Battle date Was: CHAPDISC: DH36, THE FLAW IN THE PLAN

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 185314

>> Carol, who thought that Voldemort's death scene occurred in May
1998, not 1997
> 
Geoff responded:
> My apologies. you're right. I was thinking seventh year which of 
course began in 1997 so it was 1998. Are we sure it was May?

Carol responds:

Based on the books alone, we know that it was after the Easter holiday
and before the end of term (June 30). JKR has the Easter holiday
occurring, or at least beginning, in March (the Snatcher incident and
Malfoy Manor chapters take place in March, when Draco is at home for
the Easter break). It appears that JKR has forgotten that the year is
1998, when Easter fell on April 12, and used the 1997 date, March 30.
If Easter break is a two-week holiday (ten school days) with Easter
approximately in the middle, it would have fallen between March 24 and
April 4 (April 6 to April 17 for 1998, which doesn't work). Either
way, "Shell Cottage" takes place in April and the Easter holiday is
over but school is not yet out when HRH show up at Hogwarts.

I don't recall exactly how long HRH stay at Shell Cottage, but I think
it's several weeks--it could be either April or May (surely not June)
when they embark on their Gringotts adventure. JKR says in an
interview that the final battle was fought on May 2, which probably
means that Gringotts, Snape's death, etc., occurred on May 1 and
Voldie died at sunrise on May 2. We can't calculate it that precisely
from the dates in the book, but the possibilities are late April, any
time in May, or early June (paralleling most of the other books).

BTW, JKR thinks that Fred Weasley died in 1997

http://www.mugglenet.com/images/familytree.jpg

and her website still shows 1996 as Albus DD's death date, so I'm
pretty sure that she was basing the Easter holiday in DH on the 1997
calendar.

Carol, wishing that someone would remind JKR that school years don't
correspond with calendar years and most students have a birthday
during the school year