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The 1990s

1991 (Y11) AD = 110  MM = 66  TR = 65  RH = 63  M = 33  BW = 21  CW = 19  PW = 15  FGW = 13  HG = 12  H&R = 11  GW = 10  

Arcturus Black, grandfather of Sirius and Regulus, dies (BFT)
circa June
Quidditch The Nimbus 2000 [broomstick] is releasedA display model appears in the window of [Quality Quidditch Supplies].
(PS5)
June
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Quidditch Slytherin wins both the [Quidditch Cup] and the [House Cup] (PS7, PS13)They "flatten" Gryffindor in the final [Quidditch] match, according to McGonagall (PS9).
June 23
Creatures witches and wizards [Dudley]'s eleventh birthdayHarry accompanies [Dudley], [Piers Polkiss], [Aunt Petunia], and [Uncle Vernon] to the zoo, where he first exercises his gift of being a Parselmouth to speak with a boa constrictor.
This is a Saturday according to the book. It comes approximately one month before Harry's birthday. That morning, Dudley receives a video camera for his birthday:
"At that moment the telephone rang and [Aunt Petunia] went to answer it while Harry and [Uncle Vernon] watched [Dudley] unwrap the racing bike, a video camera..." (PS2)

After the zoo incident on Dudley's birthday, Harry is confined to his cupboard for a few weeks. By the end of that period, the video camera is broken:
"By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera..." (PS3)

Then, a week before Harry's birthday, on the 24th of July, Harry receives a letter addressed to him in his cupboard under the stairs. [Uncle Vernon] moves Harry to [Dudley]'s second bedroom upstairs, where Harry sees the video camera and we learn that [Dudley]'s birthday was a month ago:
"Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank..." (PS3)

We know from the book that July the 24th was a Tuesday. The Saturday approximately one month before Tuesday, July 24, would be Saturday, June 23. So we know that [Dudley]'s birthday is June 23. Like most dates in the books, this doesn't correspond to the dates in any particular "real life" calendar.
(PS2)
July 24
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry witches and wizards Letters begin arriving, via owl post, to invite Harry Potter to HogwartsThe dates are determined by counting back from the established date of July 31 for Harry's birthday.

We are told the days on which these dates fall:
Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday -- and you could usually count on [Dudley] to know the days the week, because of television -- then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday.

In the "real" 1991, however, July 31 fell on a Wednesday.
(PS3)
July 31
witches and wizards Harry's 11th birthdayHow do we know that Harry was born on July 31? This has been established in many places in the books, perhaps most importantly in [Dumbledore]'s discussion of the [prophecy] in OP37. However, we can first determine this from PS8. In the Daily Prophet, Harry reads:
"GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST -- Investigations continue into the break-in at [Gringotts] on 31 July..."

He reacts in surprise:
"Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"
(PS8)
July 31
Just after midnight, Hagrid arrives at the hut-on-the-rockHe brings Harry a birthday cake and invites him to Hogwarts.
(PS4)
July 31
witches and wizards Hagrid and Harry visit [Diagon Alley]While there:
Hagrid retrieves the Philosopher's Stone from the [Gringotts]' high security vaults.
Harry meets Draco Malfoy for the first time in [Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions].
Hagrid buys Hedwig as a birthday present for Harry.

original artwork © 2001 [Laura Freeman], used by permission
(PS5)
July 31
Death Eaters Quirrell attempts to steal the Philosopher's Stone from [Gringotts] but fails (PS8)
circa August
Animagi witches and wizards Percy Weasley gives his pet rat, Scabbers, to his younger brother RonLike nearly everything Ron owns, Scabbers is secondhand and a bit battered (PA4).

