This Month in HP History

The 1st of April in 1996 was a very important day in history. Harry Potter was teaching Dumbledore’s Army members how to cast a Patronus.

Maxim Trevelyan
Writer, Ravenclaw

When it comes to Harry Potter history, there are not a lot of important events happening in April. It seems that everything kicks off in May and April is, most of the time, just breezed through. However, there are still some important events that helped shape the history of the franchise.

The 1st of April in 1996 was a very important day in history. Harry Potter was teaching Dumbledore’s Army members how to cast a Patronus, when they are betrayed by Marietta Edgecombe. Dolores Umbridge, together with the Inquisitorial Squad, attacks the Room of Requirement and captures some members. Because of the name of the group, Albus Dumbledore got the blame. Ministry of Magic attempted to arrest Dumbledore, but with the help of Fawkes, he escapes.

Two years later, on the 2nd of April, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger stay at Shell Cottage after escaping Malfoy Manor. They used the time for recuperation from incarceration, as well as to plan on breaking into the Lestrange Vault in Gringotts to get one of the horcruxes.

Then we jump to 2014, which was not in book canon, but added later. 12th and 13th April mark the beginning of the 427th Quidditch World Cup. The opening ceremony is on April 12th, which is one of the most brilliant, and chaotic, ever. The magical mascots of different teams got into a fight which results in a lot of property damage, as well as more than 300 injured people. In the first match of the World Cup on 13th, Norway defeats Ivory Coast 340 to 100.

In 1997, on April 20th, Aragog, the Acromantula Rubeus Hagrid had since his school years, dies after getting ill. Next day, Harry uses Felix Felicis to obtain the memory from Professor Slughorn and also participated in Aragog’s funeral. That same day and year, sixth years had their first Apparition exam, which Ron failed, but Hermione passed. A year before, Cornelius Fudge passes Educational Decree Number 28, which made Dolores Umbridge the Headmistress of Hogwarts.

On April 22nd, in 1997, Harry confided in Ron and Hermione about Horace Slughorn’s memory he saw with Albus Dumbledore. Katie Bell returned from St. Mungo’s later in the day, after almost being killed by a cursed necklace. Norbert (later Norberta) is born under the careful care of Rubeus Hagrid on April 24th, 1992.

Our history ends in 1998, on 30th of April, when Remus Lupin visits Shell Cottage to announce the birth of his son, Teddy, naming Harry Potter his godfather. Ollivander is also transported to safety by Bill Weasley.

To finish the article off, we will start with famous birthdays in April. In 1998, on an unknown day, Teddy Lupin was born to Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin in the middle of the Second Wizarding War. April 1st, April Fool’s Day was the birthdate of Fred and George Weasley, which is really appropriate for the famous jokesters. Then on April 28th, a famous Potioneer and teach of Potions at Hogwarts, Horace Slughorn, was born.

Sources
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/April