Noneteen years (WAS Re: What Next for Harry?)

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 176776

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jdl3811220" <jlenox2004 at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Zara" <zgirnius@> wrote:
> >
> > > Allie:
> > > 
> > > I immediately thought JKR was making a little nod to Stephen King 
> > with 
> > > her "19 years later," since it seemed such an odd, uneven 
> number.  
> > > (Why not 20 years later?  Or 15?)  
> > 
> > zgirnius:
> > For most of DH, Harry is 18. 19 years later, on Sept. 1, the day we 
> are 
> > shown, he is 37. This is the age Snape, Lupin, and Peter were, and 
> > Lily, James, and Sirius would have been, had they all been alive in 
> DH.
> > 
> > My thought for why it was 19.
> 
> Jenni from Alabama responds:
> 
> When did Harry have another birthday after leaving the Burrow 
> and 'hiding out' with Ron and Hermione? When did he turn eighteen? 
> Could you point that out in the book? I'm really curious! I've read 
> DH and haven't seen it!

Geoff:
He doesn't. This is either suspect Maths - again! - or not reading canon.

We already know that Harry was 11 in July 1991 and that DH is set during 
the academic year 1997/98 when Harry should have been in the Second 
Year Sixth had he returned to Hogwarts.

Canon states:
'Yaxley waited but Voldemort did not speak, so he went on. "Dawlish, 
the Auror, let slip that Potter will not be moved until the thirtieth, the 
night before the boy turns seventeen."'
(DH "The Dark Lord Ascending" p,11 UK edition)

This is in the summer holiday between the HBP year and the next Autumn 
term. We know that the Trio were at Godric's Hollow just before Christmas 
so the final confrontations were in 1998 before he reached 18.