The
chronology of the Harry Potter series is the timeline of the fictional events in the
Harry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by B
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The
chronology of the Harry Potter series is the timeline of the fictional events in the
Harry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
novels written by
J. K. RowlingJoanne "Jo" Murray, OBE , better known under the pen name J. K. Rowling , is a British author best known as the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series, the idea for which was conceived whilst on a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990...
, along with additional materials posted on her web site and published in various interviews. The timeline covers events referred to and occurring within the novels. It appears in other media, such as the DVD copies of the films produced by
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
She has now finished her seventh book, which is called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The focus of the stories is the magical society which exists alongside the mundane world of the Muggles. These parallel societies share the same geography and chronology, but the events of the mundane world are only presented insofar as they deviate from real-world history.
The timeline contains flaws, which Rowling has on occasion acknowledged, and sometimes contradicts itself or does not agree with real calendarA calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
days and dates for events being described. Nonetheless, it has become a generally accepted timeline for the events within the novels.
The dates provided in the timeline are derived from bits of information provided by Rowling, either directly in her books, on her website, during published interviews, or from other published materials. For example the Black Family Tree, first mentioned in the fifth book of the series The Order of the PhoenixHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The novel features Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of Harry's nemesis Lord...
was extended and donated for a charity auction. That extended version included birthdates and death years for several key characters.
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
is the producer of the Harry Potter films, and holds the associated copyrights and trademarks related to Harry Potter media. DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
editions of the Harry Potter films Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, contain the timeline of events, which take place over the course of the films and in the narrative of the novels. Warner Bros. originally developed the timeline as part of the special features package for the Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a fantasy adventure film, and the second film in the popular Harry Potter series, based on the novel by J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The film was released on 15 November 2002 in the UK and North America and 28 November in AUS...
(2002) DVD. Rowling reviewed the timelines and made several changes before approving them as "official".
The timeline followed in the novels is not enforced in the films. In the film series, London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and the suburbs of SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
reflect an early 21st century setting. This is demonstrated by the inclusion of modern British cars and modern electronic equipment in the Dursley home. In addition, the use of Westminster Station in the fifth film is inconsistent, since it was completely changed for the Jubilee Line extension, which opened in 1998, three years after the event.
Timeline basis
The official timeline is rooted in a date cited in Rowling’s second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls on the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber...
, set in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts. During the HalloweenHalloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Gaelic pagan festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones...
celebrations at the school, a long dead ghost called Nearly Headless Nick celebrates the anniversary of his death, which took place on a long ago 31 October, with a "five hundredth deathday" party. A central feature of this party is an "enormous grey cake in the shape of a tombstone", stating "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington (the real name of Nearly Headless Nick) died 31st October 1492". Thus, Rowling sets the date on which the event takes place in the book as 31 October 1992. This means that Harry became a student at Hogwarts in 1991, and so must have been born in 1980, since his 11th birthday occurs at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone the summer before he becomes a Hogwarts student.
In using the life and death of Nearly Headless Nick to express the chronology of her novels, Rowling initially contradicted herself. In the original printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
, Nearly-Headless Nick claimed to Harry that "I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years". Had Rowling left this statement unchanged, it would have created an inconsistency in her timeline. However, she corrected the statement in later editions to read, "I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years"—making it consistent with what she had disclosed in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Rowling later gave further confirmation of this original timeline anchor when in early 2006, she donated a hand-drawn copy of the Black family tree to a charity auction for Book Aid International. In that document, she included the birth year of one of Harry's classmates, Draco MalfoyDraco Malfoy is a fictional character and an antagonist in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is a Slytherin student in Harry Potter's year, and his house's most visible adolescent representative. He is frequently accompanied by his two dim-witted accomplices, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory...
, as 1980. She had previously, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, revealed Draco's birthday to be (like that of Harry) late in the school year and past January. By means of these two devices, she thus also clearly sets the birthdate of her main character as 31 July 1980, and thus, by extension, reinforced the original implication that the Sorting Ceremony that takes place on 1 September in her first book was envisioned by her as taking place in the chronological year 1991.
Harry's 1980 birth-year is confirmed in Rowling's Wizard of the Month entry for Harry at her web site.
Rowling's manuscript depiction of The Black Family Tree was shown as being similar to that which she had described in the form of a tapestry, appearing in Order of the PhoenixHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The novel features Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of Harry's nemesis Lord...
on the wall of the Black family home. In her manuscript copy, Rowling drew several lacunaeA lacuna is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work.The state of old manuscripts or inscriptions which have weathered or been damaged sometimes gives rise to lacunae — passages consisting of a word or words that are missing or illegible. Palimpsests are particularly...
(which had been explained by her in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as burns in the Tapestry Tree featuring in the novel), which she noted as obscuring the names and birthdates of a number of disowned members of the Black family, including a major character of the novels, Sirius Black.
Black, Harry's parents, Severus SnapeSeverus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were all in the same Hogwarts school year (i.e. between September of one year and August of the next). Prior to the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, fans were able to use chronological references in the text to estimate that these characters were born between 1957 and 1960. Rowling reveals the exact birthdates of the Potters in Chapter 16 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, "Godric's Hollow", when Harry visits his parents' grave. The marble headstone lists James Potter's date of birth as 27 March 1960, and Lily Potter's as 30 January 1960. They and the other students in their year at school attended Hogwarts from 1971 to 1978, and their classmates must have been born between September 1959 and August 1960.
The Harry Potter films have included dates extrapolated from this dating system, such as the years on the gravestone seen in the fourth filmHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a fantasy adventure film, based on J. K. Rowling's novel of the same name. The film is the fourth installment in the Harry Potter film series, although 1492 Pictures decided to leave the series. The film was directed by Mike Newell and produced by David...
.
Contradictions
There are several minor contradictions in the timeline, both internal and compared with the real-world timeline. For example, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
opens on Tuesday 1 November, despite 1 November 1981 having been a Sunday. Rowling herself has admitted having difficulty with managing mathematics in the FAQ section of her website. Also in Philosopher's Stone Hermione states that Nicolas Flamel "celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year." The historic Flamel was born in 1330, placing the events of Philosopher's Stone during 1995/1996, while on the other hand, Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Anniversary was celebrated in 1992 during Harry's second year, implying that his first year was in 1991. Nearly Headless Nick also said in the first book that he hadn't eaten for "nearly four hundred years", but in the next book he has been dead for 500 years. Later editions of Philosopher's Stone correct this to "nearly five hundred years".
The birthdates of Harry's parents are also somewhat inconsistent with other chronological references in the text. James Potter in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is referred to as being fifteen years old in the summer of his fifth year at Hogwarts. Yet, his birthdate in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is shown to be March. Unless one literally translates "summer of his fifth year" as applying to the opening months of his first term, rather than the summer after the fifth year concluded, the Hogwarts admission cutoff date of 31 August for eleven year olds implies James would have turned sixteen before the summer of his fifth year.
At the beginning of the sixth book (set in 1996, but temporarily flashbacking to 1990/1991 to see the first 5-6 books from the "Muggle Prime Minister's" point of view), the Muggle prime minister is visited by Cornelius Fudge. During their first conversation, Fudge says of the previous prime minister, "He tried to throw me out of the window." In 1996, the prime minister was John MajorSir John Major, KG, CH, ACIB , is a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and former Leader of the Conservative Party. He held these posts from 1990 to 1997....
, and his predecessor was a woman, Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post....
.
The sixth book has Dumbledore becoming Headmaster around 1956, but in the third book Remus Lupin (born 1960) says that he was bitten by a werewolfA werewolf or werwolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely, by being bitten or scratched by another werewolf, or after being placed under a curse...
when he was a very small boy and that "It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. [...] Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me. But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic." This implies that Dumbledore became Headmaster much later, around 1970.
At the beginning of the fourth book, Harry writes to Sirius claiming that his cousin Dudley has thrown his PlayStationThe PlayStation is a 32-bit fifth generation video game console released by Sony Computer Entertainment in December ....
out of the window. However, Harry writes his letter during August, while the PlayStation was not released anywhere until December 1994 and not until September 1995 in Europe.
