The Battle of Hogwarts is so traumatic. So much wandering of halls, looking for Horcruxes! So many kickass slogans (e.g. Molly Weasley's epic, “Not my daughter, you bitch!"). So many, many deaths! (RIP, Remus Lupin. I will never love a fictional man as much as you.) But when is the Battle of Hogwarts, exactly? Leave it to Harry Potter superfans to figure that out.
But first, a refresher course: The Battle of Hogwarts occurs in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book of the series, and it marks the climactic end of the Second Wizarding War. The Battle involves basically every single magical character, both major and minor, in the HP series. It results in a good-guys victory for the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore’s Army: Harry & co. defeat Voldemort, thereby releasing the noseless creep’s control over the Ministry of Magic and ending his reign of terror for good.
So, back to the good stuff: the minute details. Turns out that the Battle of Hogwarts occurred on May 2nd, 1998. It also turns out that J.K Rowling herself confirmed that this is the exact date.
One super-observant fan realized that Rowling states that the date of the Battle of Hogwarts is May 2nd in the documentary J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life , which originally aired in the UK and is available on the "Special Features" DVD with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Rowling says of Bill and Fleur Weasley’s eldest child:
Victoire, who’s in the epilogue, was so named because she was born on the anniversary of the battle that finished it all. Which is the second of May, if anyone’s been paying attention.
So there you go.
In terms of the year in which the Battle of Hogwarts occurred, Rowling’s candidly confirmed that, too. Last year, the writer tweeted in honor of the Battle’s anniversary.
And 2014-16 = 1998! (You're welcome). Only a few weeks left before the Battle of Hogwarts' 17th anniversary celebrations commence. Butterbeer and Yorkshire puddings for everyone!
Image: Jeff Krause/Flickr
