Question for anyone with a copy of DH handy

[girlyswot]

Both the HP wiki and the HP lexicon think that James Potter was probably going into his second year in the epilogue. I had the impression he was about to enter the third year. Is there any evidence either way? ETA Thanks, everyone. It looks like at the very least there is sufficient doubt about the matter for me to get away with what I wanted.

Comments

[sherylyn]

There's nothing that I know of where JKR has specified that or anything... I think it could probably be argued either way to some extent. My own impression was that he was going in to his second year only because Ginny tells Albus that "we wrote to James three times a week last year", which always seemed to imply to me that the previous year had been James' first year (as it was said in relation to Albus' first year). If it's important to you to make him a third-year, though, I don't think anyone'd squawk tooooo loudly ;-) My 2 Knuts is to just put an A/N somewhere that explains it, if you really want it to go a particular direction.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I think I assumed second-year too, but I couldn't tell you why.

[gabrielladusult.livejournal.com]

I, like you, somehow thought that he was entering his third year. Maybe because his confidence level seemed more third-year-ish, and Lily was two years behind Albus, so I thought Albus would be two years behind James.

Then I think I read in one of fernwithy's Teddy stories that the boys were only one year apart and I went back and read the epilogue. The reference Ginny makes to the letters she wrote James the previous year seem to imply that he was only a year ahead of Albus, but I think you could interpret it either way, it depends on the tone which Ginny delivers the line and the subtext:

"We wrote James three times a week last year." (if she emphasized the last as I did, then the subtext could be: "and that was his second year."

JKR didn't put the word in italics, but that doesn't mean Ginny didn't speak it just that way.

[dogstar101.livejournal.com]

Drat. Someone told me that James was in his third year (I initially had him as a second year). Can't remember who it was and now I think I might have been right the first time - can't find where they could have got it from. *shrug* Too late now!

That documentary JKR did is the most likely place to get a definitive answer. I will have to check sometime.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

I'd assumed third year too, mosttly because his level of confidence and attitude reminded me of the twins in PS, and the letter writing thing never made me think that the previous year had been his first but just meant that that they had written every week last year, and most likely the year before too. When people started being so definite about him being a second year I assumed it was mentioned in an interview because I seldom bother with them. If that is the case I can't help you and I guess it depends whether you want to take interviews as canon or not.

[alkari.livejournal.com]

I'd always assumed he was in second year, mainly because of the letter-writing comment. For me, the context of that remark seemed to indicate that for all his outward bravado now, James had needed just as much reassurance in his first year ("last year") as Albus is asking for.

[dogstar101.livejournal.com]

Can I blame you then for telling me third year and being so darn reliable and trustworthy that I believed you without question? :-P

Of course I won't really and I don't even think I heard it from you actually but it's bugging me I can't remember.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure you didn't get it from me because I knew it was just supposition (not to mention not very interesting) and never bothered to discuss it before and as I don't write fanfiction I don't have to worry about what other people think. I am wondering if it was in that dreadful fic you betaed and asked me to check. I think it works either way depending on what you think the point of "last year" was. I wouldn't pick anyone up on saying either 2nd or 3rd year although I might if anyone said someone was wrong for thinking the opposite.