In book one to six (presumably book seven as well), 2 September (the first day of school) is a Monday, though this has only occurred in 1985, 1991, 1996 and 2002 in recent years.
Events
- According to the entrance sign described in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
, Ollivander's – a family of magic wand producers – has been in business since this date.
- Rowling dated the first use of broomsticks for transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one location to another. Transport is performed by modes, such as air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline and space...
very precisely, dating it "as early as AD 962".
- Although the precise date is unknown to those within the novels, Rowling envisioned (in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls on the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber...
, set in 1992–1993) Hogwarts
{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}
The
chronology of the Harry Potter series is the timeline of the fictional events in the
Harry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
novels written by
J. K. RowlingJoanne "Jo" Murray, OBE , better known under the pen name J. K. Rowling , is a British author best known as the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series, the idea for which was conceived whilst on a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990...
, along with additional materials posted on her web site and published in various interviews. The timeline covers events referred to and occurring within the novels. It appears in other media, such as the DVD copies of the films produced by
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
She has now finished her seventh book, which is called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The focus of the stories is the magical society which exists alongside the mundane world of the Muggles. These parallel societies share the same geography and chronology, but the events of the mundane world are only presented insofar as they deviate from real-world history.
The timeline contains flaws, which Rowling has on occasion acknowledged, and sometimes contradicts itself or does not agree with real calendarA calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
days and dates for events being described. Nonetheless, it has become a generally accepted timeline for the events within the novels.
The dates provided in the timeline are derived from bits of information provided by Rowling, either directly in her books, on her website, during published interviews, or from other published materials. For example the Black Family Tree, first mentioned in the fifth book of the series The Order of the PhoenixHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The novel features Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of Harry's nemesis Lord...
was extended and donated for a charity auction. That extended version included birthdates and death years for several key characters.
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
is the producer of the Harry Potter films, and holds the associated copyrights and trademarks related to Harry Potter media. DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
editions of the Harry Potter films Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, contain the timeline of events, which take place over the course of the films and in the narrative of the novels. Warner Bros. originally developed the timeline as part of the special features package for the Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a fantasy adventure film, and the second film in the popular Harry Potter series, based on the novel by J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The film was released on 15 November 2002 in the UK and North America and 28 November in AUS...
(2002) DVD. Rowling reviewed the timelines and made several changes before approving them as "official".
The timeline followed in the novels is not enforced in the films. In the film series, London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and the suburbs of SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
reflect an early 21st century setting. This is demonstrated by the inclusion of modern British cars and modern electronic equipment in the Dursley home. In addition, the use of Westminster Station in the fifth film is inconsistent, since it was completely changed for the Jubilee Line extension, which opened in 1998, three years after the event.
Timeline basis
The official timeline is rooted in a date cited in Rowling’s second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls on the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber...
, set in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts. During the HalloweenHalloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Gaelic pagan festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones...
celebrations at the school, a long dead ghost called Nearly Headless Nick celebrates the anniversary of his death, which took place on a long ago 31 October, with a "five hundredth deathday" party. A central feature of this party is an "enormous grey cake in the shape of a tombstone", stating "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington (the real name of Nearly Headless Nick) died 31st October 1492". Thus, Rowling sets the date on which the event takes place in the book as 31 October 1992. This means that Harry became a student at Hogwarts in 1991, and so must have been born in 1980, since his 11th birthday occurs at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone the summer before he becomes a Hogwarts student.
In using the life and death of Nearly Headless Nick to express the chronology of her novels, Rowling initially contradicted herself. In the original printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
, Nearly-Headless Nick claimed to Harry that "I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years". Had Rowling left this statement unchanged, it would have created an inconsistency in her timeline. However, she corrected the statement in later editions to read, "I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years"—making it consistent with what she had disclosed in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Rowling later gave further confirmation of this original timeline anchor when in early 2006, she donated a hand-drawn copy of the Black family tree to a charity auction for Book Aid International. In that document, she included the birth year of one of Harry's classmates, Draco MalfoyDraco Malfoy is a fictional character and an antagonist in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is a Slytherin student in Harry Potter's year, and his house's most visible adolescent representative. He is frequently accompanied by his two dim-witted accomplices, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory...
, as 1980. She had previously, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, revealed Draco's birthday to be (like that of Harry) late in the school year and past January. By means of these two devices, she thus also clearly sets the birthdate of her main character as 31 July 1980, and thus, by extension, reinforced the original implication that the Sorting Ceremony that takes place on 1 September in her first book was envisioned by her as taking place in the chronological year 1991.
Harry's 1980 birth-year is confirmed in Rowling's Wizard of the Month entry for Harry at her web site.
Rowling's manuscript depiction of The Black Family Tree was shown as being similar to that which she had described in the form of a tapestry, appearing in Order of the PhoenixHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The novel features Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of Harry's nemesis Lord...
on the wall of the Black family home. In her manuscript copy, Rowling drew several lacunaeA lacuna is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work.The state of old manuscripts or inscriptions which have weathered or been damaged sometimes gives rise to lacunae — passages consisting of a word or words that are missing or illegible. Palimpsests are particularly...
(which had been explained by her in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as burns in the Tapestry Tree featuring in the novel), which she noted as obscuring the names and birthdates of a number of disowned members of the Black family, including a major character of the novels, Sirius Black.
Black, Harry's parents, Severus SnapeSeverus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were all in the same Hogwarts school year (i.e. between September of one year and August of the next). Prior to the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, fans were able to use chronological references in the text to estimate that these characters were born between 1957 and 1960. Rowling reveals the exact birthdates of the Potters in Chapter 16 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, "Godric's Hollow", when Harry visits his parents' grave. The marble headstone lists James Potter's date of birth as 27 March 1960, and Lily Potter's as 30 January 1960. They and the other students in their year at school attended Hogwarts from 1971 to 1978, and their classmates must have been born between September 1959 and August 1960.
The Harry Potter films have included dates extrapolated from this dating system, such as the years on the gravestone seen in the fourth filmHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a fantasy adventure film, based on J. K. Rowling's novel of the same name. The film is the fourth installment in the Harry Potter film series, although 1492 Pictures decided to leave the series. The film was directed by Mike Newell and produced by David...
.
Contradictions
There are several minor contradictions in the timeline, both internal and compared with the real-world timeline. For example, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
opens on Tuesday 1 November, despite 1 November 1981 having been a Sunday. Rowling herself has admitted having difficulty with managing mathematics in the FAQ section of her website. Also in Philosopher's Stone Hermione states that Nicolas Flamel "celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year." The historic Flamel was born in 1330, placing the events of Philosopher's Stone during 1995/1996, while on the other hand, Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Anniversary was celebrated in 1992 during Harry's second year, implying that his first year was in 1991. Nearly Headless Nick also said in the first book that he hadn't eaten for "nearly four hundred years", but in the next book he has been dead for 500 years. Later editions of Philosopher's Stone correct this to "nearly five hundred years".
The birthdates of Harry's parents are also somewhat inconsistent with other chronological references in the text. James Potter in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is referred to as being fifteen years old in the summer of his fifth year at Hogwarts. Yet, his birthdate in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is shown to be March. Unless one literally translates "summer of his fifth year" as applying to the opening months of his first term, rather than the summer after the fifth year concluded, the Hogwarts admission cutoff date of 31 August for eleven year olds implies James would have turned sixteen before the summer of his fifth year.
At the beginning of the sixth book (set in 1996, but temporarily flashbacking to 1990/1991 to see the first 5-6 books from the "Muggle Prime Minister's" point of view), the Muggle prime minister is visited by Cornelius Fudge. During their first conversation, Fudge says of the previous prime minister, "He tried to throw me out of the window." In 1996, the prime minister was John MajorSir John Major, KG, CH, ACIB , is a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and former Leader of the Conservative Party. He held these posts from 1990 to 1997....
, and his predecessor was a woman, Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post....
.
The sixth book has Dumbledore becoming Headmaster around 1956, but in the third book Remus Lupin (born 1960) says that he was bitten by a werewolfA werewolf or werwolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely, by being bitten or scratched by another werewolf, or after being placed under a curse...
when he was a very small boy and that "It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. [...] Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me. But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic." This implies that Dumbledore became Headmaster much later, around 1970.
