The 1980s
1981 (Y1) AD = 100 MM = 56 TR = 55 RH = 53 M = 23 BW = 11 CW = 9 PW = 5 FGW = 3 HG = 2 H&R = 1 GW = 0
Famous theoretician [Adalbert Waffling] dies (fw)
circa September
[Severus Snape] is hired by [Dumbledore] to teach [Potions] at [Hogwarts][Snape] had applied for the post of [Defence Against the Dark Arts], but [Dumbledore] refused.
In October of 1995 [[Y15]], [Snape] told [Umbridge] that he had been teaching at [Hogwarts] for 14 years, but unlike [McGonagall], he did not specify the month ([OP17]). He later says that he took up the post on [Voldemort]'s orders ([HBP2]), so it's almost certain he began teaching at the start of the school year.
[Severus Snape] is hired by [Dumbledore] to teach [Potions] at [Hogwarts][Snape] had applied for the post of [Defence Against the Dark Arts], but [Dumbledore] refused.
In October of 1995 [[Y15]], [Snape] told [Umbridge] that he had been teaching at [Hogwarts] for 14 years, but unlike [McGonagall], he did not specify the month ([OP17]). He later says that he took up the post on [Voldemort]'s orders ([HBP2]), so it's almost certain he began teaching at the start of the school year.
circa October 24
The [Fidelius Charm] is cast to hide the [Potters], with [Peter Pettigrew] acting as Secret Keeper[Dumbledore] had offered to be secret keeper, but [James and Lily] had refused, planning to go with [Sirius Black] instead - but switching to [Pettigrew] at the last minute.
Fudge says that the [Fidelius Charm] was cast "barely a week" before [Voldemort] came after the [Potters].
(PA10)
The [Fidelius Charm] is cast to hide the [Potters], with [Peter Pettigrew] acting as Secret Keeper[Dumbledore] had offered to be secret keeper, but [James and Lily] had refused, planning to go with [Sirius Black] instead - but switching to [Pettigrew] at the last minute.
Fudge says that the [Fidelius Charm] was cast "barely a week" before [Voldemort] came after the [Potters].
(PA10)
October 31
Defeat of [Voldemort]; [James] and [Lily Potter] are killed[Voldemort] attempts to kill [Harry Potter] after murdering his parents, but the spell rebounds onto him.
[Voldemort], nearly dead and without physical form, retreats into the forests of [Albania] where he possess the bodies of various animals to survive for the next decade, waiting. [Hagrid], on [Dumbledore]'s orders, goes to [Godric's Hollow] to rescue baby [Harry] from the ruins of the house.
(PS1)
Defeat of [Voldemort]; [James] and [Lily Potter] are killed[Voldemort] attempts to kill [Harry Potter] after murdering his parents, but the spell rebounds onto him.
[Voldemort], nearly dead and without physical form, retreats into the forests of [Albania] where he possess the bodies of various animals to survive for the next decade, waiting. [Hagrid], on [Dumbledore]'s orders, goes to [Godric's Hollow] to rescue baby [Harry] from the ruins of the house.
(PS1)
circa November 1
[Peter Pettigrew] fakes his own death, killing twelve Muggles in the process[Sirius Black] is arrested and at some point in the next few weeks is sent to [Azkaban] without a trial. He is 22 years old.
It's about 90% certain this happened on November 1, but it's also possible it was November 2.
(PA10)
[Peter Pettigrew] fakes his own death, killing twelve Muggles in the process[Sirius Black] is arrested and at some point in the next few weeks is sent to [Azkaban] without a trial. He is 22 years old.
It's about 90% certain this happened on November 1, but it's also possible it was November 2.
(PA10)
late November 1
[Hagrid] delivers baby [Harry] to [Dumbledore][Dumbledore] is waiting in [Privet Drive] to leave the baby with the [Dursleys].
but there are [twenty-four hours missing] from the chronology of events of these two days...
