That's What I Forgot!

MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron have both posted the text of their joint interview with JK Rowling.

It's a good thing she decided to write for a living, because she damn sure can't do math right, or anything to do with dates.

(No spoilers in the following, trust me)

From the interview:
MA: What about Harry's family — his grandparents — were they killed?

JKR: No. This takes us into more mundane territory. As a writer, it was more interesting, plot-wise, if Harry was completely alone. So I rather ruthlessly disposed of his entire family apart from Aunt Petunia. I mean, James and Lily are massively important to the plot, of course, but the grandparents? No. And, because I do like my backstory: Petunia and Lily's parents, normal Muggle death. James's parents were elderly, were getting on a little when he was born, which explains the only child, very pampered, had-him-late-in-life-so-he's-an-extra-treasure, as often happens, I think. They were old in wizarding terms, and they died. They succumbed to a wizarding illness. That's as far as it goes. There's nothing serious or sinister about those deaths. I just needed them out of the way so I killed them.

Now, I don't have any problem with the plot device. Harry had to be the brave orphan, so no grandparents. I can even buy Harry's grandparents biting it early (old age or war), even though evidence like this suggests Dumbledore, Flamel, and Marchbanks (the O.W.L. examiner) are the only ones artificially raising the life expectancy of a witch or wizard above age fifty.

But Lily and Petunia's parents dying artifically early as well? Even if Lily was born late in life (and c1960 that would have been age 40 or so for her mother), and their father was substantially older, a "normal muggle death" doesn't indicate both parents dying by October 31, 1981. Yes, I know there are a hundred and twelve possible reasons -- perhaps the Evans' died in a car accident, and Petunia and Vernon recycled the story to Harrry -- but all I know is I would leave a wide berth between myself and anyone with magic. Too many people die!

Don't get me started on how, if the British wizarding community is only 3000 people strong, you can support a Ministerial bureaucracy the size she indicates. I grew up in a community of 5000 people, and the municipal government ran just fine with fewer than 20 employees all told, including part-time road works and police. What the hell are the tax rates in Wizarding Britain? 80 percent?!?