At the beginning of the fourth book, Harry writes to Sirius claiming that his cousin Dudley has thrown his PlayStationThe PlayStation is a 32-bit fifth generation video game console released by Sony Computer Entertainment in December ....
out of the window. However, Harry writes his letter during August, while the PlayStation was not released anywhere until December 1994 and not until September 1995 in Europe.
In book one to six (presumably book seven as well), 2 September (the first day of school) is a Monday, though this has only occurred in 1985, 1991, 1996 and 2002 in recent years.
Events
- According to the entrance sign described in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
, Ollivander's – a family of magic wand producers – has been in business since this date.
- Rowling dated the first use of broomsticks for transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one location to another. Transport is performed by modes, such as air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline and space...
very precisely, dating it "as early as AD 962".
- Although the precise date is unknown to those within the novels, Rowling envisioned (in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls on the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber...
, set in 1992–1993) Hogwarts{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}
{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}
The
chronology of the Harry Potter series is the timeline of the fictional events in the
Harry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
novels written by
J. K. RowlingJoanne "Jo" Murray, OBE , better known under the pen name J. K. Rowling , is a British author best known as the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series, the idea for which was conceived whilst on a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990...
, along with additional materials posted on her web site and published in various interviews. The timeline covers events referred to and occurring within the novels. It appears in other media, such as the DVD copies of the films produced by
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
She has now finished her seventh book, which is called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The focus of the stories is the magical society which exists alongside the mundane world of the Muggles. These parallel societies share the same geography and chronology, but the events of the mundane world are only presented insofar as they deviate from real-world history.
The timeline contains flaws, which Rowling has on occasion acknowledged, and sometimes contradicts itself or does not agree with real calendarA calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
days and dates for events being described. Nonetheless, it has become a generally accepted timeline for the events within the novels.
The dates provided in the timeline are derived from bits of information provided by Rowling, either directly in her books, on her website, during published interviews, or from other published materials. For example the Black Family Tree, first mentioned in the fifth book of the series The Order of the PhoenixHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The novel features Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of Harry's nemesis Lord...
was extended and donated for a charity auction. That extended version included birthdates and death years for several key characters.
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
is the producer of the Harry Potter films, and holds the associated copyrights and trademarks related to Harry Potter media. DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
editions of the Harry Potter films Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, contain the timeline of events, which take place over the course of the films and in the narrative of the novels. Warner Bros. originally developed the timeline as part of the special features package for the Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a fantasy adventure film, and the second film in the popular Harry Potter series, based on the novel by J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The film was released on 15 November 2002 in the UK and North America and 28 November in AUS...
(2002) DVD. Rowling reviewed the timelines and made several changes before approving them as "official".
The timeline followed in the novels is not enforced in the films. In the film series, London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and the suburbs of SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
reflect an early 21st century setting. This is demonstrated by the inclusion of modern British cars and modern electronic equipment in the Dursley home. In addition, the use of Westminster Station in the fifth film is inconsistent, since it was completely changed for the Jubilee Line extension, which opened in 1998, three years after the event.
Timeline basis
The official timeline is rooted in a date cited in Rowling’s second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls on the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber...
, set in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts. During the HalloweenHalloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Gaelic pagan festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones...
celebrations at the school, a long dead ghost called Nearly Headless Nick celebrates the anniversary of his death, which took place on a long ago 31 October, with a "five hundredth deathday" party. A central feature of this party is an "enormous grey cake in the shape of a tombstone", stating "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington (the real name of Nearly Headless Nick) died 31st October 1492". Thus, Rowling sets the date on which the event takes place in the book as 31 October 1992. This means that Harry became a student at Hogwarts in 1991, and so must have been born in 1980, since his 11th birthday occurs at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone the summer before he becomes a Hogwarts student.
In using the life and death of Nearly Headless Nick to express the chronology of her novels, Rowling initially contradicted herself. In the original printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
, Nearly-Headless Nick claimed to Harry that "I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years". Had Rowling left this statement unchanged, it would have created an inconsistency in her timeline. However, she corrected the statement in later editions to read, "I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years"—making it consistent with what she had disclosed in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Rowling later gave further confirmation of this original timeline anchor when in early 2006, she donated a hand-drawn copy of the Black family tree to a charity auction for Book Aid International. In that document, she included the birth year of one of Harry's classmates, Draco MalfoyDraco Malfoy is a fictional character and an antagonist in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is a Slytherin student in Harry Potter's year, and his house's most visible adolescent representative. He is frequently accompanied by his two dim-witted accomplices, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory...
, as 1980. She had previously, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, revealed Draco's birthday to be (like that of Harry) late in the school year and past January. By means of these two devices, she thus also clearly sets the birthdate of her main character as 31 July 1980, and thus, by extension, reinforced the original implication that the Sorting Ceremony that takes place on 1 September in her first book was envisioned by her as taking place in the chronological year 1991.
Harry's 1980 birth-year is confirmed in Rowling's Wizard of the Month entry for Harry at her web site.
Rowling's manuscript depiction of The Black Family Tree was shown as being similar to that which she had described in the form of a tapestry, appearing in Order of the PhoenixHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The novel features Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of Harry's nemesis Lord...
on the wall of the Black family home. In her manuscript copy, Rowling drew several lacunaeA lacuna is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work.The state of old manuscripts or inscriptions which have weathered or been damaged sometimes gives rise to lacunae — passages consisting of a word or words that are missing or illegible. Palimpsests are particularly...
(which had been explained by her in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as burns in the Tapestry Tree featuring in the novel), which she noted as obscuring the names and birthdates of a number of disowned members of the Black family, including a major character of the novels, Sirius Black.
Black, Harry's parents, Severus SnapeSeverus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were all in the same Hogwarts school year (i.e. between September of one year and August of the next). Prior to the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, fans were able to use chronological references in the text to estimate that these characters were born between 1957 and 1960. Rowling reveals the exact birthdates of the Potters in Chapter 16 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, "Godric's Hollow", when Harry visits his parents' grave. The marble headstone lists James Potter's date of birth as 27 March 1960, and Lily Potter's as 30 January 1960. They and the other students in their year at school attended Hogwarts from 1971 to 1978, and their classmates must have been born between September 1959 and August 1960.
The Harry Potter films have included dates extrapolated from this dating system, such as the years on the gravestone seen in the fourth filmHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a fantasy adventure film, based on J. K. Rowling's novel of the same name. The film is the fourth installment in the Harry Potter film series, although 1492 Pictures decided to leave the series. The film was directed by Mike Newell and produced by David...
.
Contradictions
There are several minor contradictions in the timeline, both internal and compared with the real-world timeline. For example, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
opens on Tuesday 1 November, despite 1 November 1981 having been a Sunday. Rowling herself has admitted having difficulty with managing mathematics in the FAQ section of her website. Also in Philosopher's Stone Hermione states that Nicolas Flamel "celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year." The historic Flamel was born in 1330, placing the events of Philosopher's Stone during 1995/1996, while on the other hand, Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Anniversary was celebrated in 1992 during Harry's second year, implying that his first year was in 1991. Nearly Headless Nick also said in the first book that he hadn't eaten for "nearly four hundred years", but in the next book he has been dead for 500 years. Later editions of Philosopher's Stone correct this to "nearly five hundred years".
The birthdates of Harry's parents are also somewhat inconsistent with other chronological references in the text. James Potter in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is referred to as being fifteen years old in the summer of his fifth year at Hogwarts. Yet, his birthdate in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is shown to be March. Unless one literally translates "summer of his fifth year" as applying to the opening months of his first term, rather than the summer after the fifth year concluded, the Hogwarts admission cutoff date of 31 August for eleven year olds implies James would have turned sixteen before the summer of his fifth year.
At the beginning of the sixth book (set in 1996, but temporarily flashbacking to 1990/1991 to see the first 5-6 books from the "Muggle Prime Minister's" point of view), the Muggle prime minister is visited by Cornelius Fudge. During their first conversation, Fudge says of the previous prime minister, "He tried to throw me out of the window." In 1996, the prime minister was John MajorSir John Major, KG, CH, ACIB , is a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and former Leader of the Conservative Party. He held these posts from 1990 to 1997....