(PS1)
[Hagrid] delivers baby [Harry] to [Dumbledore][Dumbledore] is waiting in [Privet Drive] to leave the baby with the [Dursleys].
but there are [twenty-four hours missing] from the chronology of events of these two days...
(PS1)
after November 1
[Sirius Black] is framed for the murders of [Peter Pettigrew] and twelve Muggles on November 1, 1981He is sent by [Bartemius Crouch Sr.] to [Azkaban] without a trial.
This almost certainly happened immediately following [Sirius]'s capture on November 1, but we have no way of knowing for sure.
(GF27)
[Sirius Black] is framed for the murders of [Peter Pettigrew] and twelve Muggles on November 1, 1981He is sent by [Bartemius Crouch Sr.] to [Azkaban] without a trial.
This almost certainly happened immediately following [Sirius]'s capture on November 1, but we have no way of knowing for sure.
(GF27)
circa December
[Bellatrix], [Rodolphus], and [Rabastan] Lestrange, along with [Bartemius Crouch Jr.], are arrestedThey are charged with using the [Cruciatus Curse] on [Frank and Alice Longbottom] in an attempt to discover the whereabouts of [Voldemort]; all of the accused are convicted and sent to [Azkaban]. [Frank and Alice Longbottom] are committed to [St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries], driven permanently insane from the [Cruciatus Curse].
We know that this happened shortly after [Voldemort]'s downfall, as [Dumbledore] says it was "just when everyone thought they were safe." They likely happened sometime between November 1981 [[Y1]] and very early 1982 [[Y2]].
(GF30)
[Bellatrix], [Rodolphus], and [Rabastan] Lestrange, along with [Bartemius Crouch Jr.], are arrestedThey are charged with using the [Cruciatus Curse] on [Frank and Alice Longbottom] in an attempt to discover the whereabouts of [Voldemort]; all of the accused are convicted and sent to [Azkaban]. [Frank and Alice Longbottom] are committed to [St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries], driven permanently insane from the [Cruciatus Curse].
We know that this happened shortly after [Voldemort]'s downfall, as [Dumbledore] says it was "just when everyone thought they were safe." They likely happened sometime between November 1981 [[Y1]] and very early 1982 [[Y2]].
(GF30)
after 1981 (Y1)
In disguise as a rat, [Peter Pettigrew] becomes a pet of [Percy Weasley]He chooses [Percy], a member of a solid wizarding family, in order to stay aware of what was going on in the magical world and perhaps hear word of his former master, [Voldemort].
(PA18)
(PA18)
c. 1982 (Y2)
[Igor Karkaroff] is released from [Azkaban] in return for turning in [Rookwood] ([GF30])This unquestionably happened after [Voldemort]'s downfall - and we also know it probably happened within a year of when the [Lestranges] and [Barty Crouch Jr.] were caught for torturing the [Longbottoms]. This comes from [Sirius]'s statement in [GF27] that [Crouch Jr.] died a year later, and [Barty Crouch Sr.] lost his popularity and changed jobs. Since he was still running the [Wizengamot] during this incident, it couldn't have been long after [Voldemort]'s downfall. No doubt [Karkaroff] was eager to get away from the [Dementors].
[Ludo Bagman] is acquitted of being a [Death Eater]Like [Karkaroff]'s trial, this one was almost certainly within a year or so of [Voldemort]'s downfall, as [Barty Crouch] was presiding.
(GF30)
(GF30)
1982 (Y2) AD = 101 MM = 57 TR = 56 RH = 54 M = 24 BW = 12 CW = 10 PW = 6 FGW = 4 HG = 3 H&R = 2 GW = 1
September 1
[Bill Weasley] starts his first year at Hogwarts ([JKR]) - he is sorted into [Gryffindor] ([PS6])
[Bill Weasley] starts his first year at Hogwarts ([JKR]) - he is sorted into [Gryffindor] ([PS6])
circa November
[Barty Crouch Jr.] is secretly rescued from [Azkaban]His mother uses [Polyjuice Potion] to take his place there, where she dies within a year ([GF27]). [Crouch Jr.] is kept a virtual prisoner in his father's home, tended by [Winky], a loyal house-elf ([GF35]).
