Caradoc Dearbon

[Sapphire at Dawn]

I'm sorry if this doesn't actually belong here, but I couldn't find anywhere else to put it (as I am unsorted, I'm not allowed to post in the Reference Desk).

I'm trying to sketch out a timeline of deaths in the first Order of the Phoenix, but I'm having a little bit of trouble with Caradoc.

In OoTP, Moody shows Harry the photograph of the original Order, and tells him that Caradoc vanishes six months after it was taken, and that Marlene McKinnon was killed two weeks later.

However, in DH, Lily tells Sirius in her letter that she 'cried all evening' when she heard about the McKinnon's deaths, which happened (I think) a little over a week ago. Lily wrote the letter a short time after Harry's first birthday, so hers and James's deaths, and the end of the war, are only a few months away. Yet this doesn't take it up to six months after the photo was taken; so either he vanished a couple of months after the war ended, or the times are wrong. I looked on the HP wiki which said Caradoc vanished at the height of the war, and the Lexicon which only said that he vanished.

What do other people make of this? Are my dates wrong, or did he vanish after the war had ended? Or is there something wrong with JK's dates?
Would appreciate other people's thoughts on this. Thanks!

Sarah x

[Padfoot Patronus]

However, in DH, Lily tells Sirius in her letter that she 'cried all evening' when she heard about the McKinnon's deaths, which happened (I think) a little over a week ago. Lily wrote the letter a short time after Harry's first birthday, so hers and James's deaths, and the end of the war, are only a few months away.

I'd say the letter was not written a short time after Harry's birthday but 'a few days' before 31 October. Dumbledore says James had shown him the Cloak just a few days previously (obviously considered from Halloween). Lily definitely writes the letter after Dumbledore has borrowed the Cloak from James.

So first off, Marlene's death could take place anytime between Harry's birthday and the night Lily and James died.

Yet this doesn't take it up to six months after the photo was taken; so either he vanished a couple of months after the war ended, or the times are wrong. I looked on the HP wiki which said Caradoc vanished at the height of the war, and the Lexicon which only said that he vanished.

I think it happens this way: they take the photograph, then comes Harry's b/d and Marlene's death (which are interchangeable events) and Lily sends the letter.

Jo certainly messed up the dates here because we get at maximum a little more than three months for his death before the war ends. I'm not sure you can make this anymore canon than this given the information that is available.

I guess you have a free rein with Caradoc's death then depending on which event (photograph or Lily's letter) you want to be the main focus of your timeline.

-Akay-

[Equinox Chick]

Right, Lily's letter says Peter had visited them the week before. It doesn't say that he was the Secret Keeper at the time, so the letter could have been written a lot earlier than October. He becomes Secret Keeper a week before they die, (23rd Oct?) but he was passing secrets to Voldy for at least a year before.

I'd say the letter was not written a short time after Harry's birthday but 'a few days' before 31 October. Dumbledore says James had shown him the Cloak just a few days previously (obviously considered from Halloween). Lily definitely writes the letter after Dumbledore has borrowed the Cloak from James.

I think there's a JK error here. Dumbledore in book 1 says the cloak was left in his possession for a few days, I think this letter implies it was a lot longer. Lily says 'Dumbledore's still got his cloak' - if it had only been a few days, I don't think she'd be writing that to Padfoot. It would be a minor annoyance that James had stayed indoors for three days, not a real frustration, not a longing to have Sirius visit because he's going stir-crazy. JK could equally argue that Dumbledore lied about having the Cloak for a few days because he felt guilty about not giving it back earlier *shrugs*.

Basically the letter has to be written after Harry's birthday 31st July.
A possible time line could be ...
Photo taken - 15th July
Mckinnons die - 1st August
Wormtail visits - 7th August
Letter written - 15th August
Wormtail Secret-Keeper - 23rd October
Potters die - 31st October.
Dearbourne disappears - January 1982.

He could feasilby disappear a few months after the Potters death because DE's were still active - looking for Voldemort etc. (Longbottoms torture)

It is a bit ropey, I admit, but I suggest you find the error you're least happy with and then base your timeline around that. Either the McKinnons didn't die two weeks after the photo was taken, or Caradoc disappeared a lot earlier than six months later.

Carole

[Sapphire at Dawn]

Thanks guys for your input.

Carole, that's roughly the timeline I got as well.

This is all quite annoying, because I love sticking absolutely to canon, but here I'm gonna have to deviate a bit. I'm gonna go with putting Caradoc's disappearance earlier, because I think that if he did vanish after the fall of Voldemort something would have been said, as in the case of the Longbottoms. His disapperance may not have had the same effect on the wizarding community as the brutal attack on Frank and Alice, but I'm sure the Order would have gone onto high alert immediately. I'm sure someone would have said something about it.

Sarah x

[Iguanarwhal]

Now wait a second. Can someone explain to me where it says that Wormtail became the Secret-Keeper a week before October 31, 1981? I can't recall that being said anywhere in canon. Also, in the letter Lily mentioned that "James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here," and I thought that was in reference to their having to stay there due to the Fidelius Charm. Do explain.

[Equinox Chick]

I will explain!

Now wait a second. Can someone explain to me where it says that Wormtail became the Secret-Keeper a week before October 31, 1981?

POA - The Marauders Map - Fudge is telling the story to Rosmerta and says that barely a week after the Fidelius Charm was cast, Black turned traitor. Fudge got the traitor wrong, but the timing is correct.
The charm hadn't been in place for long, but no doubt James was being told to stay home before it was cast to protect his wife and child, and there were other enchantments to stop him Apparating out.

~Carole~