Scabbers is later revealed to be Peter Pettigrew in disguise (PA17).
"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff -- I mean, I got Scabbers instead" (PS6).
From the comments made by Ron on the Hogwarts Express that September, it would seem that Ron received Scabbers from Percy when Percy was given his owl upon being made [Prefect]. Assuming that Ron and his brothers received their Hogwarts letters at the same time that Harry would have received his, had [Uncle Vernon] not intervened, then we know that Percy was made [Prefect] on July 24. Sometime after that, Molly and Arthur bought Percy his new owl, Hermes. This may very well have been when the Weasleys came to [Diagon Alley] to buy their school things.
August
Death Eaters Voldemort, disappointed by Quirrell's inability to steal the Philosopher's Stone, decides to inhabit himQuirrell begins wearing a turban to hide Voldemort's face, which is sticking out of the back of Quirrell's head.
(PS17)
August
[Uncle Vernon] and [Aunt Petunia] treat Harry as if he doesn't exist"Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him -- in fact, they didn't speak to him at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty."
(PS6)
September 1
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry witches and wizards Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy, and their classmates travel by way of the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts.
Hogwarts Express
They catch the Hogwarts Express at 11am at King's Cross Station, then travel until evening to Hogwarts. Harry meets Ron and Hermione on the train; he and Ron immediately become friends. Once at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville are sorted into Gryffindor, and Draco into Slytherin.
(PS6)
September 1
Creatures [Dudley Dursley] undergoes surgery for the removal of a pig's tail from his rather large behind"Why are you going to [London]?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.
"Taking [Dudley] to the hospital," growled [Uncle Vernon]. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."
(PS5)
September 2
Spells Dark Magic herbology Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Harry begins his classes at Hogwarts
Hogwarts School
Harr's classes begin at Hogwarts and he spends his first week learning his way around the school and about his classes and teachers.
September 6
Birthdays Creatures food and drink history & timelines Harry and Ron visit Hagrid
Harry takes Ron to visit Hagrid in his hut near the forbidden forest. While Fang slobbers all over Ron, Harry tells Hagrid about his classes and that he thinks Snape hates him. Harry reads a Daily Prophet article about the break-in at Gringotts which had happened on July 31.
September 6
potions witches and wizards Harry's first potions class
Harry discovers that Professor Snape actively dislikes him when he embarrasses Harry in front of the rest of the class.
September 12
Quidditch witches and wizards Gryffindors and Slytherins have their first flying lessonHarry is subsequently made [Seeker] on the [Gryffindor Quidditch team] by Professor McGonagall.
This happens on the second Thursday of the school term.
"...they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday..."

The date can be determined from the fact that this is the Thursday of the second week of school, it must logically be the 12th, since classes started on the 2nd.
How do we know that this is the Thursday of the second week? Because when Harry is following McGonagall away from his flying lesson, he is afraid that he will be expelled. He thinks to himself:
"Now he'd done it. He hadn't even lasted two weeks."

However, when Fred and George hear about this, they say:
"I tell you, we're going to win that [Quidditch Cup] for sure this year...We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant."
According to Rowling's statement that Charlie is three years older than Percy, Charlie just left two months before. There's been no time for them not to have won "since Charlie left." They haven't PLAYED since Charlie left. Again, this is an error in the text.
(PS9)
October 31
Creatures Death Eaters Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry witches and wizards The Halloween FeastThe feast is interrupted by a Mountain Troll who almost kills Hermione Granger; she is saved by Harry and Ron, after which they become friends.

Meanwhile, Quirrell, who let the troll in, heads for the Philosopher's Stone - but is stopped by Snape.
We have already seen that we can't trust the "real" calendar to give us the days of the week when we know the date, but just for interest sake, Halloween in 1991 was on a Thursday. The Gryffindor first years had Charms that morning and learned the [Wingardium Leviosa] spell.
(PS10)
November
Quidditch witches and wizards Harry's first [Quidditch] matchQuirrell tries to knock Harry off his broom during the match but is thwarted by Severus Snape - not to mention some pretty cool acrobatics by Harry. The match ends soon afterward when Harry catches the Snitch in his mouth for a Gryffindor victory.
(PS11)
December 25
witches and wizards Harry receives James Potter's Invisibility Cloak as a Christmas present from [Dumbledore] (PS12)
December 25
witches and wizards [Harry] discovers the [Mirror of Erised] and sees his family for the first timeOn the official timeline, this is 1991. Christmas in 1991 was on a Wednesday.
(PS12)

