Ages

[carolynwhite2]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Lyn J. Mangiameli" 
<kumayama at e...> wrote:
>
> 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).
> 

Second attempt to post this, apologies if it appears twice. I was 
thinking the same thing, Lyn. The ages we've been told so far are:

Phineas 1847-1928 = 81
Elladora 1850-1931 = 81
Belvina 1886-1962 = 76
Arcturus 1884-1959 = 75
Dorea 1920-1977 = 57
Charis 1919-1972 = 53
Gondoline Oliphant 1720-1799 = 79(but clubbed to death)
Artemisia Lufkin 1754-1825 = 71
Ignatia Wildsmith 1227-1320 = 93
Honoria Nutcombe 1665-1743 = 78

There may be more, I haven't followed the wizard of the month for a 
while.

The only people who are definitely older are DD, and Griselda 
Marchbanks who taught him (so must be approx 200), and possibly 
Tiberius Ogden, Prof Tofty and the mysterious Ollivander.

Could they all have been swigging elixir of life without telling 
anyone? No wonder Voldie is peeved; as at the end of book 6 he's only 
70, which isn't very impressive for someone who prides himself on his 
immortality, is it?

Of course, the simple solution is that JKR's disastrous maths led her 
to make a mistake about DD's age..but if she didn't, he's just along 
there next to Phineas Nigellus it seems.

Carolyn