, and his predecessor was a woman, Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post....
.
The sixth book has Dumbledore becoming Headmaster around 1956, but in the third book Remus Lupin (born 1960) says that he was bitten by a werewolfA werewolf or werwolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely, by being bitten or scratched by another werewolf, or after being placed under a curse...
when he was a very small boy and that "It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. [...] Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me. But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic." This implies that Dumbledore became Headmaster much later, around 1970.
At the beginning of the fourth book, Harry writes to Sirius claiming that his cousin Dudley has thrown his PlayStationThe PlayStation is a 32-bit fifth generation video game console released by Sony Computer Entertainment in December ....
out of the window. However, Harry writes his letter during August, while the PlayStation was not released anywhere until December 1994 and not until September 1995 in Europe.
In book one to six (presumably book seven as well), 2 September (the first day of school) is a Monday, though this has only occurred in 1985, 1991, 1996 and 2002 in recent years.
Events
- According to the entrance sign described in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
, Ollivander's – a family of magic wand producers – has been in business since this date.
- Rowling dated the first use of broomsticks for transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one location to another. Transport is performed by modes, such as air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline and space...
very precisely, dating it "as early as AD 962".
- Although the precise date is unknown to those within the novels, Rowling envisioned (in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls on the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber...
, set in 1992–1993) Hogwarts{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{Infobox Harry Potter school...
, the magical centrepiece of her novels, as having been built "over a thousand years ago" by the four 'Founders', two witches and two wizards (named Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin) whom she portrays as revered figures through the novels. According to Rowling, the education of magical children began at the school at the same time; although, following the standard pattern of creation myths, she depicts this endeavour as becoming lessened due to internal dissent: two of the founders, Slytherin and Gryffindor, quarrel over their creation (Slytherin demanding that they not teach magical students whose families are not magical), resulting in Slytherin rebelling and abandoning the endeavour. At the same time, before leaving, he builds the Chamber of Secrets, a hidden chamber containing a deadly basilisk.The Chamber can only be opened, and the basilisk controlled, by the 'heir' or descendants of SlytherinLord Voldemort is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the Harry Potter novel series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...
.
- Puddlemere United, a Quidditch Team, is founded.
- The all-female Quidditch
Quidditch is a fictional sport developed by J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter book series. It is described as an extremely rough but very popular semi-contact sport played by wizards and witches around the world. Matches are played between two teams of seven players riding flying broomsticks,...
team the HolyheadHolyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the north west of Wales.Although it is the largest town in the county, with a population of 11,237 , it is neither the county town nor actually on the island of Anglesey...
Harpies is organized.
- A Manticore
The manticore is a legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx. It has the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth , and a trumpet-like voice. Other aspects of the creature vary from story to story. It may be horned, winged, or both...
savages a human and gets away with it, as everyone is too scared to approach the dangerous monster.
- The Triwizard Tournament, a competition Rowling uses as a major feature in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, published on July 8, 2000. The book attracted additional attention because of a pre-publication warning from J. K. Rowling that one of the characters would be murdered in the book.The...
, is dated by her in that book (taking place in the year 1994–1995) as having been established "some seven hundred years ago". Rowling writes that, although a friendly competition, it was ended at an unknown point due to the mounting death toll. She noted, however, that there were several intervening centuries between the cancellation and the novel in which it becomes relevant, since "there have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament."
- The Wizarding Council bans playing Quidditch
Quidditch is a fictional sport developed by J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter book series. It is described as an extremely rough but very popular semi-contact sport played by wizards and witches around the world. Matches are played between two teams of seven players riding flying broomsticks,...
within 50 miles of MuggleMuggle is the word used in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling to refer to a person who lacks any sort of magical ability and was not born into the magical world. It differs from the term Squib which refers to a person without magical abilities but with a magical ancestry. The word...
towns.
- The ban is extended to 100 miles.
- Lisette de Lapin is sentenced to death for witchcraft in Paris. She escapes by transforming into a rabbit and fleeing to England, where she becomes an advisor to Henry VI
Henry VI was King of England 1422–1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realms were governed by regents. Contemporaneously, he was described as a peaceful and pious man, not suited for the harsh nature of the struggles facing him...
.
- Beedle the Bard writes his highly popular children's stories.
- Rowling considered this a particularly important date in the history of the major sport of her novels, Quidditch
Quidditch is a fictional sport developed by J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter book series. It is described as an extremely rough but very popular semi-contact sport played by wizards and witches around the world. Matches are played between two teams of seven players riding flying broomsticks,...
: not only does she envision it as the year of the first Quidditch World Cup (a major sporting event in her novels, as seen in Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, published on July 8, 2000. The book attracted additional attention because of a pre-publication warning from J. K. Rowling that one of the characters would be murdered in the book.The...
), but she also humorously stated in Quidditch Through the Ages that, of the 700 fouls she writes of as existing in the game, "all of them are known to have occurred during the final of the first ever World Cup" in this year.
- Nearly Headless Nick dies on October 31st
- The International Statute of Secrecy is signed. This was a year after the Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England in 1688 by a union of Parliamentarians with an invading army led by the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau who, as a result, ascended the English throne as William III of England...
in Britain.
- The International Confederation of Wizards meets in this year, and makes a number of important decisions, including establishing the right for wizards to carry wands at all times and deciding to begin hiding magical creatures from Muggles. This year, as confirmed in the seventh book, was the year when the wizarding world
The fictional universe of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of fantasy novels comprises two separate and distinct societies: the wizarding world and the Muggle world...
entirely split from the MuggleMuggle is the word used in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling to refer to a person who lacks any sort of magical ability and was not born into the magical world. It differs from the term Squib which refers to a person without magical abilities but with a magical ancestry. The word...
world. This is also the same year that the Salem witch trialsThe Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before local magistrates followed by county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in Essex, Suffolk and Middlesex counties of colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...
took place.
- The Ministry of Magic decrees that Avada Kedavra, Cruciatus and Imperius are Unforgivable Curses, and attaches the strictest penalties to their use.
- The Statute of Secrecy is breached.
- The very dangerous, often fatal, game of Creaothceann is banned by the Wizarding Council.
- A Hippogriff
A Hippogriff is a legendary creature, supposedly the offspring of a griffin and a mare...
is executed for attacking a human. A rampaging CockatriceA cockatrice is a legendary creature, resembling a large rooster with a lizard-like tail, "an ornament in the drama and poetry of the Elizabethans" Laurence Breiner described it; "the cockatrice, which no one ever saw, was born by accident at the end of the twelfth century and died in the middle...
injures the heads of the schools Hogwarts{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{Infobox Harry Potter school...
, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, during yet another failed attempt to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament.
- Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character and a major protagonist within the Harry Potter novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. For the majority of the series, he is the headmaster of the Wizarding school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
is born.
- Rowling cites this year as that in which Newt Scamander (who, within the context of her novels, is the "real" author of her book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) is asked to write a compendium of magical beasts
Magical creatures comprise a colourful and integral aspect of the wizarding world in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. Throughout the seven books of the series, Harry and his friends encounter many of these creatures on their adventures, as well as in the Care of Magical Creatures class at...
– which, she explains, eventually became the book she herself wrote for Comic Relief.
- Marvolo and son Morfin Gaunt attack Tom Riddle Sr. (Voldemort's eventual father) leading to both being arrested and imprisoned. Daughter Merope reacts to her family's imprisonment by enchanting Riddle (with whom she has fallen in love) into loving her, and the two are married roughly a year before the birth of their child.
- The fictional publication year of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2001 book written by English author J. K. Rowling to benefit the charity Comic Relief. Over 80% of the cover price of each book sold goes directly to poor children in various places around the world. According to Comic Relief, sales from this book and...
– which, in reality, was written and published by Rowling herself in 2001.
- Jocunda Sykes flies over the Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
on her broom - the first such transoceanic crossing by magical means.
- Minerva McGonagall begins studying at Hogwarts.
- Albus Dumbledore
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character and a major protagonist within the Harry Potter novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. For the majority of the series, he is the headmaster of the Wizarding school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
visits Tom Riddle in a London orphanage and tells him he is a wizard.
- Tom Riddle begins studying at Hogwarts.
