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

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 176836

---  "Sali Morris" <salilouisa at ...> wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> Sali:
> 
> He doesn't turn 18 in DH, but he does have an extra 
> birthday which makes him 37 in the epilogue. At the
> end of the last chapter he is 17. Plus 19 years 
> makes him 36 in the summer before the epilogue (early
> summer 2017?). He then has a birthday between the 
> exact 19 years on from the end of the last chapter 
> and the epilogue which takes place September that 
> year.
> 
> Sali, who has checked and re-checked her maths but is
> still terrified of it being wrong


bboyminn:

I think you are probably right. At the time of 
Voldemort's death, Harry is 17. But what was the
month? These final events usually occur in June
near the end of the school year. 

Regardless, June will serve this example. So, one 
month later, on July 31, Harry turns 18. Now 19 years
later makes Harry 18+19=37. But it is September 1, so
that makes Harry roughly 37 years and 1 month old at 
the time we see him at the train station. 

Young James seems to have been going to Hogwarts
for a while, so, I'm going to peg his age, partly
base on his behavior and demeanor, at about 13 or 14.
Nineteen years minus 14 years leaves 5 years for the
Gang to grow up and establish themselves and further 
establish their relationship.

JKR said she jumped 19 years in the future because
she didn't want Harry and the gang to get married
as to start having babies so young. She wanted to
give them some time to grow up and also to have a
span of normal life before settling down. 

>From my above calculations, is seems that the
growing up span was 5 years. 

Still the question remains, why not 20 years? I can
understand why she didn't want to drop back to 15
years. That's too soon to have the family dymanic
we see in the Epilogue. Twenty Five years is also too
long to see the same family dynamic. Still it seems
such an odd number?

For what it's worth.

Steve/bboyminn