The Missing Weasley in Book One and the Ginny Memory

[BD25]

As an HP-Sleuth, I've been working on how much older everyone is from each other in the Weasley Family. Before I get started, here's the link to the interview in which JKR specifically says how much older then Percy, Bill and Charlie are. http://www.mugglenet.com/jkrwbd.shtml

Luisa: How old are Charlie and Bill Weasley in relation to their other siblings?
JK Rowling replies -> Oh dear, maths. Let me think. Bill is two years older than Charlie, who is two years older than Percy.

It states that Charlie is 2 years older then Percy and Bill is two years older then Charlie. That means in Philosophers/Sorcerors stone, Ginny would be 10, Ron 11, the twins 13, Percy 15 and... Charlie 17?! (Bill would be 19 and graduated). Now if Charlie was 17, wouldn't he STILL be at Hogwarts? There are various mentions of Charlie Weasley as a great Quidditch Player and that he and Oliver Wood were at school during the same time (the quote in PS where Oliver says Harry might be as good or even better as Charlie Weasley). So there's ONE mystery.

Onto the second one. Ginny says somewhere in the end of Chamber of Secrets that 'she's wanted to go to Hogwarts ever since Bill left' (exact quote would be nice, thanks people :)) Wait, from the canon provided, Bill is 9 years older than Ginny. That means she would have been 2 when he went to Hogwarts (considering he was 11). Ponder this: does anyone really remember specifics about their life at such a young age? I know I don't really have any memories about anything until I was about 4.

This leads me to another question; does Ginny have powers we don't know of? We know that in extreme cases wizards and witches can perform magic without intending to or that some wizards have or can develop powers. (I'm speaking about Legilimency and how Neville bounced when his Uncle dropped him out of a window). Maybe Ginny has some untapped powers of remembrance?

This is a plot hole JKR needs to fill. Or I and tons of fans are going to be left thinking for a long time about the missing Weasley and Ginny's brain. God knows we already have enough to think about what with the Prophecy and the Veil. Bleh >_<

*Credit goes to Andy for bringing up and helping me with this topic*

[BerserkerAzn]

Hmmm. I think it's just a math error on J.K.'s part. I always did wonder about Ginny's Memory thing there though, I just never had the time to sit down and think it all through.

As for Ginny's powers, she's just a good hex-caster. She's developing pretty well as a powerful character in the books, at least powerful enough to fight Death Eaters.

P.S. Nice Rose McGowan avatar.

[Quietpsycho]

i think that it is a math error. i agree i didnt have any memories till i was 4-5. as for ginny having special powers... that is a posibility because percy was over-protective of her. i think she will play a big part in the next two books! :confused:

[BerserkerAzn]

The only members of the Weasely family that are missing are the distant cousin that J.K. decided to take out of the book (She was gonna make the distant cousin send a Muggle-born witch to the Weasely's to care for, but it was too complicated having her and Hermione argue all the time and compete scholastically) and the Prewett brothers, who aren't really Weasley's and are jsut related.

[Quietpsycho]

i see why they left that out i think it would be to confusing unless they have where hermione is related to the weasleys somehow. :eek:

[BD25]

Thanks for the comment Berserker.

Ok now onto what matters :P JKR should tie up that loose end then eh? And I didn't mean 'missing' as in like gone, but as missing from Hogwarts. And I read on JKR's site about the muggle-born witch who competed with Hermione but was replaced with Rita Skeeter. :P

[Village Dag]

Charlie could've being skipped ahead. Or expelled.

[WoodenCoyote]

Charlie could've being skipped ahead. Or expelled.

If he was anything like Fred and George, he probably was. Maybe that's where they learned all their tricks from

[Leonardo]

Personally, I think that both facts can be atributed to the fact that it's a fiction, meaning it was made up by a person (J.K. Rowlings). Nobody's perfect, you know.

[BD25]

Yeah but after all the planning JKR puts into her books, you think she'd correct these mistakes sooner. Even though it IS fiction it's fun to nitpick all the little facts and make theories and everything. This topic isn't a huge clue to the septology, more of a FAQ.

[Hollow Golem]

How do you know that when Ginny said she's wanted to go ever since Bill left, she meant when he left Hogwarts. Or, she could've been exagerating, who knows? Not everything needs an explanation.

[Detonator]

How do you know that when Ginny said she's wanted to go ever since Bill left, she meant when he left Hogwarts. Or, she could've been exagerating, who knows? Not everything needs an explanation.

That is what i had always thought. I'm pretty sure she meant left hogwarts. But i suppose it's a possiblity that she meant left home.

[PhoenixTail234]

I think it's just a miskate that JKR made. There are lots of little details she doesn't think through all the way, (i don't blame her cuase she's got a lot to remember in the first place) I did the math one time, of how many students are at hogwarts... There's 5 Gyrffindor boys in Harry's dorm, so you assume there's 5 girls too, and there's an equal amount of students per grade and per house and blah blah blah anyway it equals out to only 280 students at howarts. If you think about it, there couldn't possibly be that few. I mean when she talks about the quidditch matches she talks about THOUSANDS of students. so i think what happens is, with a lot of the smaller details she deson't work them out.

[redshift71388]

Who ever said Charlie had to be 17 to be at Hogwarts? Maybe his birthday is at a certain time of the year where he got out of school the year before.

Ginny's memory may be just things she hears, like Bill telling her about Hogwarts and such.

PheonixTail234: Just because we don't hear about them it doesn't mean they aren't there. Had you ever heard of that one girl with the acne before? Did you hear her get sorted? I'm sure she didn't just appear out of nowhere.

Not that much of a gap to me, it can be easily explained.

[BD25]

Hah. For alll you non-believers who said that Ginny meant she wanted to go ever since Bill LEFT Hogwarts, I found my quote.

"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept, as Harry helped her akwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and -- w-what'll Mum and Dad say?" -- (Pg. 238, CoS, Ch. 17, UK Version, Hardcover)

The bolded part I added to emphasize. The italics were in the text. So using JKR's canon (Bill is four years older than Percy, Percy five years older than Ginny, Nine year difference between Bill and Ginny) therefore Ginny MUST have been two years old when Bill left and to remember he left.

It is a slight mix-up on JKR's part. I mean, Percy is only 19. That means Bill is 23 and he's moved out already? Same with Charlie, 21 and gone to Romania.

[PhoenixTail234]

I mean, Percy is only 19. That means Bill is 23 and he's moved out already? Same with Charlie, 21 and gone to Romania.


Well if you think about it, that's not all that unusal. I mean they graduate from hogwarts when they're 17-18 ( which is normal I guess) but they don't have to go to college or anything, they just just into their careers. So Charlie has been out of hogwarts 4 years and Bill 6... so that's not really unsual, in 6 years you can work up a good career, not to metion most people get married at 23-26.

[BD25]

I guess that's true but in Careers Advice in OotP, McGonagall mentioned that if you wanted to be an auror, there would be a lot of after-Hogwarts studying and tests and training. I'm sure Charlie would have had some of this seeing as how not everyone fresh out of Hogwarts can handle dragons. Bill probably could have established his career but Charlie always seems like a peculiar character...

[RobbieBond008]

You said that you don't remember anything until you were around four. I have very select memories of when I was around two (only important things though) that have kinda been "triggered" by seeing items. Like, I still have a little basketball hoop in my room, when I see it I'll remember the Christmas I got it when I was two years old. Bill leaving for Hogwarts was an important part in Ginny's life, and she thinks about Bill often, so she just could remember it.