"You did do the thing properly, didn't you?"
     -- Albus Dumbledore

The calendars which follow were carefully researched and are based on various references in the canon. The only specific reference to the year in the books is the date on Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday cake in book two. That date, by which we can determine that book two takes place in 1992-93, has been verified by Rowling. Warner Bros. has stated that a short timeline for the series was approved by her for the release of the DVD of Chamber of Secrets; this short timeline specifically identified the years in which the stories take place.

According to that Official Timeline (CS/dvd), Harry Potter was born on July 31, 1980. Therefore the events of the first chapter of this book take place on November 1, 1981, the day after Harry's parents were killed. The second chapter takes place on a Saturday, approximately one month before Harry's 11th birthday, which is June 22, 1991. The events of chapter three take place in the week leading up to Harry's eleventh birthday, which we know is July 31, 1991.

Unfortunately, the information in the books does not match the calendar of 1991 exactly. The book says that Harry's birthday is on a Tuesday, while July 31, 1991, is actually on a Wednesday. To stay true to the books, we will remove a day before Harry's birthday, place the events on the days listed, then adjust the calendar by adding a day to get things back on track.

The Official Timeline of Hogwarts (CS/dvd) matches this timeline almost exactly. Events which are actually listed on that timeline are indicated on this calendar in red. There is one other adjustment which must be made in order to make the calendar agree with the books: September 7 is listed on the Official Timeline as being when Harry and Ron visit Hagrid in his hut. This was an error which also appeared on this calendar until my most recent revision. Curiously, the DVD timeline happened to reproduce the error from the Lexicon timeline. At any rate, the 7th is a Saturday, while the book states that they visited Hagrid on the afternoon of the Friday of their first week. This calendar now places that visit on Friday, September 6, which is correct.

The dates given on this calendar are either stated specifically in the books or can be deduced with a fair degree of certainty. Some events, such as Norbert's arrival, are given approximately and are therefore written in blue. 

