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I'm asking this out of love for the Harry Potter series, of course, and because I want to write a fanfic that takes place at Hogwarts during Harry's (absent) seventh year. There's only very little mentioned in the books themselves, and extensive googling didn't get me any further either, so I thought I'd ask here. I guess we might get some information about this on Pottermore in the future, but at the moment we're stuck on book one, so...

What canonical information is there about what happened during Harry's absence from Hogwarts in book 7?

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  • you talking about seventh book or sixth book?
    – Venki
    Commented May 16, 2012 at 20:36
  • Seventh book of course. Why?
    – Yurippe
    Commented May 16, 2012 at 20:49
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    I believe there were some ministry produced announcements, like Snape being made Headmaster, and the like, but most of the info in the Story came from the Wizard Radio.
    – K-H-W
    Commented May 16, 2012 at 21:34
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    It might help if you'd edit your question to include what you already do know about Hogwarts during year seven, so we would know. Just bullet points would do. :) Commented May 16, 2012 at 23:16
  • Sorry! I know pretty much what's written in the books, although I might have to check some facts I'm not 100% clear about.
    – Yurippe
    Commented May 17, 2012 at 8:55

2 Answers 2

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Here's what we know happened at Hogwarts while Harry wasn't there, mostly based on what the DA members tell Harry when they meet again before the Battle of Hogwarts:

Snape becomes Headmaster, as announced in the Daily Prophet on the first of September. Alecto Carrow becomes the new Muggle Studies teacher, and her brother Amycus becomes the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher - both become Deputy Headmasters under Snape. Slughorn becomes the Head of Slytherin House and continued to teach Potions. Attendance at Hogwarts becomes mandatory for all appropriately-aged children who could prove their blood status. No Muggle-borns were able to attend the school, and only half-bloods with proof of their magical heritage are able to attend, which is why Dean Thomas, the son of a wizard murdered by Death Eaters after Dean's birth, is forced to go on the run.

Muggle Studies becomes a required class and educates students about how Muggles are "like animals, stupid and dirty" (as Neville tells Harry). The class teaches straight from the Ministry's anti-Muggle propoganda. Defense Against the Dark Arts is renamed Dark Arts. We don't know much about the curriculum, but we do know that the seventh-years are told to practice the Cruciatus on students with detention, and that the Killing Curse and Fiendfyre are covered as well.

The Carrows are also in charge of punishment of students, though most staff avoid reporting rule-breaking. The punishments for rule-breaking are cruel and varied, and include: the Cruciatus Curse, chaining students in the Great Hall, and physical corporal punishment with beatings and knives.

Dumbledore's Army continues to operate under the leadership of Neville, Ginny, and Luna. The DA rebel against the Death Eaters by refusing to practice the Dark Arts, standing up to the Carrows, and sneaking out to write rebellious graffiti on the walls. The trio of Neville, Ginny, and Luna attempt to steal Gryffindor's sword from Snape early in the fall, but are caught and given detention with Hagrid. Luna does not return to Hogwarts after Christmas, and Ginny leaves for Easter holidays and also does not return, so Neville eventually becomes the sole leader and suffers through a lot of torture for it. The open rebellion ends sometime in the spring when Michael Corner, a seventh-year Ravenclaw, is tortured relentlessly for sneaking out at night and freeing a first-year from the Carrows' chains. At one point in the spring, Neville, fearing for his life, flees to the Room of Requirement and remains there. The passage to the Hog's Head appears to Neville and the students when they get hungry, because the Room cannot produce food. The Room expands and creates hammocks to sleep in and washing facilities as more DA members come to live there - Seamus tells Harry upon Harry's arrival on May 1st that the DA had been living there for almost two weeks. Neville, Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, Padma and Parvati Patil, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, and Ernie Macmillan are present and living in the Room when Harry arrives. The emblems of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepluff are present in the Room, but not Slytherin, implying heavily that there are no Slytherin DA members.

There is already a great fanfic called Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness which covers what happens at Hogwarts while Harry is away, but this is what the book expressly discusses as occurring during the year. Hope this helped!

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    Wow, thank you! Great summary and timeline! As I said above, I do know what they told us in the books, but was hoping for something more detailed. Your summary is great, though, I had forgotten what kind of rebellion the DA was up to. I did think, however, that the Carrows were brother and sister?
    – Yurippe
    Commented May 17, 2012 at 8:57
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    Alecto and Amycus Carrow were brother and sister, not husband and wife, if I remember correctly. There's also nothing in the books to indicate Dean Thomas's father was killed by Death Eaters. Here's what Dean says about his father in Chapter 15 of Deathly Hallows: "Muggle-born, eh?" asked the first man. "Not sure," said Dean. "My dad left my mum when I was a kid. I've got no proof he was a wizard, though." Commented May 17, 2012 at 17:51
  • Dean's biological father was killed by Death-Eaters when he refused to join them. From JK's site: web.archive.org/web/20110827094932/http://www.jkrowling.com/… Commented Apr 7, 2014 at 14:31
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I've been working on a similar sort of fic myself and here's the timeline I've got:

  • Remus and Tonks marry

  • Death Eaters meet at Malfoy Manor; Pius Thicknesse is Imperiused. Charity Burbage is killed.

  • 27th July: Harry’s escape. Moody is murdered. Death Eaters involved.

  • 31st July: Dumbledore’s will is surrendered (and therefore matter of public record.) Scrimgeour visits Harry at the Burrow.

  • 1st August: Ministry falls. Pius Thicknesse takes over Ministry. Dolores Umbridge’s Muggle-Born Registration Commission. Mad-Eye Moody’s eye is used.

  • 4th August: Death Eaters start appearing outside Grimmauld Place.

  • 22nd August: Muggle-Borns wanted for interrogation list appears inside the Daily Prophet (inc. Hermione Granger, can be assumed Dean Thomas, other muggle-born students.)

  • 1st Sept: Hogwarts starts. (1st sep is a Monday meaning first classes held Tuesday.)

  • 2nd Sept: Ministry break-in.

  • Sometime between 2nd Sept and 30th Nov: Ginny, Neville etc attempt to steal sword. Are sent to detention with Hagrid.

  • Sometime between 2nd Sept and 30th Nov: Taboo is instituted. Kingsley Shacklebolt is cornered but escapes.

  • Westernburgs are murdered for harbouring Order of the Phoenix members.

  • 20th Dec: Luna is kidnapped by Death Eaters - it's a Saturday.

  • 26th Dec: Snape sends the doe to Harry etc with the real sword of Gryffindor.

  • 28th Dec: Lovegood etc. Harry is sighted by Death Eaters. News must spread after holidays.

  • Mar 21st: Ginny does not come back from easter break.

The rest of the above answer covers the rest of this fairly nicely.

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