Age and the Order

[Geoff]

No: HPFGUIDX 188632



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "bboyminn" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:
>
> 
> 
> ---  "Geoff" <gbannister10@> wrote:
> >
> > ---  "bboyminn" <bboyminn@> wrote:

bboyminn:
> > 
> > > Yes, but that tells us when the Order existed, but not
> > > necessarily when it was formed. ... 
> > > ... the Order could have been formed at any point in 
> > > Dumbledore's lifetime, and for any reason. 
> > > 
> > > ...

Geoff:
> > Canon implies that it was formed after Grindelwald and not 
> > as a social club:

> > '"What is this place, anyway?" he (Harry) shot at Ron and 
> > Hermione.
> > ...
> > "It's a secret society." said Hermione quickly. "Dumbledore's 
> > in charge, he founded it. It's the people who fought against 
> > You-Know-Who last time."
> > ...
> > I interpret this as saying that it was formed during Voldemort's 
> > first war.
 
bboyminn:

> And it well might have been, but my point was - we don't know.
 
> Your quote that "It's the people who fought against You-Know-Who
> last time" is not mutually exclusive with my idea.

> It could have been formed 50 years before as friends getting
> together for afternoon tea, and it could have still been
> comprised of 'people who fought against You-Know-Who'.

<snip> 

Geoff:
I take your point but my argument would be threefold.

First, if the group had come together for genteel cucumber sandwiches 
and tea on the lawn, why would they have given it a formalised name
like "Order of the Phoenix"?

Second, Hermione's comment would not be accurate if only some of the 
strawberries and cream eaters had gone on to the OOTP.

Thirdly,  it seems that the original group were quite young at the time 
of Voldemort's first war - the Longbottoms, the Potters and people 
like Sirius spring immediately to mind. They wouldn't have been in a 
social group fifty years previously.

I agree that the history of the group is perhaps not fully given but the 
circumstantial and anecdotal evidence points very strongly towards its 
formation during the first war.