We know from [Sirius Black] in [GF27] that the escape was "about a year" after [Crouch Jr.] had been sent to [Azkaban], so it was probably sometime around November or December of 1982 [[Y2]].
[Barty Crouch Jr.] is secretly rescued from [Azkaban]His mother uses [Polyjuice Potion] to take his place there, where she dies within a year ([GF27]). [Crouch Jr.] is kept a virtual prisoner in his father's home, tended by [Winky], a loyal house-elf ([GF35]).
We know from [Sirius Black] in [GF27] that the escape was "about a year" after [Crouch Jr.] had been sent to [Azkaban], so it was probably sometime around November or December of 1982 [[Y2]].
c. 1983 (Y3)
[Fred] turns [Ron]'s teddy bear into a [spider]He does it because [Ron] broke his toy [broomstick]. From now on, [Ron] is deadly afraid of [spiders].
"If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my - my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick.... You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and..."
This is a pretty complex bit of [Transfiguration] for a five-year-old, considering eleven-year-olds struggle to turn matches into needles. Maybe [Ron] just dreamed the whole thing.
(CS9)
"If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my - my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick.... You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and..."
This is a pretty complex bit of [Transfiguration] for a five-year-old, considering eleven-year-olds struggle to turn matches into needles. Maybe [Ron] just dreamed the whole thing.
(CS9)
1983 (Y3) AD = 102 MM = 58 TR = 57 RH = 55 M = 25 BW = 13 CW = 11 PW = 7 FGW = 5 HG = 4 H&R = 3 GW = 2
September 1
[Charlie Weasley] starts his first year at Hogwarts ([JKR]) and is sorted into [Gryffindor] ([PS6])[Bill] is starting his third year.
[Charlie Weasley] starts his first year at Hogwarts ([JKR]) and is sorted into [Gryffindor] ([PS6])[Bill] is starting his third year.
1984 (Y4) AD = 103 MM = 59 TR = 58 RH = 56 M = 26 BW = 14 CW = 12 PW = 8 FGW = 6 HG = 5 H&R = 4 GW = 3
June
[Gryffindor] wins the [Quidditch Cup]It is the last time [Gryffindor] will win until 1993-94. We don't know who wins the [House Cup].
"The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years..." ([PS13])
This statement refers to school years, not actual years. The 1983-84 [[Y3]-[Y4]] school year is seven school years before that statement was made in the fall of 1991 [[Y11]] (and yes, from the context we can be almost 100% sure that it's talking about the [Quidditch Cup], not the [House Cup]). [Charlie] HAD to have been on the team this year, since "Gryffindor hadn't won the [Quidditch Cup] since the legendary [Charlie Weasley]...had been seeker." However, according to [Rowling]'s age statement for [Charlie], he wasn't, as he was only a first year at the time. This is an error in the text.
(PS13)
[Gryffindor] wins the [Quidditch Cup]It is the last time [Gryffindor] will win until 1993-94. We don't know who wins the [House Cup].
"The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years..." ([PS13])
This statement refers to school years, not actual years. The 1983-84 [[Y3]-[Y4]] school year is seven school years before that statement was made in the fall of 1991 [[Y11]] (and yes, from the context we can be almost 100% sure that it's talking about the [Quidditch Cup], not the [House Cup]). [Charlie] HAD to have been on the team this year, since "Gryffindor hadn't won the [Quidditch Cup] since the legendary [Charlie Weasley]...had been seeker." However, according to [Rowling]'s age statement for [Charlie], he wasn't, as he was only a first year at the time. This is an error in the text.
(PS13)
c. 1985 (Y5)
[Sirius Black]'s mother, [Walburga Black], dies ([BFT])Her likeness is captured in a huge portrait which hangs in the entrance hall of her home at [number twelve, Grimmauld Place]. The house is left vacant except for [Kreacher]. The house deteriorates dramatically ([OP5]).
