Time-line Questions (Long)

Tue Aug 15 01:47:52 UTC 2006

No: HPFGUIDX 156935

Just thought I'd ask some questions to see if the HP4GU colleagues agree on the time-lines of the series. While I'm at it, bring up topical questions concerning the time-lines. I am a big proponent of Red_Hen who use to post on here as jodel_from_aol.
  Lots of this comes from her analysis of canonical evidence combined with JKR interviews and other info (e.g. Black Family Tapestry-BFT).

  Riddle Years

  Tom Riddle - born Dec 31, 1926.  Enters Hogwarts Sep 1, 1938. Graduates June 1945
  That would put his openning of the CoS in the Spring/Summer of '43, his 5th year.
  Tom then spends a years or so in the employ of B&B before the Hepzibah/Hokie incident when he departs Britain on his 'Dark Arts Quest'. He's gone for 10 years.

  -- In the Scholastic interview after the release of Gof (Potterverse summer of '95) JKR tells us McGonagall is a sprightly 70 year old. That puts her born in '25 or late '24. Which also puts her entering Hogwarts in Sep '36, two years before Tom and makes her a seventh-year when the CoS is openned. Significant?

  -- According to the BFT, Sirius' mum was born in '25 putting her 1-2 years ahead of Tom. Sirius' dad born in '29 putting him 2-3 years behind Tom. Hmmm, family of dark wizards, always sorted into Slytherin, but neither of em DEs?

  Vold War I Starts

  Tom returns in Dec '56 - Jan '57 to make his request for the DADA position. Dumbledore has become headmaster in Dec '56 and McGonagall is hired as Transfiguration Teacher at the same time. This ties in with Minerva telling Umbridge in the fall of 1995 that she will have been teaching "39 years this December".

  -- So are we agreed that Lupin's comment in PoA of "But then Dumbledore became Headmaster" is just another 'cheese blintz' (thank you houyhnhnm) coming out of Lupin's mouth? Wasn't DD the Headmaster before Lupin was born?

  Marauders Enter

  According to the charity BFT, Bella is born in '51 putting her entering Hogwarts in '62 or '63 at the latest. That means if Snape hung around with the 'Lestranges' at school (according to Sirius in GoF), Snape and the Marauders can enter Hogwarts no later than '69. Meaning the Marauders are born in '57 or '58. 

  -- This goes against the Lexicon. It also contradicts JKR's comments that (1) Snape is 35 or 36 in the summer of '95 and (2) Sirius is around 22 when he goes to Azkaban in '81. Which way do we like it? Add a year or so to JKR's age estimates or do we find fault with the BFT (remember, the BFT has Bella being born when her father is 13. This isn't the only problem with dates on the BFT). I'm hesitant to correct Bella's birth year for fear that it might be significant and I while I can see JKR not paying too close attention to earlier generations I can't see JKR messing up on the dates of her front line players. I suppose we could discount Sirius' comment, but this would definitely be my last choice. There couldn't be another married Lestranges? No, that throws too much out of whack.

  -- In the summer of '95, Sirius shows Harry the BFT. Canon states, "REGELUS BLACK. A date of death (some fifteen years previously) followed the date of birth."  (OotP, US, p.112). This makes Regelus dying in 1980, right? This certainly can't be an *unreliable narrator*, it's a straight forward statement of fact. Now, JKR comes out with her   charity BFT which says Regulus is born in '61 and dies in '79. I wonder which we should believe? This date, whichever is correct, has to be critical to the story, no?

  Backtracking a little; Using the above Marauder dates means that Molly must graduate no later than June '69, since she missed the planting of the Whomping Willow. That puts her and Aurthur born no later than '52 and probably in '51 making them contemporaries with Bella. I don't see any problem with this. Also, Lucius Malfoy is 41 years old in the fall of '95 meaning he was born in '54, a couple years, at least, younger than Aurthur. BTW, Rita is 43 in the fall of '94 meaning she was born in '51 also. How delicious!!

  The Weasleys

  Bill must be born in '70, Charlie in Dec '72, Percy in Aug '76, the twins in Apr '78. This makes Charlie entering Hogwarts in Sep '84 and graduating in Jun '91 before Harry enters in Sep '91. Backtracking both McGonagall and Oliver Wood's comments during PoA, Gryffindor last won the Quidditch Cup in '86, Charlie's second year at school. Kinda makes you wonder where Wood gets all his adoration for a player that last won the Cup a year before he entered school, doesn't it? And Gryffindor didn't win the Cup for Charlie's last five years at school. Hmmm, the *Legendary Charlie Weasley*?

  I welcome any comments, corrections, challenges, or compliments <g>. Especially, if I missed something in canon. Speaking of canon, do we consider canon only what's written in the HP books, or does it include things like FBAWTFT, or even JKR's charity BFT?

  Did anyone else notice that in the bottom left corner of the charity BFT it says, "Credits: Aberforth the Marauder (Intelligence)," ? Is this another obscure clue, cause there are a lot of parts of the BFT that don't seem very intelligent? At least they don't make sense pending some revelation in book 7.

  Thanx for your indulgence,
  Mike

  P.S. In that Scholastic, 2000 interview with JKR there was this:

  Question: What position did James play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team? Was it seeker like Harry, or something different?
J.K. Rowling responds: James was Chaser.

  Oh Really?!

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