be passed by apparating - it doesn't seem to 
> prevent portkeys or floo, anyway).
> 
> I'd suspect that if one needs to learn how to apparate, one could do 
> it within the Room of Requirement?
>   
>  Finwitch


bboy_mn:

I'm not sure I want to buy into the idea of Dumbledore lurking about
the castle in invisible form while Umbridge scours the countryside for
him. It's an interesting thought, but I suspect there were plenty of
things Dumbledore could do away from the castle to keep himself occupied. 

The most likely place would have been Grimmauld Place, but even if he
went there, I doubt that he would hang around all day having tea with
Sirius. More likely is that he would have used his time away from his
school administration duties to gather intelligence and contact
supporters to re-enforce the ranks of the Order. 

Like I said, Dumbledore hiding in the castle in invisible form is a
nice thought; cool to think of him in the castle standing right next
to Umbridge while Umbridge is having the wizard world searched for
him, but to me, it seems an incredible waste of time and opportunity
for Dumdledore.

But then... that's just my opinion.

bboy_mn