- Rubeus Hagrid
Rubeus Hagrid is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. The character is usually addressed only by his surname. Hagrid is the half-giant Keeper of Keys and Grounds, gamekeeper and, starting in Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and...
begins studying at Hogwarts.
- Tom Riddle, age 15, visits his estranged uncle Morfin who has returned from Azkaban and now lives alone following the deaths of his sister and father. Riddle seeks out and murders his father and paternal grandparents, then frames his uncle Morfin Gaunt for the crimes by implanting false memories into his mind.
- As Rowling relates in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls on the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber...
, precisely 50 years before the events of that book, Riddle secretly opens the Chamber of Secrets (introduced by Rowling in this book, a legendary hidden chamber under the castle, built by the rebellious founder Slytherin), and releases the monstrous serpent (a basilisk) hidden within. As a result, a young student, Myrtle, was killed. Riddle – who, like Harry, is depicted as hating his home in the mundane world, and enjoying life in the school – being shown by Rowling to fear that the school will be closed because of his actions, is then shown to frame Rubeus HagridRubeus Hagrid is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. The character is usually addressed only by his surname. Hagrid is the half-giant Keeper of Keys and Grounds, gamekeeper and, starting in Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and...
for the crime. As a result, Hagrid is expelled, and Riddle – whose culpability in the matter is unknown – is rewarded; however, Rowling also ensures that the matter is reversed by the end of the same novel.
- Minerva McGonagall finishes her studies at Hogwarts.
- Albus Dumbledore defeats the notorious Dark Wizard Grindelwald in this year, at the age of 64 and takes the Elder Wand from him. Historically, it was the year in which the Second World War ended, with the defeat of Nazi Germany in May, and the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan in August. These two facts, according to Rowling, are not a coincidence.
- The same year has also been shown by Rowling as being Tom Riddle's final year at Hogwarts. As she revealed in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on 16 July 2005, is the sixth of seven novels from British author J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series...
, he requests of the headmaster, Armando Dippet, that he be employed by the school as a teacher; significantly to the plot of the novels, this request is refused on the basis that Tom was too young to teach yet. Then Rowling notes that Riddle instead found work in Borgin and Burkes, shown in the novels to be a purveyor of cursed and Dark objects.
- Around these years, Rowling notes in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on 16 July 2005, is the sixth of seven novels from British author J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series...
, Tom Riddle – having discovered in the course of his work at Borgin and Burkes two treasures, formerly the property of Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff (that of Slytherin, Rowling is careful to note, was a hereditary possession of Riddle's maternal family) – facilitates the murder of the objects' legal owner Hepzibah Smith and disappears. This marks the final chronological stage in the novels when he appears as Tom Riddle; when he next appears, he has become in appearance and nature "Lord Voldemort".
- Harry Potter's used copy of Advanced Potion-Making, marked with This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince, is dated as published in this time frame - being "nearly fifty years old" during Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on 16 July 2005, is the sixth of seven novels from British author J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series...
. The textbook previously belonged to Severus SnapeSeverus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
, and his mother Eileen Prince before him.
- The Holyhead Harpies, led by Gwendolyn Morgan, defeat the Heidelberg Harriers, led by Rudolf Brand, in a seven-day epic Quidditch match. Rudolf proposes marriage to Gwendolyn. She gives him a concussion with her broom.
- Rowling revealed in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The novel features Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of Harry's nemesis Lord...
that Minerva McGonagall, the firm but fair Deputy Headmistress who plays a major role in the novels, had in the autumn term of that novel (and thus the chronological year of 1995) been teaching "Thirty-nine years this December": thus, since the December of 1956. She probably replaces Dumbledore as the school's Transfiguration professor.
- The year in which Albus Dumbledore became Headmaster is not certain. However, Rowling's plot exposition in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on 16 July 2005, is the sixth of seven novels from British author J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series...
made it clear that he became Headmaster around 10 years after Rowling implies Riddle disappeared - and thus, somewhere between 1955 and 1957. But this appears to be contradicting Remus Lupin's statements in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third installment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The book was published on 8 July 1999. The novel won the 1999 Whitbread Book Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the 2000 Locus Award, and was short-listed for other awards, including...
which imply Dumbledore didn't become Headmaster until much later, around 1970. (see "Contradictions" above).
- It is also implied in the same novel that, shortly after Dumbledore became Headmaster, Riddle returned to Britain – fully in the name and disguise now of "Lord Voldemort" – and requested the Defence Against the Dark Arts teaching position. When refused this by Dumbledore, Rowling explains, Voldemort – who had already recruited followers, including Rosier, Nott, Mulciber, and Dolohov, 'jinxed' the post he had requested – an explanation given by Rowling for the regular change on the school staff to that position each year in the novels. It is also said in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that Voldemort hid the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw in the Room of Requirement on the night that he asked for the position, before meeting Dumbledore.
- As noted by Rowling, through a comment of the 'Minister for Magic' in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on 16 July 2005, is the sixth of seven novels from British author J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series...
(in the chronological year 1996), Voldemort, becoming more powerful, is supposed to have begun his campaign of fear against the Wizarding World around this time.
- The Nimbus Racing Broom Company is formed.
- Albus Dumbledore
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character and a major protagonist within the Harry Potter novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. For the majority of the series, he is the headmaster of the Wizarding school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
becomes Headmaster of Hogwarts{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{Infobox Harry Potter school...
. (based on a statement given by Remus Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; see "Contradictions" above)
- Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett, the parents of Ron Weasley
Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. He is one of the central characters in the books. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the best friend of the protagonist...
(the best friend of Harry Potter), who are known to have eloped, are presumed to have done so around this period.
- Beginning of the first war against Lord Voldemort and his followers. As stated by Albus Dumbledore in the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
- "We have had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."
- As noted above, the six notable characters (James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
) of the generation prior to that of the children who feature in Rowling's novels begin school at Hogwarts at this time. (See above).
- Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
is tormented and humiliated by James Potter and Sirius Black, and Lily Evans saves Snape (both currently best friends), but this infuriates Snape once everyone starts taunting him about Lily saving him. Snape says he does not need help from a Mudblood. This ends Lily and Snape's friendship, and it devastates Snape. Snape looks at this moment as one of the worst in his life.
- Universal Brooms goes out of business.
- Rowling has not made clear when James Potter and Lily Evans – the parents of the main character – were married. Accordingly, no firm date exists; since it is known, through various pieces of information given by Rowling, that they were married by the time Harry was conceived, the range of marriage possibilities is thus from around 1978 to Autumn 1979, when Rowling has made clear Harry was conceived.
- The year in which Regulus Black, the brother of Sirius Black, is shown as having died on the Black Family Tree. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is discovered that he was, in fact, surrendering himself to the Inferi guarding Slytherin's locket. Before he dies, however, he entrusts the locket to his house-elf, Kreacher. He gives final orders to the elf to destroy the locket by any means and not to tell his family how he died.
- c. late 1979 - early 1980
- Rowling explained in first Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The novel features Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of Harry's nemesis Lord...
and then Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on 16 July 2005, is the sixth of seven novels from British author J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series...
that Sybill Trelawney, the semi-competent Seer of the novels, makes her first real Prophecy at some point in the year before the birth of Neville Longbottom and Harry in late July 1980 (the 30th and 31st, respectively). Both Potter and Longbottom are referenced by the Prophecy in relating a substantial issue of the novels, the issue of who is 'destined' to destroy Lord Voldemort. This successful prophecy earns Trelawney a position at Hogwarts, teaching Divination, which allows Rowling to use her in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third installment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The book was published on 8 July 1999. The novel won the 1999 Whitbread Book Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the 2000 Locus Award, and was short-listed for other awards, including...
to make another real Prophecy.. Hermione GrangerHermione Jean Granger is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. As the series progresses, she becomes close friends with Harry Potter and often uses...
is born on September 19, 1979.
- Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
comes to Dumbledore and warns him that Voldemort is hunting Lily Potter and her son in order to make sure the prophecy does not come to pass. Snape vows to Dumbledore that he will do anything he asks if he would take measures to protect her.