1992 (Y12) AD = 111  MM = 67  TR = 66  RH = 64  M = 34  BW = 22  CW = 20  PW = 16  FGW = 14  HG = 13  H&R = 12  GW = 11  

Cassiopeia Black dies at age 77 (BFT)
Cygnus Black, father of Bellatrix, Narcissa, and [Andromeda], dies at age 54 (BFT)
Lucretia Black Prewett dies at age 67 (BFT)
circa April
Creatures witches and wizards Norbert hatchesThe calendar lists this date as April 24, but all we really know is that it is a few weeks before exams and that the weather gave the first hint of summer coming.
(PS14)
circa May 9
Creatures Charlie's friends take Norbert from Harry and Hermione on top of the Astronomy TowerUnfortunately, they are caught by Filch - and given detentions by McGonagall.
Derived from the estimated date of Norbert's hatching.
(PS14)
May 26
Creatures Death Eaters witches and wizards Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Malfoy serve their detentions in the Forbidden ForestWith Hagrid supervising, they track down a dead unicorn. Harry encounters Voldemort for the first time, and is saved by Firenze.
We have no indication of when this date might be, except that it is shortly before final exams.
(PS15)
early June
Death Eaters history & timelines witches and wizards Harry, Hermione, and Ron follow Quirrell after the Philosopher's StoneThey overcome the various protections, and defeat Quirrell/Voldemort's attempt to steal the Stone.
The dates of this event are contingent on the dates of exams in Harry's first year. We are given dates for exams in books two and three--the first week of June--but that doesn't seem to be a hard and fast rule. The calendar for this book gives the date as June 4, based on the exam dates in the other books, but here on the timeline we'll play it a bit safer and just go with "early June."
(PS16)
June
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Quidditch End of Term FeastGryffindor wins the [House Cup], but not the [Quidditch Cup], which goes to Slytherin.
(PS17)
circa June
Quidditch The Nimbus 2001 broomstick is releasedLucius Malfoy soon buys them for the Slytherin Quidditch team. As it happens, Draco is made [Seeker] during the upcoming school term.
(CS7)
after June
herbology Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel die after a long, long life (PS17)
July 31
Creatures Ministry of Magic witches and wizards Harry's 12th BirthdayDobby the house-elf visits Harry in Privet Drive. Meanwhile, the [Dursleys] are holding a dinner party for the [Masons], which is then disrupted when Dobby drops a violet pudding on [Mrs. Mason]'s head. Harry is sent a warning letter from the [Ministry], reminding him that he is not allowed to do magic outside of school (CS1, CS2).
circa August 3
witches and wizards Fred, George, and Ron rescue Harry from the [Dursleys] in their father's Ford AngliaThis is very likely the night of August 3, three days after Harry's birthday. He arrives at the [Burrow], then, on the morning of August 4.
(CS2)
circa August 13
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Gilderoy Lockhart announces that he is the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at HogwartsHarry, who arrives at [Flourish and Blotts] just in time for the announcement, accidentally (and unwillingly) gets caught up in the publicity. Not long afterward, Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley get into a scuffle, and Lucius drops Voldemort's diary into Ginny Weasley's [cauldron].
(CS6)
September 1
witches and wizards Harry and Ron miss the Hogwarts Express and fly Mr. Weasley's bewitched car to HogwartsThey are spotted by several Muggles along the way and land, at school, in the Whomping Willow - subsequently landing them in a fair amount of trouble as well.
(CS5)
September 1
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry witches and wizards Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, and Colin Creevey start their first year at HogwartsGinny and Colin are sorted into Gryffindor and Luna becomes a Ravenclaw. Harry and his friends, meanwhile, start their second year.
(CS5)
circa September 8
Creatures history & timelines Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry The Chamber of Secrets is reopenedThis time the Chamber is opened by Ginny Weasley, under the influence of Tom Riddle, by means of his diary. Harry first hears the voice of the Basilisk during his detention with Lockhart.
This is about a week into the school year, so it didn't take Riddle long to force Ginny to open the Chamber.
(CS7)
October 31
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry The Halloween Feast and 500th Deathday for Nearly Headless Nick (CS8)
late October 31
Creatures Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry The Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets attacks its first victim: Filch's cat, Mrs. NorrisHarry is discovered at the scene of the crime, and students start suspecting him to be the heir of Salazar Slytherin. Harry and his friends, meanwhile, begin to suspect Draco Malfoy.
If we go by the calendar of this year according to the official timeline, Halloween is on a Saturday.
(CS8)
November 8
Creatures herbology Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry witches and wizards Colin Creevey is Petrified by the BasiliskThe next morning, Ron and Hermione start working on brewing [Polyjuice Potion].
(CS10)
December 17
Creatures witches and wizards The [Duelling] ClubHarry unwittingly uses Parseltongue to talk to a snake in front of the whole school; the Hufflepuffs in particular are now entirely convinced he's the heir of Salazar Slytherin.
(CS11)
December 18
Creatures Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick are petrified by the BasiliskHarry is taken to Dumbledore's office by McGonagall, but when [Dumbledore] asks if Harry has anything to tell him, Harry says he doesn't.
(CS11)
circa December 20
Gazetteer Merchant Mr and Mrs Weasley visit Bill in Egypt
Egypt
The Weasley children stayed on at Hogwarts over the holidays rather than visit Bill in Egypt with their parents. They would all visit Egypt the following summer.
December 25
herbology witches and wizards Harry and Ron use [Polyjuice Potion] to "become" Crabbe and Goyle.They go into the Slytherin common room and learn that Malfoy is NOT the heir of Salazar Slytherin.
(CS12)
December 25
Creatures herbology witches and wizards Hermione is accidentally changed partially into a catShe spends the next month in the hospital wing.
(CS12)

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