[HPforGrownups] Wizards' Ages

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 111807

Finwitch wrote:
>Teaching - well, possibly. But anyone wanting a NEW job is probably
>young, considering the old ones are either employed or retired
>already.

If the WW is in a steady or a rising state population-wise, then the
Ministry would continue to want new staff from Hogwarts graduates every
year. Given the entrance requirements, it would probably take a majority of
them.

But it's refreshing to know that the WW doesn't appear to be a gerontocracy
and that the Percies and Tonkses of this world don't have to wait for 50
people more senior than them to retire before they can get anywhere!

>And as to how it didn't come up yet... I mean, plotwise, how could it
>have? What could bring out Harry's interest? Now that he's met
>someone older than Dumbledore, he might have wanted to ask about it,
>(but Dumbledore was away, as well as any other adult he *could* ask
>such a question). When Dumbledore met Harry, there was the Sirius'
>death to worry about etc.

One interesting point is that you'd expect there to be far more grandparents
in evidence than there actually are. The only one we come across (AFAIK) is
grandma Longbottom, and even she's a widow. As JKR has said that there's
nothing noteworthy about Harry's grandparents, then I presume that this is
just perspective and that there wasn't an enormous cull of elders during
Voldemort's rebellion! (The WW doesn't in any case behave as if it's
recently had this size of trauma,)

Cheers

Ffred

O Benryn wleth hyd Luch Reon
Cymru yn unfryd gerhyd Wrion
Gwret dy Cymry yghymeiri