Draco's age on the tower (Was: Draco and Dumbledore)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 160054

Anisur Rahman Alamgir wrote:
>
> 
> Draco launched the attacks while he was still underage, but had
passed > his seventeenth birthday by the time he arrived on the tower.
Then he could make a choice with full knowledge of what he was doing.
I don't see him as mature enough to do so earlier and I think canon
> bears this out.
> 
> 
> Thanks anis

Carol responds:
I believe you're quoting Pippin here, is that correct? If so, it's
important to credit her (and, as the List Elves will tell you, to add
to the discussion with some new point).

Pippin's information comes from JKR's website (Draco's birthday is
June 5) combined with the statement in HBP itself that June had
arrived. However, we don't know exactly how many days into June the
events on the tower occurred. Draco could have been a few days short
of his seventeenth birthday, which raises the question of whether he
would have been tried as an adult if he had succeeded in AKing
Dumbledore. For that matter, if Ron or Katie had died, would the MoM
have taken his age into consideration? The Katie incident occurred in
October and the poisoned mead was bought in December (when he was
sixteen and a half), but he was only three months short of his
seventeenth birthday by the time Ron was poisoned (March 1). Surely
the arbitrariness of becoming a "man" (or "woman") at seventeen would
be acknowledged, and Draco would be understood to be responsible for
his actions throughout the year. (I wonder to what extent he'd be
considered guilty of manipulating Madam Rosmerta if someone else, a DE
accomplice, cast the Imperius Curse.)

I agree with Pippin (and Magpie) that we see Draco slowly growing up
during this year (although I see it more as an understanding of what
death really means than the development of compassion or higher
ethical standards), but I don't think he magically acquired the
maturity to see the consequences of his actions by passing his
seventeenth birthday.

I do wonder, however, what Draco as a "man" of seventeen will think of
Snape's Unbreakable Vow to protect him, if it's still in effect. I
rather think he'll rebel against it and bully Narcissa into reversing
it (Bella wouldn't require bullying to act as unbinder, even if she
could be intimidated by Draco, which is most unlikely).

Carol, who doesn't think we can take Draco's being of legal age on the
tower for granted as it isn't stated in the book and who hopes that
JKR will tell us more about what actually happened with Draco and his
accomplices