"No one's lived here for ten years, not since my dear mother died, unless you count her old house-elf, and he's gone round the twist -- hasn't cleaned anything in ages." -- [Sirius Black] ([OP5])
"No one's lived here for ten years, not since my dear mother died, unless you count her old house-elf, and he's gone round the twist -- hasn't cleaned anything in ages." -- [Sirius Black] ([OP5])
1985 (Y5) AD = 104 MM = 60 TR = 59 RH = 57 M = 27 BW = 15 CW = 13 PW = 9 FGW = 7 HG = 6 H&R = 5 GW = 4
[Idris Oakby] Founder of the S.S.S. (Society for the Support of Squibs) dies (JKR)
June
[Slytherin] wins the [Quidditch Cup] ([PS13]) but not the [House Cup] ([PS7])
[Slytherin] wins the [Quidditch Cup] ([PS13]) but not the [House Cup] ([PS7])
June
[Aunt Marge] comes to [Dudley]'s fifth birthday partyShe whacks [Harry] around the shins to keep him from beating [Dudley] at musical statues.
(PA2)
[Aunt Marge] comes to [Dudley]'s fifth birthday partyShe whacks [Harry] around the shins to keep him from beating [Dudley] at musical statues.
(PA2)
September
[Charlie Weasley] starts his second year at [Hogwarts]Making this the first year that he could conceivably be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
(JKR)
[Charlie Weasley] starts his second year at [Hogwarts]Making this the first year that he could conceivably be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
(JKR)
1986 (Y6) AD = 105 MM = 61 TR = 60 RH = 58 M = 28 BW = 16 CW = 14 PW = 10 FGW = 8 HG = 7 H&R = 6 GW = 5
The [Ugandan] [Quidditch] team, the [Patonga Proudsticks], holds the [Montrose Magpies] to a drawThe outcome comes as a shock to [Quidditch] fans everywhere.
(QA8)
(QA8)
June
[Slytherin] wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] ([PS7], [PS13])
[Slytherin] wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] ([PS7], [PS13])
1987 (Y7) AD = 106 MM = 62 TR = 61 RH = 59 M = 29 BW = 17 CW = 15 PW = 11 FGW = 9 HG = 8 H&R = 7 GW = 6
[Roderick Plumpton] diesHe dies still claiming that his record three and a half second capture of the [Snitch] was intentional, and not pure dumb luck.
(fw)
(fw)
[Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles], by [Wilhelm Wigworthy], is publishedThe publisher is [Little Red Books].
(FB)
(FB)
June
[Slytherin] wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] ([PS7], [PS13])
[Slytherin] wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] ([PS7], [PS13])
September 1
[Percy Weasley] starts his first year at [Hogwarts] and is sorted into [Gryffindor][Bill] is in his sixth year and [Charlie] his fourth.
(JKR)
[Percy Weasley] starts his first year at [Hogwarts] and is sorted into [Gryffindor][Bill] is in his sixth year and [Charlie] his fourth.
(JKR)
c. 1988 (Y8)
[Neville Longbottom] is accidentally dropped from an upstairs window by his [Great Uncle Algie]Instead of falling to his death, he bounces, demonstrating his natural magical ability. His family is ecstatic.
This happened when [Neville] was eight, so it could just have easily been in 1989 [[Y9]].
(PS7)
This happened when [Neville] was eight, so it could just have easily been in 1989 [[Y9]].
(PS7)
1988 (Y8) AD = 107 MM = 63 TR = 62 RH = 60 M = 30 BW = 18 CW = 16 PW = 12 FGW = 10 HG = 9 H&R = 8 GW = 7
June
[Slytherin] wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] ([PS7], [PS13])
[Slytherin] wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] ([PS7], [PS13])
June
[Aunt Marge] comes to [Dudley]'s eighth birthday partyShe brings a computerized robot for [Dudley] and a box of dog biscuits for [Harry].
(PA2)
[Aunt Marge] comes to [Dudley]'s eighth birthday partyShe brings a computerized robot for [Dudley] and a box of dog biscuits for [Harry].
