1997

The following events occurred in the year 1997:

Events

January

• 9 January: Severus Snape turns 37 years old.

February

• 5 February: Arthur Weasley turns 47 years old.

March

• 1 March: Ron Weasley celebrates his 17 birthday and accidentally consumes a Love Potion Romilda Vane intended for Harry Potter. He then drinks poisoned mead Draco Malfoy had intended for Albus Dumbledore, but Harry saves him with a bezoar. Ron's Ministry trace is removed from him as a result of coming of age in the wizarding world.
• 8 March: Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff Quidditch match. Hufflepuff wins 320* to 60.
• 10 March: Ronald Weasley, who survived being poisoned, and Harry Potter, who suffered a cracked skull during the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, are released from the Hospital Wing.
• 10 March: Harry Potter has his fourth private lesson with Albus Dumbledore at 8 o'clock that evening.
• 10 March: Remus Lupin turns 37 years old.

April

• 1 April: Fred & George Weasley both turn 19 years old.
• 20 April: The acromantula, Aragog, passes away. Rubeus Hagrid removes his corpse from the Forbidden Forest to prevent the other acromantulas from cannibalising it.
  • Harry Potter and Horace Slughorn attend Aragog's funeral with Rubeus Hagrid.
  • Harry consumes Felix Felicis and successfully gets Professor Slughorn's memory of discussing Horcruxes with Tom Riddle.
• 22 April: Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore view the memory recently procured from Horace Slughorn and discover the truth of Voldemort's multiple Horcruxes.

May

• Early-to-mid May: Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley begin dating.
• 15 May: Pomona Sprout's birthday (year unknown).

June

• 5 June: Draco Malfoy turns seventeen.
• 28 June: Dobby's birthday (year unknown).
• late June:
  • Dudley Dursley turns 17 years old.
  • Harry is told by Sybill Trelawney that Severus Snape overheard her predicting the prophecy about Harry and Voldemort. Later that same day, Harry and Dumbledore retrieve the fake locket Horcrux from a cave and learn of the existence of "R.A.B.". As Dumbledore and Harry return to Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy smuggles several Death Eaters into Hogwarts and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower ensues. Draco confronts Dumbledore, while Harry is hidden under his Invisibility Cloak. Draco disarms Dumbledore, unknowingly claiming possession of the Elder Wand's loyalty, but he is unable to kill Dumbledore, lowering his wand at the last moment. Severus Snape and several Death Eaters appear in the Astronomy Tower then, and Snape kills Dumbledore. He flees the school with the other Death Eaters.

July

• Early July:
  • Hermione Granger discovers that Severus Snape's mother was Eileen Prince.
  • The next day, Albus Dumbledore's funeral is held at Hogwarts, and the Elder Wand is buried with Dumbledore in his tomb. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger commit to the hunt for Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes with Harry. Harry breaks up with Ginny because he believes they are not safe together.
  • Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks marry.
  • Several Death Eaters escape from Azkaban.
• Mid-July:
  • Voldemort and his Death Eaters hold a meeting at Malfoy Manor, where Voldemort primarily resides. Charity Burbage is murdered.
  • After reading about increasing attacks against Muggle-borns, Hermione Granger places a Memory Charm on her parents to remove their memories of her. She then gives them new identities and arranges for them to "retire" to Australia permanently.
  • Vernon Dursley, Petunia Dursley, and Dudley Dursley pack up their home at Privet Drive and leave it for parts unknown at Harry Potter's urging.
• 27 July: The Battle of the Seven Potters occurs when Voldemort makes an attempt on Harry Potter's life; Alastor Moody is killed in battle as well as Harry's owl, Hedwig. Harry and Hagrid arrive safely at the Tonks family home, and Harry meets Andromeda Black-Tonks and Ted Tonks for the first time. Harry and Hagrid then go on to the Burrow to meet the the Weasley family and various members of the Order of the Phoenix.
• 30 July: Neville Longbottom turns 17 years old.
• 31 July: Harry turns 17 years old, and a birthday party is held for him at the Burrow. Ginny kisses Harry, angering Ron. Harry's Ministry trace is removed as a result of him coming of age in the wizarding world. Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour interrupts Harry's birthday celebration to discuss Dumbledore's will with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

