Voldemort had been steadily gaining power for the eleven years preceding his first downfall. That means he had started gathering followers when James, Lily and the others were in first year.

 

Where does it say that? Even if it is true, the "war" didn't impact anyone until their 7th year.

Source? And please, no Wikipedia, use Harry Potter Lexicon.

Ahh, I went there and found it. It was eleven years, so around their 1st year. Still, he was gaining power. Strong around their 5th, still under control, problem 7th. Big 1st year out, not too them, though. 2nd and Fidelius, huge to them.

 

Source = what I remembered from PS (first chapter, conversation Dumbledore/McGonagall). And I agree with the rest of your post, the impact of the war was probably minor until their seventh year--I just wanted to give the canon info.

 

Time traveling is possible, we know that from the time-turners. What isn't possible is having a device that allows Harry to train for a year for every real day. If this were possible, every fucking person would be doing it.

Also, if time traveling is being used to hurl Harry back 10-15-100 years, and it involves him killing someone/himself/Ginny, no one will freak out over it. They will be kissing his fucking shoes for going back in time to save their stupid asses from being tortured to death by the Death Eaters.

 

No they wouldn't. You still age at the same rate so why waste a whole portion of your life in one day when you could train normally over a proper period of time. Harry needs to train fast most people don't so can take time.

 

Well if time turners are so controlled methods of training in a year would probably be controlled as well, if they existed. I mean we don't really want 11 yearolds with the knowledge of seventth years do we? Actually now that i think about that, the less it makes sense.they would effectively be 17/18, but actually only 11. Now that could get weird fast.

 

Are you fucking kidding? Who fucking cares if you age at the same rate? All that means is that you go in for a week and come out looking 7 years older and with whatever self-imposed training you decided to go through. You're stronger, faster, smarter and so on, the pros outwiegh the cons by the hefty amount. Plus, wizards naturally live longer than muggles. If you're going to live for 200 years(DD is 150 or so), even 20 years is nothing to be training yourself.

Voldemort would be jumping for fucking joy if he got his hands on one of these things. He could be older than DD with twice as much experience and knowledge in a few months. Not only that, but his DE's would be training too, so they wouldn't be as big of pussies as those at the DoM were.

If nothing else, coming out and looking however many years older will be good for buying smokes and booze if you're underage.

 

Remember though - Physical Maturity is far from emotional and social maturity. Those "17 Year Olds" will still be eleven years old, no matter how much time they spent in isolation training.

 

This may have been pointed out already, but doesnt Jbern break the 'Harry doenst use guns rule" in his story "Bungle in the Jungle" I mean Harry uses a magically modified Mossberb shotgun in the first chapter, and is going to take lessons from Collins. Besides I rather enjoy the idea of the high and mighty Lord Voldemort getting his from 'primitive' muggle artifacts.

 

Jbern can break the rules, because.... well he is Jbern and he is allowed to because he can do it with out fucking everything up.

 

I can agree with this...most authors that write "Harry with a gun stories" make it so harry can just BUY a gun from the guy down the street or his uncle gives him one. Now any slightly intelligent person would know in England its a hell of alot harder to get a gun then it is in the states (if at all).

I still like the IDEA of Harry with a gun though...

 

I like harry with a gun if it's used with magic, like magic bullets and his wand. I mean a gun is a handy thing especially used against pureblood. saves the effort of using a spell.


As for the training in seven days being seven years older but still having the maturity of being 11, no.. What makes you think that if he matures physically seven years he wouldn't mature 7 years mentally?

 

How does one become mature all alone in some room for 7 years?

Maturity requires experience, interaction, etc etc. Hell, you'd be worse off after spending seven years of isolation in the critical ages of 11-17 - primary age of emotional and social development.

 

I was assuming that you would be training with other people, so you would have people to interact with. i don't imagine you would do it by yourself.

 

Again to the topic of the early marriages:

Look at the muggle culture of the 70s: People got married early because everyone got married early. I once asked my mother about it and she said, that they got married for the simplest of reasons, she still curses at her own foolishness. They were young and didnt really think about the long term consequences, because they got married at 19/20.

For example, she got pregnant and they had to marry or they wanted to share an appartment and parents would brake the support if she lived in a small appartment with a random guy. So they just married, all the time thinking, that the guy/girl they were marrying was the love of their lives, not just an early experience. Some people even married because all their friends married within a year and so they just married the random person that shared their bed for the last fortnight.

Keep in mind that 15 year old kids were really kids in the 70s. Thats why I propose that for the parents generation its likely that they got married early and divorced most likely before any of them was 40. The children's generation would do the opposite: shag around without getting married, get a job, live in a single appartment. That's a normal development and it fits into the canon facts.

 

I want to propose a new Potter law.

Harry being dressed head to toe in dragon's hide robes is getting serverely tiring. Something along the lines of: "Thou shalt not wear Dragon hide from head to toe lest ye be a dragon yourself."

 

Clause: Same goes for Acromantula Silk. Find some other magical creature to slaughter and skin. Blast-Ended Skrewts have magically-resistant armour according to canon.

 

I thought BESs were created by Hagrid?

 

They are. Hagrid cross-bred a Fire-Crab and a Manticore, I think. But what does that matter? When Harry was in the maze during the Third Task, he shot a couple spells at the thing and almost got hit by his own stunner when it bounced back. It even says Harry could only freeze the BSE when he zapped him in the fleshy, unarmoured underbelly.