(PA2)
September 1
[Bill Weasley] becomes [Head Boy] and [Charlie] is made a [Prefect][Percy], meanwhile, is starting his second year at [Hogwarts].
(OP9)
[Bill Weasley] becomes [Head Boy] and [Charlie] is made a [Prefect][Percy], meanwhile, is starting his second year at [Hogwarts].
(OP9)
1989 (Y9) AD = 108 MM = 64 TR = 63 RH = 61 M = 31 BW = 19 CW = 17 PW = 13 FGW = 11 HG = 10 H&R = 9 GW = 8
June
[Slytherin] wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] ([PS7], [PS13])
[Slytherin] wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] ([PS7], [PS13])
September
The [Gryffindor] [Quidditch] team prepares for the 1989-1990 seasonThe team includes [Charlie Weasley], sixth year [Seeker], and [Oliver Wood], third year [Keeper].
While these are conjectures, it seems logical that both of these players would have been on the team. [Charlie] may have been Quidditch Captain at this point.
The [Gryffindor] [Quidditch] team prepares for the 1989-1990 seasonThe team includes [Charlie Weasley], sixth year [Seeker], and [Oliver Wood], third year [Keeper].
While these are conjectures, it seems logical that both of these players would have been on the team. [Charlie] may have been Quidditch Captain at this point.
September
[Quirrell] begins teaching [Defence Against the Dark Arts] at [Hogwarts]He has not yet met [Voldemort], so is a perfectly competent teacher. He teaches for a year, then takes a year off to study in [Albania].
See entry below (1990 [[Y10]]) for an explanation of when [Quirrell] taught.
[Quirrell] begins teaching [Defence Against the Dark Arts] at [Hogwarts]He has not yet met [Voldemort], so is a perfectly competent teacher. He teaches for a year, then takes a year off to study in [Albania].
See entry below (1990 [[Y10]]) for an explanation of when [Quirrell] taught.
September 1
[Fred and George Weasley] start their first year at [Hogwarts] and are sorted into [Gryffindor] ([PS6])[Angelina Johnson] also becomes a new [Gryffindor], while [Cedric Diggory] also starts his first year and is sorted into [Hufflepuff]. Both [Angelina] and [Cedric] turn twelve shortly after the beginning of the school year ([GF16]).
[Fred and George Weasley] start their first year at [Hogwarts] and are sorted into [Gryffindor] ([PS6])[Angelina Johnson] also becomes a new [Gryffindor], while [Cedric Diggory] also starts his first year and is sorted into [Hufflepuff]. Both [Angelina] and [Cedric] turn twelve shortly after the beginning of the school year ([GF16]).
The 1990s
Events of this decade:
The 1990s - OverviewThe Nineties
The events of the 1990s comprise the stories of the [Harry Potter] novels themselves. The years in which these stories take place are not stated specifically in the books but can be deduced from clues. The official timeline of the stories, as found on the Chamber of Secrets DVD second disk, uses the dates of the 1990s for these events, and it is from the "real" calendars of those years that I have derived many of the dates and days of the week indicated here. Some days and dates are specified in the books, others are approximated or deduced. However, the days and dates given in the books do not match any existing "real" calendar -- in fact, some dates are simply impossible, such as books where two Mondays happen in a row.
The events of the 1990s comprise the stories of the [Harry Potter] novels themselves. The years in which these stories take place are not stated specifically in the books but can be deduced from clues. The official timeline of the stories, as found on the Chamber of Secrets DVD second disk, uses the dates of the 1990s for these events, and it is from the "real" calendars of those years that I have derived many of the dates and days of the week indicated here. Some days and dates are specified in the books, others are approximated or deduced. However, the days and dates given in the books do not match any existing "real" calendar -- in fact, some dates are simply impossible, such as books where two Mondays happen in a row.