- In Rowling's novels, the period from September-November 1981 is very important. That September sees Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
– Harry's classroom enemy – hired as Potions teacher at Hogwarts. Shortly after this, on 31 October 1981, comes the beginning of the first novel, and a seminal moment in Rowling's work: Voldemort, the enemy of Harry Potter, kills Lily and James Potter, but when attempting to kill the young Harry, is prevented from doing so by Lily, whose sacrifice to save Harry instills an inborn protection in her son. Voldemort's curse therefore backfires onto him and he is reduced to a terrible state of existence. However the general public considers him dead. Harry, left with the scar he is distinctive for throughout the novels, is then sent to live with his maternal relatives, the Dursleys.
- Rowling allocates to the next day, 1 November, the back story of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third installment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The book was published on 8 July 1999. The novel won the 1999 Whitbread Book Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the 2000 Locus Award, and was short-listed for other awards, including...
: Sirius Black, the misjudged villain of that novel, is arrested for the murder of Peter Pettigrew; Pettigrew, in fact, is not dead, but has fled into hiding, while framing Sirius for various murders, as will prove significant in Prisoner of Azkaban.
- Snape vows to Dumbledore to always protect Harry and swears his loyalty to Dumbledore, both almost solely because that is what Lily died for.
- Cornelius Fudge becomes Minister of Magic, replacing Millicent Bagnold.
- The chronological year in which most of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
, takes place. Rowling writes July as being the month in which Harry PotterHarry James Potter is the titular character and the protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series. The books cover seven years in the life of the lonely orphan who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard. He attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn magic...
receives his invitation to attend Hogwarts{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{Infobox Harry Potter school...
. He, and the two characters whom Rowling places constantly at his side throughout the novels (Ron WeasleyRonald Bilius "Ron" Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. He is one of the central characters in the books. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the best friend of the protagonist...
and Hermione GrangerHermione Jean Granger is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. As the series progresses, she becomes close friends with Harry Potter and often uses...
), begin attending the school in what Rowling demonstrates to be the September of that year.
- In the course of the first novel, June of this year sees Harry defeat Lord Voldemort for a second time (although the first time shown to the readers by Rowling).
- The same chronological year, although the second novel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls on the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber...
, is also set up by Rowling as seeing the beginning of the main plot of the second novel, when the Chamber of Secrets is reopened.
- The ending of the second novel and the beginning of the third: Rowling places the climax of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls on the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber...
– in which Harry destroys an incarnate memory of Tom Riddle (a.k.a. Lord Voldemort), rescues Ginny Weasley (who, it emerges, was indirectly responsible for the previous events) and, crucially to the plot of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on 16 July 2005, is the sixth of seven novels from British author J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series...
, destroys a HorcruxA Horcrux is a fictional magical object in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. It is a Dark Magic device created to attain immortality. The concept is first introduced in the sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, though Horcruxes are present in earlier novels without being...
of Lord Voldemort – in June of 1993. The event which begins the next novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third installment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The book was published on 8 July 1999. The novel won the 1999 Whitbread Book Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the 2000 Locus Award, and was short-listed for other awards, including...
, comes shortly after, when the major character of that novel – Sirius Black – escapes from Azkaban.
- Professor Trelawney gives her second prophecy to Harry Potter, regarding the return of the Dark Lord to power.
- 6 June - Harry learns of Sirius' innocence regarding the betrayal of his parents. Peter Pettigrew, guilt now established, flees and rejoins Voldemort.
- Lord Voldemort murders Bertha Jorkins.
- Voldemort murders Frank Bryce.
- Spring or Summer. Gorodok Gargoyles, Lithuanian Quidditch team, defeats Toyohashi Tengu, Japanese Quidditch team.
- Summer - Ireland
Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
wins the 422nd Quidditch World Cup (but Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker, gets the Snitch).
- Autumn - Hogwarts
{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{in-universe|date=August 2009}}{{Infobox Harry Potter school...
hosts the Triwizard Tournament for the first time in over a century
- Saturday 31 October - The names of the champions for the Triwizard Tournament are revealed to the students. (This is controversial because 31 October is on a Monday in 1994)
- 24 November - The first task of the Triwizard Tournament - Viktor Krum and Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
tie for the lead with 40 points each.
- 24 February - The second task of the Triwizard Tournament is held - Harry and Cedric Diggory end up tied for the lead with 85 points each.
- 24 June - The third task of the Triwizard Tournament is held.
- 24 June - Peter Pettigrew murders Cedric Diggory in Harry's presence, on Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the Harry Potter novel series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...
's orders, and using the Dark Lord's wand. Voldemort is restored to full power.
- 24 June - The Order of the Phoenix
The Order of the Phoenix is a fictional organisation in the Harry Potter series of books written by J. K. Rowling. Founded by Albus Dumbledore to fight Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, the Order lends its name to the fifth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the...
is re-established by Albus Dumbledore.
- 2 August - Harry saves his cousin Dudley from two Dementors sent by Dolores Umbridge in Little Whinging. (Dudley was aware that Harry had saved him, but this fact is only revealed much later).
- 12 August - Harry is put on trial for breaching the "Decree for Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery" and the "International Statue of Secrecy," but, following effective testimony from Albus Dumbledore
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character and a major protagonist within the Harry Potter novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. For the majority of the series, he is the headmaster of the Wizarding school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
, he is cleared of all charges by the WizengamotFor the ancient parliament of England, see Witenagemot.For the council of the wizards in the Harry Potter novels, see Wizengamot....
and allowed to go back to study at Hogwarts.
- 5 October - In Hogsmeade, at the Hog's Head, Dumbledore's Army
Dumbledore's Army is a fictional student organisation in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series that is founded by the main characters, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, in order to stand up against the regime of Hogwarts High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge, as well as to learn practical...
is created by Hermione GrangerHermione Jean Granger is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. As the series progresses, she becomes close friends with Harry Potter and often uses...
and Harry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
.
- There is a mass breakout of ten Death Eaters from Azkaban. Ministry officials continue denying Voldemort's return and instead pin the blame on Sirius Black, claiming he helped the prisoners escape.
- Voldemort does not recover the Prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, due to the efforts of Harry and company. Harry learns of Professor Trelawney's first prediction and the wizarding world
The fictional universe of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of fantasy novels comprises two separate and distinct societies: the wizarding world and the Muggle world...
is finally alerted to Voldemort's return. Sirius Black dies in The Death Chamber of the Department of Mysteries. Lucius Malfoy and other Death Eaters are arrested and taken to Azkaban.
- After leaving Hogwarts
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, Fred and George Weasley open in Diagon Alley Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, a popular and successful joke and gag shop.
- Rufus Scrimgeour replaces Cornelius Fudge as Minister for Magic.
- Albus Dumbledore destroys another of Voldemort's Horcruxes, formerly encased in Marvolo Gaunt's ring. Albus Dumbledore is cursed in the process. With the help of Severus Snape, this curse is trapped in his right hand. He is told by Snape he has around a year to live. It is also at this time he asks Snape to kill him within the year before Draco Malfoy or any Death Eaters get the opportunity. Albus wishes for Draco's soul to remain whole and for Draco to be spared from torture under the Death Eaters.
- Harry, Ron, and Hermione start their sixth year at Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy sneaks off to Knockturn Alley to go to Borgin and Burkes to reserve a vanishing cabinet to get the Death Eaters into Hogwarts.
- June - Albus Dumbledore is killed by Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
. Harry Potter decides upon his quest to destroy the remaining four (actually five) HorcruxA Horcrux is a fictional magical object in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. It is a Dark Magic device created to attain immortality. The concept is first introduced in the sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, though Horcruxes are present in earlier novels without being...
es in which Lord VoldemortLord Voldemort is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the Harry Potter novel series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...
has sealed fragments of his soul.
- 27 July - Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
leaves Privet Drive for the last time, accompanied by six fake Harry Potters and a crew of Order of the Phoenix members; group narrowly escapes the Death Eaters. Alastor Moody and Harry's pet owl Hedwig are killed during this flight. George Weasley has his ear cursed by Snape; this, however, turns out to be an accident following the revelations of the seventh book.
- 31 July - Harry turns 17 and becomes of age in the wizarding world.
- 1 August - The wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour.
- 1 August - Voldemort seizes power in the ministry, kills Rufus Scrimgeour and places a henchman as New Minister for Magic, starting a regime of masked terror.
