Timing of the prophecy

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 117526


Hickengruendler wrote:
> 
> I don't think we should take Trelawney's statement to literally. Seh 
> said she worked in Hogwarts for nearly sixteen years in the scene you 
> mentioned, and then again she said that she's in Hogwarts for sixteen 
> years, in the scene where she's sacked. All that it means is IMO that 
> she was hired between October 1979th and April or May 1980. Not a 
> very specific date, but I don't think we can come any closer in our 
> guesses.
> 
> It's the same about Snape. He said in September/October that he 
> worked in Hogwarts for fourteen years. If we took it literally, he 
> was hired nefore Voldie's downfall. But it's way more likely that he 
> was speaking losely and was hired in November, after Harry defeated 
> Voldemort. That would still count as 14 years, even if not exactly.

Carol notes:
I agree that the date for Trelawney is imprecise, but "nearly sixteen
years" suggests the winter of 1979-80 rather than a later date, which
would be more like fifteen and a half years. Snape, however, normally
speaks precisely. I think he would say "almost fourteen years" rather
than "fourteen years" if he were hired in early November (after
Godric's Hollow). It's quite possible, and IMO probable, that he was
hired in late August to begin teaching on September 1, the beginning
of term. (I think he was already teaching at Hogwarts when the Potters
were killed and that it was some change in his Dark Mark that alerted
Dumbledore to their deaths, but of course that's speculation.)

At any rate, there is no evidence to indicate that "fourteen years" is
anything other than a straightforward statement of fact, and only the
assumption that he must have been hired after Godric's Hollow causes
some readers to take it as an approximation.

Carol