1990 (Y10) AD = 109 MM = 65 TR = 64 RH = 62 M = 32 BW = 20 CW = 18 PW = 14 FGW = 12 HG = 11 H&R = 10 GW = 9
The [Flyte and Barker] company introduces the [Twigger 90] broomstick (QA9)
[Pollux Black] dies at age 78He is the grandfather of [Sirius], [Regulus], [Bellatrix], [Narcissa], and [Andromeda Black].
(BFT)
(BFT)
June
[Slytherin] wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] ([PS7], [PS13])
[Slytherin] wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] ([PS7], [PS13])
June
[Aunt Marge] comes to [Dudley]'s tenth birthday partyShe brings [Ripper], her favorite bulldog. [Harry] accidentally steps on Ripper's tail and the dog "trees" him. [Marge] finally calls the dog off around midnight. When [Marge] comes to visit during the summer of Y13, [Harry] remembers past incidents:
"On her last visit, the year before [Harry] started at [Hogwarts], [Harry] had accidentally trodden on the tail of her favorite dog. [Ripper] had chased [Harry] out into the garden and up a tree, and [Aunt Marge] had refused to call him off until past midnight. The memory of this incident still brought tears of laughter to [Dudley]'s eyes" ([PA2]).
[Harry] also recalls this event in his [Occlumency] lessons.
"He was nine, and [Ripper] the bulldog was chasing him up a tree and the [Dursleys] were laughing below on the lawn..." ([OP24]).
He was nine because his own tenth birthday was still a month away.
[Aunt Marge] comes to [Dudley]'s tenth birthday partyShe brings [Ripper], her favorite bulldog. [Harry] accidentally steps on Ripper's tail and the dog "trees" him. [Marge] finally calls the dog off around midnight. When [Marge] comes to visit during the summer of Y13, [Harry] remembers past incidents:
"On her last visit, the year before [Harry] started at [Hogwarts], [Harry] had accidentally trodden on the tail of her favorite dog. [Ripper] had chased [Harry] out into the garden and up a tree, and [Aunt Marge] had refused to call him off until past midnight. The memory of this incident still brought tears of laughter to [Dudley]'s eyes" ([PA2]).
[Harry] also recalls this event in his [Occlumency] lessons.
"He was nine, and [Ripper] the bulldog was chasing him up a tree and the [Dursleys] were laughing below on the lawn..." ([OP24]).
He was nine because his own tenth birthday was still a month away.
July 31
[Harry Potter]'s 10th birthday
[Harry Potter]'s 10th birthday
September
[Quirrell] takes a year off and encounters [Voldemort][Quirrell] takes a year off from [Hogwarts] for some first hand experience fighting the [Dark Arts]. He will be gone from September 1990 [[Y10]] through June of 1991 [[Y11]]. While in [Albania], he encounters [Voldemort] and brings him back.
There is no specific canon reference to indicate which year [Quirrell] took off from teaching. However, [Dumbledore] specifically says in [HBP20], "we have never been able to keep a [Defence Against the Dark Arts] teacher for longer than a year since I refused the post to [Lord Voldemort]." Therefore, since we know [Quirrell] taught in 1991-1992 [[Y11]-[Y12]], he could not have taught from 1990-1991 [[Y10]-[Y11]]. This, then, was almost certainly his year off.
However, [Hagrid] speaks of [Quirrell]'s nervousness as the result of his year off, and if that year off had been the 1990-1991 [[Y10]-[Y11]] school year (the one immediately before [Harry] comes to [Hogwarts]), [Hagrid] seemingly wouldn't have known about [Quirrell]'s altered behavior:
"Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience...They say he met [vampires] in the [Black Forest], and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a [hag]--never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now..." ([PS5])
This doesn't seem to align, but it is possible that [Hagrid] is just talking about the month or two since [Quirrell] has returned from [Albania]. And if we take [Dumbledore] at his word, nothing else really makes sense.
[Quirrell] takes a year off and encounters [Voldemort][Quirrell] takes a year off from [Hogwarts] for some first hand experience fighting the [Dark Arts]. He will be gone from September 1990 [[Y10]] through June of 1991 [[Y11]]. While in [Albania], he encounters [Voldemort] and brings him back.