- 31 August - Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts under Voldemort's orders, replacing Minerva McGonagall
- 2 September - Hermione Granger
Hermione Jean Granger is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. As the series progresses, she becomes close friends with Harry Potter and often uses...
obtains Slytherin's locket, a Horcrux, from Dolores Umbridge.
- 24 December - Harry Potter and Hermione Granger visit James and Lily Potter's grave at Godric's Hollow. There, they meet Bathilda Bagshot, who is in fact possessed by Voldemort's snake. Hermione accidentally breaks Harry's wand as they are escaping.
- 26/27 December (There is no reference to which side of midnight this action takes place) - Ron Weasley
Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. He is one of the central characters in the books. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the best friend of the protagonist...
destroys Slytherin's locket with Gryffindor's sword.
- 28 December - Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger visit Xenophilius Lovegood and learn about the Deathly Hallows.
- March/April - Harry, Ron, and Hermione are captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, but they are saved by Dobby who dies in the fray via Bellatrix Lestrange's knife.
- 1 May - Harry, Ron, Hermione and Griphook (a goblin) break into Gringotts Wizarding Bank and steal Hufflepuff's cup, then escape with the aid of the dragon that guarded some of the vaults.
- 2 & 3 May - the Battle of Hogwarts, at which the four remaining Horcruxes (Ravenclaw's diadem, Hufflepuff's cup, the snake Nagini and Harry Potter) are destroyed. Professor Minerva McGonagall ousts Severus Snape and leads Hogwarts and Order of the Phoenix forces against Voldemort and the Death Eaters; however, Harry discovers Snape's true allegiance shortly after Snape's death, with the help of his memories. Many people on both sides die in this battle, including Lupin, Tonks, Colin Creevey, Fred Weasley, and Bellatrix Lestrange. After the Horcrux inside him is destroyed, Harry returns to the living world through his own free will after being presented with a choice by Dumbledore, who appears before him. Voldemort is finally killed by a backfiring curse cast with the Elder wand, which refuses to kill Harry because Harry is its true master.
- Kingsley Shacklebolt is appointed temporary Minister of Magic.
- Sometime before his eighteenth birthday, Harry joins the Auror Department.
- Harry is appointed Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic
The Ministry of Magic is the fictional government of the Magical community of Britain in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. First mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Ministry makes its first proper appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix...
.
- September - Neville Longbottom is the Herbology professor at Hogwarts; Ginny and Harry drop off their two sons, James and Albus, at the Hogwarts Express while their daughter, Lily, watches; Hermione and Ron drop off one of their children, Rose, while their son Hugo watches; Draco and his wife drop off their son, named Scorpius. Remus and Tonks' son Teddy goes to see Fleur and Bill's daughter, Victoire, off to Hogwarts, the two having just been caught kissing by James.
- The Defence Against the Dark Arts position is no longer jinxed, due to Voldemort's death. Kingsley Shacklebolt is the Minister of Magic.
Births
(Note: Many of the approximate dates in the twentieth century are because Hogwarts accepts students aged eleven as of August 31, so it is possible for any of the students whose birth-month is not given to have been born sometime in the last third of the previous year.)
- Nicolas Flamel
- Perenelle Flamel
Perenelle Flamel was the wife of the famous 15th century alchemist Nicholas Flamel. Perenelle was a widow and married Nicolas Flamel at the age of 30. Together they had one child and used their enormous wealth to care for the sick and poor. She was the one who suggested that Nicholas and she use...
- Phineas Nigellus Black
- Albus Percival Wilfred Brian Dumbledore
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character and a major protagonist within the Harry Potter novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. For the majority of the series, he is the headmaster of the Wizarding school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
to Percival and Kendra Dumbledore
- Aberforth Dumbledore to Percival and Kendra Dumbledore.
- Ariana Dumbledore to Percival and Kendra Dumbledore.
- Auntie Muriel to the Prewett Family (possibly Molly Weasley's father's sister)
- Merope Gaunt to Marvolo Gaunt and an unnamed witch.
- 5 October - Minerva McGonagall.
- Lucretia Black to Arcturus Black and Melania Macmillan
- Walburga Black to Pollux Black and Irma Crabbe
- 31 December - Tom Marvolo Riddle (Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the Harry Potter novel series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...
) to Muggle Tom Riddle Sr. and witch Merope Gaunt
- 6 December - Rubeus Hagrid
Rubeus Hagrid is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. The character is usually addressed only by his surname. Hagrid is the half-giant Keeper of Keys and Grounds, gamekeeper and, starting in Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and...
to the giantess Fridwulfa and Mr. Hagrid (first name unknown)
- Orion Black to Arcturus Black and Melania Macmillan
- Cygnus Black to Pollux Black and Irma Crabbe
- 30 October - Molly Prewett
- 6 February- Arthur Weasley
- Rita Skeeter
- Bellatrix Black to Cygnus Black and Druella Rosier
- Andromeda Black to Cygnus Black and Druella Rosier
- Lucius Malfoy to Abraxas Malfoy and an unknown witch
- Narcissa Black to Cygnus Black and Druella Rosier
- Bertha Jorkins
- Sirius Black to second cousins Orion Black and Walburga Black
- 9 January - Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
to Tobias Snape and Eileen Prince
- 30 January - Lily Evans
- 10 March - Remus Lupin
- 27 March - James Potter
- Peter Pettigrew
- Regulus Arcturus Black to second cousins Orion Black and Walburga Black
- Bartemius Crouch Jr to Bartemius Crouch Sr and his wife
- 29 November - Bill Weasley to Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett
- 12 December - Charlie Weasley to Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett
- Nymphadora Tonks to Ted Tonks and Andromeda Black
- Stan Shunpike
- 22 August - Percy Ignatius Weasley to Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett
- c. - Viktor Krum
- Oliver Wood
- Cedric Diggory to Amos Diggory and his wife
- c. - Fleur Delacour to Monsieur Delacour and Apolline Delacour (a half-Veela)
- 1 April - Fred and George Weasley to Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett
- c. - Katie Bell
- c. - Cho Chang
- 19 September - Hermione Jean Granger
Hermione Jean Granger is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. As the series progresses, she becomes close friends with Harry Potter and often uses...
to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, MuggleMuggle is the word used in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling to refer to a person who lacks any sort of magical ability and was not born into the magical world. It differs from the term Squib which refers to a person without magical abilities but with a magical ancestry. The word...
dentists
- 1 March - Ronald Bilius Weasley
Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. He is one of the central characters in the books. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the best friend of the protagonist...
to Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett
- 5 June - Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy is a fictional character and an antagonist in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is a Slytherin student in Harry Potter's year, and his house's most visible adolescent representative. He is frequently accompanied by his two dim-witted accomplices, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory...
to Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black
- 22 June - Dudley Dursley to Vernon Dursley and Petunia Evans
- 30 July - Neville Longbottom to Frank and Alice Longbottom
- 31 July - Harry James Potter
Harry James Potter is the titular character and the protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series. The books cover seven years in the life of the lonely orphan who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard. He attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn magic...
to James Potter and Lily Evans
- c. - Colin Creevey
- c. - Luna Lovegood to Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of The Quibbler and his wife
- 11 August - Ginevra Molly Weasley
Ginevra Molly "Ginny" Weasley is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Ginny's presence early in the series is minor: she is identified solely as the younger sister of Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best friend, and harbours a crush on Harry, while bashful in his presence...
to Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett
- Dennis Creevey
- Gabrielle Delacour to Monsieur Delacour and Apolline Delacour (a half-Veela)
- April - Ted Remus Lupin to Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks.
- 2 May - Victoire Weasley to Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour
- James Sirius Potter to Harry Potter
Harry James Potter is the titular character and the protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series. The books cover seven years in the life of the lonely orphan who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard. He attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn magic...
and Ginny WeasleyGinevra Molly "Ginny" Weasley is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Ginny's presence early in the series is minor: she is identified solely as the younger sister of Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best friend, and harbours a crush on Harry, while bashful in his presence...
