Literature
Harry Potter (1997)
J.K. Rowling
In-fiction date: 10/31/1981
On Halloween night, October 31, 1981, Lord Voldemort arrives at the cottage in Godric's Hollow where James and Lily Potter are hiding. Peter Pettigrew, their Secret Keeper, has betrayed them. James is killed first, wandless in the entrance hall. Lily refuses to step aside and is killed in the nursery. Voldemort's Killing Curse at the infant Harry rebounds from a protection Lily's sacrifice created, destroying Voldemort's body and marking Harry with a lightning-bolt scar. Hagrid is sent to collect Harry from the rubble before morning.
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Dec 31, 1926
December 31, 1926 is the birthday of Tom Marvolo Riddle — born on New Year's Eve to a Muggle father and a dying witch mother in a London orphanage, abandoned at birth, and destined to become Lord Voldemort. That the most feared dark wizard in history shares a birthday with the world's largest annual celebration of optimism is the kind of irony Tom Riddle would not have appreciated.
Dec 6, 1928
December 6, 1928 is the birthday of Rubeus Hagrid — half-giant, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, and the man who carried an infant Harry Potter from the ruins of Godric's Hollow on a flying motorcycle. Wrongly expelled in his third year and his wand snapped in two, Hagrid has kept the pieces hidden inside a pink umbrella ever since — and remained loyally devoted to the school that expelled him, while maintaining that his succession of objectively terrifying magical creatures are all perfectly harmless.
Jan 9, 1960
January 9, 1960 is the birthday of Severus Snape — potions master, Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and double agent whose true loyalties are not revealed until the final pages of the series. Born to a Muggle father and a witch mother, Snape grew up in poverty and found his first real friend in Lily Evans, whose memory he would protect, secretly, for the rest of his life.
Apr 1, 1978
April 1, 1978 — April Fool's Day — is the birthday of Fred and George Weasley, the twin pranksters of Hogwarts who founded Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and devoted their considerable magical talents to chaos, laughter, and making school life slightly more survivable. J.K. Rowling has confirmed the date was entirely intentional.
Sep 19, 1979
September 19, 1979 is the birthday of Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age and the member of the trio most responsible for keeping Harry Potter alive. Born to Muggle dentists, she arrives at Hogwarts already having memorised most of the textbooks — a head start that never quite compensates for the social awkwardness of being right about everything, all the time.
Mar 1, 1980
March 1, 1980 is the birthday of Ron Weasley — Harry Potter's first and most steadfast friend, youngest Weasley son, and a wizard whose self-doubt runs in almost comic inverse proportion to his actual courage. He grows up in a house full of magic and hand-me-downs, and becomes the emotional heart of a trio that would not survive without him.
Jul 30, 1980
July 30, 1980 is the birthday of Neville Longbottom — born one day before Harry Potter, and the other child who could have fulfilled the prophecy. Voldemort chose Harry instead; Neville was left to grow up clumsy, overlooked, and underestimated, before proving in the Battle of Hogwarts that the prophecy's runner-up can still be the one to destroy a Horcrux and behead a snake.
Feb 13
February 13th — the eve of Valentine's Day — is the birthday of Luna Lovegood, the dreamily eccentric Ravenclaw who believes in Nargles, reads The Quibbler upside down, and turns out to be right about more things than anyone gives her credit for. Her birthday falling one day before Valentine's Day suits a character who sees love and wonder in places the rest of the wizarding world has decided are not worth looking.