There is no specific canon reference to indicate which year [Quirrell] took off from teaching. However, [Dumbledore] specifically says in [HBP20], "we have never been able to keep a [Defence Against the Dark Arts] teacher for longer than a year since I refused the post to [Lord Voldemort]." Therefore, since we know [Quirrell] taught in 1991-1992 [[Y11]-[Y12]], he could not have taught from 1990-1991 [[Y10]-[Y11]]. This, then, was almost certainly his year off.
However, [Hagrid] speaks of [Quirrell]'s nervousness as the result of his year off, and if that year off had been the 1990-1991 [[Y10]-[Y11]] school year (the one immediately before [Harry] comes to [Hogwarts]), [Hagrid] seemingly wouldn't have known about [Quirrell]'s altered behavior:
"Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience...They say he met [vampires] in the [Black Forest], and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a [hag]--never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now..." ([PS5])
This doesn't seem to align, but it is possible that [Hagrid] is just talking about the month or two since [Quirrell] has returned from [Albania]. And if we take [Dumbledore] at his word, nothing else really makes sense.
September
The [Gryffindor] Quidditch team is particularly poor this year[Oliver Wood] is in his fourth year, while [Charlie Weasley] is in his seventh and is Quidditch Captain. On the other hand, the rest of the team are second years, so perhaps it's just a matter of their being inexperienced. The team consisted of:
[Charlie Weasley] - seventh year, [Seeker], Captain
[Oliver Wood] - fourth year, [Keeper]
[Angelina Johnson] - second year, [Chaser]
[Alicia Spinnet] - second year, [Chaser]
unknown third Chaser - possibly seventh year since she isn't back in the 1991-1992 season
[Fred Weasley] - second year, [Beater]
[George Weasley] - second year, [Beater]
We don't know for sure which years [Charlie] was Captain of Quidditch, but it seems likely that we was Captain in his seventh year and possibly one or two years before that as well. We aren't told why this team was so poor, since they have a superb [Keeper] and a [Seeker] who could have played for [England], but [McGonagall] says of them a year later:
"Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by [Slytherin], I couldn't look [Severus Snape] in the face for weeks..." (PS9)
We are also not told why [Fred and George] would have been familiar with [Wood]'s pre-game speeches at the beginning of the 1991-1992 [[Y11]-[Y12]] season when he wasn't the Captain this year. While this isn't an error exactly, it does suggest that [Rowling] wrote these passages without realizing that the facts wouldn't fit together very well.
(PS9)
The [Gryffindor] Quidditch team is particularly poor this year[Oliver Wood] is in his fourth year, while [Charlie Weasley] is in his seventh and is Quidditch Captain. On the other hand, the rest of the team are second years, so perhaps it's just a matter of their being inexperienced. The team consisted of:
[Charlie Weasley] - seventh year, [Seeker], Captain
[Oliver Wood] - fourth year, [Keeper]
[Angelina Johnson] - second year, [Chaser]
[Alicia Spinnet] - second year, [Chaser]
unknown third Chaser - possibly seventh year since she isn't back in the 1991-1992 season
[Fred Weasley] - second year, [Beater]
[George Weasley] - second year, [Beater]
We don't know for sure which years [Charlie] was Captain of Quidditch, but it seems likely that we was Captain in his seventh year and possibly one or two years before that as well. We aren't told why this team was so poor, since they have a superb [Keeper] and a [Seeker] who could have played for [England], but [McGonagall] says of them a year later:
"Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by [Slytherin], I couldn't look [Severus Snape] in the face for weeks..." (PS9)
We are also not told why [Fred and George] would have been familiar with [Wood]'s pre-game speeches at the beginning of the 1991-1992 [[Y11]-[Y12]] season when he wasn't the Captain this year. While this isn't an error exactly, it does suggest that [Rowling] wrote these passages without realizing that the facts wouldn't fit together very well.
(PS9)