- Albus Severus Potter to Harry Potter
Harry James Potter is the titular character and the protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series. The books cover seven years in the life of the lonely orphan who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard. He attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn magic...
and Ginny WeasleyGinevra Molly "Ginny" Weasley is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Ginny's presence early in the series is minor: she is identified solely as the younger sister of Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best friend, and harbours a crush on Harry, while bashful in his presence...
- Rose Weasley to Ron Weasley
Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. He is one of the central characters in the books. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the best friend of the protagonist...
and Hermione GrangerHermione Jean Granger is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. As the series progresses, she becomes close friends with Harry Potter and often uses...
- Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy to Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy is a fictional character and an antagonist in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is a Slytherin student in Harry Potter's year, and his house's most visible adolescent representative. He is frequently accompanied by his two dim-witted accomplices, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory...
and Astoria Greengrass
- Lily Luna Potter to Harry Potter
Harry James Potter is the titular character and the protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series. The books cover seven years in the life of the lonely orphan who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard. He attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn magic...
and Ginny WeasleyGinevra Molly "Ginny" Weasley is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Ginny's presence early in the series is minor: she is identified solely as the younger sister of Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best friend, and harbours a crush on Harry, while bashful in his presence...
- Hugo Weasley to Ron Weasley
Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. He is one of the central characters in the books. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the best friend of the protagonist...
and Hermione GrangerHermione Jean Granger is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. As the series progresses, she becomes close friends with Harry Potter and often uses...
- After c. 2008 (exact time unknown)
- Lorcan and Lysander Scamander to Rolf Scamander and Luna Lovegood
Deaths
- Helena Ravenclaw (the Grey Lady), murdered by the Bloody Baron.
- The Bloody Baron, commits suicide by stabbing, in remorse for murdering Helena, accounting for the silver blood in which he is covered.
- Godric Gryffindor
- Helga Hufflepuff
- Rowena Ravenclaw of a terminal illness.
- Salazar Slytherin
- 31 October - Nearly Headless Nick, by being partially decapitated
Decapitation is the separation of the head of an animal from its body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by means of a guillotine...
.
- Kendra Dumbledore, dies in the summer because of a magical accident caused by her daughter Ariana.
- Ariana Dumbledore, accidentally killed in a three way fight between Albus Dumbledore
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character and a major protagonist within the Harry Potter novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. For the majority of the series, he is the headmaster of the Wizarding school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
, Aberforth Dumbledore, and Gellert Grindelwald, shortly before the beginning of the fall term, two months after the death of her mother.
- Phineas Nigellus Black
- Marvolo Gaunt
- 31 December - Merope Gaunt, shortly after childbirth; possibly by loss of the will to live.
- Summer - Tom Riddle Sr., father of Tom Marvolo Riddle, and his paternal grandparents, murdered by Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the Harry Potter novel series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...
/Tom Marvolo Riddle.
- 13 June - Myrtle (surname unknown), a female Hogwarts student, who will become known as Moaning Myrtle, is killed by the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets under the influence of Tom Riddle.
- Morfin Gaunt
- Hepzibah Smith, poisoned by her own house elf under the influence of Tom Riddle.
- A Muggle tramp
- An Albanian peasant
- Regulus Black, dragged by Inferi into the cave lake after stealing the locket Horcrux and giving it to Kreacher.
- Orion Black
- 31 October - James and Lily Potter, from an attack by Lord Voldemort.
- 1 November - Several innocent Muggles murdered by Peter Pettigrew to frame Sirius Black and cover his own flight.
- Barty Crouch Junior's mother, in Azkaban, transformed by the Polyjuice Potion into the physical form of her son.
- Walburga Black
- Luna Lovegood's mother, in an accident when her experimental spell backfires.
- Cuthbert Binns, died in his sleep, then got up the next morning to teach, leaving his body behind.
- Arcturus Black
- 4 June - Quirinus Quirrell (as a result of Lord Voldemort abandoning him).
- Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle, die of old age after the Philosopher's Stone is destroyed.
- Lucretia Black
- Cygnus Black
- 29 May - The Basilisk, slain with the sword of Godric Gryffindor, wielded by Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
.
- Summer - Bertha Jorkins, murdered by Voldemort after he extracted information on the approaching Triwizard Tournament from her.
- August - Frank Bryce, Muggle, murdered by Voldemort for overhearing Voldemort and Pettigrew's plot to kill Harry Potter.
- May - Barty Crouch Senior, by his son posing as Mad-Eye Moody after his attempt to inform Dumbledore of his son's escape.
- 24 June - Cedric Diggory, murdered by Peter Pettigrew on Voldemort's orders.
- January - Broderick Bode, strangled by Devil's Snare in St Mungo's Hospital of Magical Maladies and Injuries.
- June - Sirius Black, falls through the veil in the Death Chamber in the Department of Mysteries.
- Summer - Amelia Bones, murdered in the first days of the Second War, probably by Lord Voldemort himself.
- Summer - Emmeline Vance, murdered by Death Eaters in the first days of the war, on information from Snape, in the vicinity of 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street is the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury and hence Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
.
- Summer - Igor Karkaroff, murdered by Death Eaters because he abandoned them
- After Summer - Hannah Abbott's mother
- 19 April - Aragog, due to old age after Hagrid makes a valiant attempt to preserve his life.
- 9 June - Gibbon the Death Eater, hit accidentally with an Avada Kedavra curse by one of his own allies, in the corridor leading up to the astronomy tower.
- 9 June - Albus Dumbledore
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character and a major protagonist within the Harry Potter novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. For the majority of the series, he is the headmaster of the Wizarding school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
, killed by Snape's Killing Curse on top of the Astronomy Tower after being previously weakened in an attempt to seize a Horcrux.
- 26 July - Charity Burbage, Professor of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts, killed by Voldemort at Malfoy Manor, after which her body is fed to Nagini.
- 27 July- Hedwig, hit by a stray Killing Curse as Harry and Hagrid escape Privet Drive.
- 27 July - Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, killed by Voldemort himself, after Mundungus Fletcher disapparates away.
- 1 August - Rufus Scrimgeour, killed to complete the fall of the Ministry into Voldemort's hands, possibly after being tortured to where Harry was, which he did not reveal.
- 2 September - Gregorovitch the wandmaker, killed by Voldemort in his quest to locate the Elder Wand.
- 21 December - Bathilda Bagshot, murdered (presumably by Voldemort).
- 5 March - Dirk Cresswell, captured on the run from the ministry and killed by Death Eaters.
- 5 March - Ted Tonks, killed by Death Eaters on the run from the ministry.
- 5 March - Gornuk, captured and killed by Death Eaters.
- 7 March - Peter Pettigrew, strangled to death by the silver hand Voldemort had given him, after showing Harry a brief second of remorse.
- 7 March - Gellert Grindelwald, murdered by Voldemort in his quest to locate the Elder Wand.
- 7 March - Dobby
Dobby may refer to:* Dobby, a character in the Harry Potter novel series by J. K. Rowling* Dobby , or Tag, an informal playground game* Dobby loom, a type of floor loom that employs a device called a dobby* Dobby, a character in Peep Show...
, killed by a knife thrown by Bellatrix Lestrange.
- 1 May - Griphook, killed by Voldemort after learning that Harry is searching for his Horcruxes.
- 2 May - Vincent Crabbe, consumed by the fiendfyre he conjured in the Room of Requirement, while in its "hidden objects" state.
- 2 May - Fred Weasley, killed during the battle of Hogwarts.
- 2 May - Remus Lupin, killed during the battle by Antonin Dolohov.
- 2 May - Nymphadora Tonks, killed during the battle by Bellatrix Lestrange.
- 2 May - Colin Creevey, killed during the battle, unknown cause.
- 2 May - Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is one of the primary antagonists...
, bitten by the snake Nagini in the Shrieking Shack at the command of Voldemort, in the belief that it would transfer the power of the Elder Wand to him.
- 2 May - Fifty unnamed dead out of those who fought at Hogwarts.
- 2 May - Nagini, decapitated with the sword of Godric Gryffindor, wielded by Neville Longbottom.
- 2 May - Bellatrix Lestrange, killed by Molly Weasley.
- 2 May - Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the Harry Potter novel series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...
, killed by his own Avada Kedavra curse.
External links
{{portal|Harry Potter}}
{{Harrypotter}}