Lily and James lost their lives on October 31, 1981, while protecting their son from Voldemort’s Killing Curse. As seen on the gravestones in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Lily and James were just 21 years old when they died.
Lily James was born on 5 April 1989 in Esher, Surrey, the daughter of Ninette Mantle, an actress, and James “Jamie” Thomson, a musician. She has two brothers, one older and one younger.
Lily was killed, but 1-year-old Harry survived, marked with a large jagged wound by the curse meant to take his life. Voldemort lost almost all of his powers as well as his body, and fled “horribly weakened.”
Hagrid also does not tell her that James and Lily were killed (or else she refused to believe it until she heard Dumbledore confirm it personally). Hagrid arrives at the Hollow. Sometime in the very early morning hours, Dumbledore sends Rubeus Hagrid to Godric’s Hollow. As best we know, Hagrid is first on the scene.
How old were Lily and James when they died?
As seen on the gravestones in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Lily and James were just 21 years old when they died. James was born on March 27, 1960, and Lily was a few months older, having been born on January 30, 1960.
Based on the prophecy that a boy born at the end of July who could defeat Voldemort, Lily and James were forced to go into hiding in order to protect young Harry. After being betrayed by Peter Pettigrew, the Dark Lord found the Potter family in Godric’s Hollow.
Lily and James never had the opportunity to raise their son in the Harry Potter franchise, nor did they get a chance to fully experience adulthood. Lily and James Potter served as crucial characters in the Harry Potter series even though they were killed before the events of the book series. James and Lily were the parents …
Lily and James Potter served as crucial characters in the Harry Potter series even though they were killed before the events of the book series. James and Lily were the parents of Harry, the central figure of the books developed by author J.K. Rowling. Though they died when he was a baby, they both made multiple appearances in the movie adaptations.
Though they died when he was a baby, they both made multiple appearances in the movie adaptations. Through flashbacks and details revealed by the end of the franchise, the age of Lily and James at the times of their deaths was uncovered. Lily J. Evans was a Muggle-born witch who attended Hogwarts in the ’70s.
How old were Lily and James Potter when they died?
Lily and James Potter were both 21 when they died.#N#Which is really silly considering in the 5-year period between when they were 17 and 21:#N#James Potter and Lily Evans became Head Boy and Head Girl respectively. James Potter became Head Boy without having been a Prefect!#N#James Potter deflated his head and convinced Lily to go out on a date with him – that Lily who had disapproved of him all her school life. He eventually won Lily’s friendship and then her heart. They married as teenagers.#N#Lily and James Potter joined the Order of the Phoenix fresh out of school at 18 years of age (contrast with the fuss that was made when 17-year old Fred and George Weasley wanted to join the Order).#N#Lily and James Potter defied Voldemort three times.#N#Then they had a baby at the tender age of 20.#N#Incredibly, all four of Harry’s grandparents died in this 4-year period! Harry Potter was left with no loving guardians. It wasn’t even a single accident that killed all of them together. What a coincidence!#N#Petunia Dursley too married young and had a baby early.#N#James and Lily Potter were murdered and baby Harry orphaned.#N#All the above are plot points to make the story more tragic and Harry’s struggle more poignant but it verges on the unbelievable.#N#I know Harry saw a lot more and did a lot more in a short span of 5 years, but then he was the Chosen One being directed by Dumbledore.#N#I know the War drastically shortened timelines and forced people to marry and have kids early. But 4 grandparents dying of non-war causes all within a few years of each other is a bit too much! James Potter’s parents were aged but the same is not necessarily true of Lily’s parents.#N#I expected Lily and James Potter to be at least 25 when they had Harry. Not least because the Dursleys, Lupin, Sirius and Severus sometimes act like they are 40+ in the (book) series.#N#So when J.K. Rowling threw the bombshell of James and Lily Potter’s age in Deathly Hallows, I was left with “What Just Happened???”
Because of how perfect they are for the role based in looks. Lily and James were supposed to be 21 when they died , and yet in the film, they look 30+.
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If Voldemort STAYED fixated on Harry, but couldn’t find him because he was hidden by the Fidelius Charm, well then you would have been reading a very different book. The story would be about a pretty typical wizard kid. Maybe he would be nice, maybe Lily would have spoiled him as outrageously as her sister spoiled Dudley. He would be HOMESCHOOLED because sending him to Hogwarts would mean removing him from the protection of his hiding place, so the story would more or less by about some homeschooled wizard with no friends, who hated Voldemort for killing his father just like everyone else hated Voldemort. He may or may not be fat.
If this played out, and Voldemort died trying to kill Neville, then probably you would only know Harry as another boy on the Hogwarts express, maybe he would even take Ron’s place and be the one fascinated with the scar on Neville’s head. (There would be no reason for Lily and Harry to stay hidden if Voldemort was dead, or even if he decided Neville was the prophesied one, since he was only after Harry for that one reason).
Lily made the choice to stop being friends. She already had friends surrounding her. She was popular, she was a top student, she had the most popular guy chasing after her. Yet she was friends with a Slytherin, soon-to-be Death Eater who her friends keep telling her is bad for her. Plus, Lily has a crush on the most popular guy in school despite him being a bully whose victim is her friend of seven years – James Potter. She liked him, and it was easier to see Snape as the antagonist rather than her friend. She didn’t want to take the time to talk to him, to get to know him, to see his point of view. It had gotten to the point where she was able to smile when he was getting humiliated – I don’t think at this point she sees him as a friend or as a human being anymore. It’s more of an obligation that she hangs out and talks to him, and she’s tired of it. When she saw the choice, she took it. And she paid for it.
Snape and Lily’s story is of bigotry. Snape was influenced by his Blood-Supremist friends to say things he would regret for the rest of his life. Lily was influenced by her Gryffindor friends to view all Slytherins as evil and soon-to-be Death Eaters. If either of them could lift the heads up a little and see the real world for themselves, I think they still would’ve remained friends.
Then we also have Lily’s letter to Sirius. There, she writes about her domestic life with lots of love and expresses that she’s happy despite locked up in a house. She writes about how James tries to hide his frustration at being locked up. That’s also a sign of caring.
Where is Lily James?
Lily James was born on 5 April 1989 in Esher, Surrey, the daughter of Ninette Mantle, an actress, and James “Jamie” Thomson, a musician. She has two brothers, one older and one younger. Her paternal grandmother, Helen Horton, was an American actress. Her maternal grandmother was French, and fled her village near Paris because of the Nazis, later marrying James’ grandfather, a minister in the RAF. James attended Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and subsequently went on to study acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, graduating in 2010, at age 20 or 21. Shortly thereafter, she signed with Tavistock Wood management in London.
Lily’s father, James Thomson, died from cancer in 2008. She took her father’s first name as her stage name when she learned there was already an actress named Lily Thomson.
Lady Rose became a main character in the fourth and fifth series of the programme. James also appeared as Lady Rose in the series finale.
Here We Go Again. The film was released in July 2018. The same year, James played author Juliet Ashton in the 1940s period drama The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society who exchanges letters with the residents of Guernsey, an island off the coast of Normandy that was German-occupied during World War II.
