Ages

[Lyn J. Mangiameli]

Looking at the ages listed in the Black family tree, two things jump out.

First. Dorea, presumably Harry's Grandmother, dies very very young (57) by WW standards. 
Why and/or how? JKR, I believe, has said there was nothing remarkable about the 
grandparents, but to die so young is remarkable. It also says something with respect to 
the appearance of the relatives in the Mirror of Erised.

Second, Rowling has lead us to believe that wizard lifespans are rather longer than 
muggles (especially as related to the Molly Weasely timeline),  yet the lifespans shown on 
this snippet of the tree aren't particularly remarkable (at least relative to the time frame 
displayed).


I also wonder if there is a touch of subtle humor in the top pairing. Nigellus as a former 
headmaster presumably could be seen as representative of academic scholarship. Flint, as 
a relative of Marcus Flint, could be seen as representative of stupidity. At least I found it to 
be an amusing pairing.