August

• Early August: Viktor Krum turns 21 years old.
• 1 August:
  • Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour marry at the Burrow.
  • Harry Potter meets Xenophilius Lovegood at the wedding, and sees the symbol of the Deathly Hallows for the first time as a necklace around Mr Lovegood's neck. He does not recognise the symbol, however.
  • Viktor Krum, who is attending the wedding as well, sees the symbol and is upset by it, stating he'd duel the man wearing the necklace if they were in a more appropriate place. When asked why he was so upset, Viktor explained that the symbol Mr Lovegood is wearing is "Grindelwald's sign", and he states that the dark wizard, Gellert Grindelwald once killed many people in the past, including Viktor's grandfather.
  • Harry later meets Ron's Great Aunt, Muriel, and Elphias Doge at the wedding and the three discuss Rita Skeeter's biography of Albus Dumbledore and the Dumbledore family's secrets. Harry discovers that Albus had not only a brother, Aberforth Dumbledore, but also a Squib sister, Ariana Dumbledore, who died under questionable circumstances. Muriel mentions that Bathilda Bagshot, the famous author of A History of Magic who also happened to reside in Godric's Hollow, knew the Dumbledore's personally, and was the suspected source for Skeeter's facts.
  • The Ministry of Magic is taken over by Lord Voldemort; Scrimgeour is murdered and Pius Thicknesse is installed as puppet Minister under the Imperius Curse.
  • The Burrow and other residences affiliated with the Order of the Phoenix are attacked by Death Eaters. Dedalus Diggle's home is burned down.
  • Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger are attacked by Death Eaters Antonin Dolohov and Thorfinn Rowle on Tottenham Court Road, and escape to 12 Grimmauld Place.
• 11 August: Ginny Weasley turns 16 years old.
• 22 August:
  • Hermione Granger's name appears in the Daily Prophet, on a list of Muggle-borns wanted for interrogation.
  • Percy Weasley turns 21 years old.

September

• 1 September: Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley return to Hogwarts to restart Dumbledore's Army. Death Eaters hunt for Harry Potter during the Raid on the Hogwarts Express.
• 2 September: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley infiltrate the Ministry of Magic in order to steal Salazar Slytherin's Locket from Dolores Umbridge, freeing several prosecuted Muggle-borns in the process.
• 19 September: Hermione Granger turns 18 years old.

October

• Early October: After a row with Harry, Ron leaves Harry and Hermione and goes to stay at Shell Cottage. Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley attempt to steal Godric Gryffindor's Sword.
• 4 October: Minerva McGonagall turns 62 years old.
• 17 October: Filius Flitwick's birthday (year unknown).
• 30 October: Molly Weasley turns 47 years old.
• 31 October: 16th anniversary of James & Lily Potter's murders.

December

• 6 December: Rubeus Hagrid turns 69 years old.
• 12 December: Charlie Weasley turns 25 years old.
• 24 December: Harry and Hermione are attacked at Godric's Hollow by Nagini and narrowly escape Voldemort.
• 28 December: Ron returns to his friends and destroys the locket Horcrux with Godric Gryffindor's Sword.
• 30 December: There is an attempted ambush of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley at Xenophilius Lovegood's house.
• 31 December: Tom Riddle/Voldemort turns 71 years old (technically).

Deaths

• 20 April: Aragog

• 30 June:
  • Gibbon
  • Albus Dumbledore
• between 30 June and 24 December: Julie Parkes
• 27 July: Alastor Moody
• Bathilda Bagshot
• Cassandra Vablatsky
• Charity Burbage
• Gregorovitch
• Hedwig
• Montgomery
• Rufus Scrimgeour

Behind the scenes

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is first published in the UK, launching the Harry Potter novel series which will run for the next decade.
• Annabelle Davis, who played a Clever goblin, born.
• 6 November: Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, who played Tom Marvolo Riddle (age 11) in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, born.

External links

• 1997 on Wikipedia

See also

• Dating conventions