Steve has just created an “explainer” page compiling all the information about how we calculate dates for Snape, Lily and the Marauders.
A few months ago you could still find Lexicon birthyears for James, etc. that said c.1960 or c.1961. These dates had implications for how many years he and the others had between finishing Hogwarts and Harry’s birth.
Let’s just say that I’ve removed all references to James and Lily marrying right out of Hogwarts. They may have, but with these new dates they would also have had a bit more time to establish careers and develop a reputation for defying Voldemort.
The bottom line is that the new official lexicon birthyear for Snape, Lily and the Marauders is c.1959 knowing that canon supports a date range from 1957-1959. Read Steve’s explanation page for the full details.
Oh, and give us a few weeks to finish updating all our various pages. Dealing with error reports about this shift will just slow us down for now. If you still find inconsistencies by the end of September feel free to e-mail us then.
Other than affecting when James and Lily could have married, what else changes as a result of this repositioning of Snape and the Marauders?