July 1991 - July 1992
SEP - OCT - NOV - DEC - JAN - FEB - MAR - APR - MAY - JUN - JUL

SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	references
Jun 16	17	18	19	20	21	22 Dudley's 11th birthday the trip to the zoo Harry is locked in his cupboard	SS2
Jun 23	24	25	26	27	28	29	SS2 Harry locked in his cupboard
Jun 30	Jul 1	2	3	4	5	6	SS2 Harry locked in his cupboard
Jul 7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Harry locked in his cupboard
Jul 14	15	16	17	18	19	20 JULY 21 REMOVED TO MAKE CALENDAR AGREE WITH THE BOOK	Harry locked in his cupboard Mrs. Figg has broken her leg, but she comes to Privet Drive on crutches, only to be knocked over by Dudley
Jul 22	23	24 a letter arrives for Harry Potter Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia burn it but move Harry from the cupboard to Dudley's second bedroom	25 another letter arrives for Harry but Uncle Vernon gets it first and destroys it	26 Harry gets up at 6 to get the mail but steps on Uncle Vernon who is sleeping in the hall to catch him three letters arrive	27 12 letters arrive Uncle Vernon boards up every crack around every door and window	28 24 letters arrive, rolled up inside eggs delivered to the house Aunt Petunia shreds the letters in her food processor	SS3
Jul 29 30 or 40 letters come pouring out of the kitchen chimney Uncle Vernon packs everyone into the car and drives around a lot they stay overnight in the Railview Hotel, Cokeworth	30 about a hundred letters arrive for Harry at the front desk of the hotel Uncle Vernon drives them around again and finally discovers the Hut On The Rock a tremendous storm blows up but at midnight, Hagrid appears at the door	31 Harry's 11th birthday Hagrid gives Harry his letter from Hogwarts Hagrid takes Harry to Diagon Alley to buy his things for Hogwarts	EXTRA DAY ADDED BACK IN TO MAKE CALENDAR AGREE	Aug 1	2	3	SS 3, 4, 5
Aug 4	5	6	7	8	9	10	SS 6 the Dursleys pretend that Harry doesn't exist
Aug 11	12	13	14	15	16	17	SS 6
Aug 18	19	20	21	22	23	24	SS 6
Aug 25	26	27	28	29	30	31	SS 6
Sep 1 Harry travels to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express Harry sorted into Gryffindor Dudley in London having his tail removed	2 first day of term Harry and Ron get into trouble with Filch who thinks they're trying to break into the forbidden third floor corridor	3	4 midnight: astronomy class	5 transfiguration class	6 Hedwig delivers her first message to Harry: an invitation to visit Hagrid that afternoon; he responds "Yes, please!" morning: first potions class: double potions wth Slytherins, Harry gets on Snapes bad side and loses five points afternoon off, tea with Hagrid at 3 o'clock	7 (afternoon tea with Hagrid, according to the official timeline, although this is a Saturday and the book says that they visit Hagrid on the Friday at the end of their first week of classes)	SS 7
Sept 8	9	10	11 midnight: astronomy class	12 3:30 pm: first flying lesson Neville breaks his wrist Harry is made Seeker Malfoy challenges Harry to a duel at midnight, they discover Fluffy	13	14	SS 9 Quidditch trials this week
Sept 15	16	17	18 midnight: astronomy class	19 Hermione's 11th birthday (why 11th?)	20 Harry receives his Nimbus 2000 7 pm first Quidditch practice	21	SS 10
Sept 22	23	24	25 midnight: astronomy class	26	27	28	SS 10 Quidditch practice three times per week from here on
Sept 29	30	Oct 1	2 midnight: astronomy class	3	4	5
Oct 6	7	8	9 midnight: astronomy class	10	11	12
Oct 13	14	15	16 midnight: astronomy class	17	18	19
Oct 20	21	22	23 midnight: astronomy class	24	25	26	C
Oct 27	28	29	30 midnight: astronomy class	31 HALLOWEEN Charms class: Wingardium Leviosa Feast interrupted by the arrival of a Mountain Troll Harry and Ron rescue Hermione from the troll	Nov 1	2	SS 10 weather turned very cold
Nov 3	4	5	6 midnight: astronomy class	7	8 Snape takes Harry's copy of Quidditch Through The Ages Harry sees that Snape has been bitten in the leg by Fluffy	9 Quidditch: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, 11am Gryffindor wins when Harry catches the Snitch in his mouth Snape counters Quirrell's jinxes and saves Harry's life	SS 11
Nov 10	11	12	13 midnight: astronomy class	14	15	16
Nov 17	18	19	20 midnight: astronomy class	21	22	23
Nov 24	25	26	27 midnight: astronomy class	28	29	30
Dec 1	2	3	4 midnight: astronomy class	5	6	7
Dec 8	9 McGonagall takes names of those staying at Hogwarts over Christmas	10	11 midnight: astronomy class	12	13	14	SS12 Hogwarts is covered by several feet of snow
Dec 15	16	17	18 midnight: astronomy class	19	20	21 morning: Hagrid is setting up the twelve Christmas trees in the Great Hall	SS 12
Dec 22	23 End of Term Hogwarts Express back to London	24	25 CHRISTMAS Harry receives his father's Invisibility Cloak for a present Harry discovers the Mirror of Erised	26 Harry returns to the Mirror with Ron	27 Harry goes to the Mirror and encounters Dumbledore	28	SS 12 Harry and Ron, pretty much the only ones in Gryffindor Tower, spend their time toasting things on the fire and playing wizard chess
Dec 29	30	31	Jan 1	2	3	4	SS 13 Harry begins having nightmares about his parents' death
Jan 5 Hogwarts Express back to school	6 start of term	7	8 midnight: astronomy class	9	10	11	SS 13 weather turns rainy, wet and cold
Jan 12	13	14	15 midnight: astronomy class	16	17	18
Jan 19	20	21	22 midnight: astronomy class	23	24	25
Jan 26	27	28	29 midnight: astronomy class	30	31	Feb 1
Feb 2	3	4	5 midnight: astronomy class	6	7	8
Feb 9	10	11	12 midnight: astronomy class	13	14	15
Feb 16	17	18	19 midnight: astronomy class	20	21	22 Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor which Snape referees
Feb 23	24	25	26 midnight: astronomy class	27	28	29
Mar 1 Ron's 12th birthday	2	3	4 midnight: astronomy class	5	6	7
Mar 8	9	10	11 midnight: astronomy class	12	13	14
Mar 15	16	17	18 midnight: astronomy class	19	20	21
Mar 22	23 Hermione begins prepping for exams	24	25 midnight: astronomy class	26	27	28	SS 14
Mar 29	30	31	Apr 1 midnight: astronomy class	2	3	4
Apr 5	6	7	8 midnight: astronomy class	9	10	11
Apr 12	13	14	15 midnight: astronomy class	16	17	18
Apr 19	20	21	22 midnight: astronomy class	23	24	25
Apr 26	27	28	29 midnight: astronomy class	30	May 1	2
May 3	4	5	6 midnight: astronomy class	7	8 Norbert hatches	9	SS 14
May 10	11	12	13 Ron is bitten by Norbert midnight: astronomy class	14 Ron goes to the hospital with his hand badly infected and poisoned	15 Ron in hospital	16 Ron in hospital midnight: Charlie's friends take Norbert	SS 14,15
May 17 1 am: Harry, Neville, and Hermione lose 150 points for Gryffindor	18	19	20 midnight: astronomy class	21	22	23	Harry, Neville, and Hermione are shunned and insulted for losing all those points
May 24	25 Harry overhears Quirrell talking to someone whom he assumes is Snape	26 11 pm: detentions in the Forbidden Forest	27 midnight: astronomy class	28	29	30	SS 15
May 31	Jun 1 exams	2 exams	3 exams	4 exams last one: History of Magic evening: Harry, Ron, and Hermione follow Quirrell into the trap door after the Stone	5 Harry unconscious in the hospital	6 Harry unconscious in the hospital Quidditch match: Gryffindor loses to Ravenclaw because Harry is in the hospital	SS 16, 17
June 7 Harry unconscious in the hospital	8 Harry released from hospital end-of-year feast at which Gryffindor wins the house cup	9	10	11 exam results come out	12	13	SS 17
June 14	15	16	17	18	19	20 Hogwarts Express back to London Uncle Vernon locks up Harry's spell books and broomstick and padlocks Hedwig's cage	SS 17
June 21	22 Dudley's 12th birthday	23	24	25	26	27
June 28	29	30	Jul 1	2	3	4
July 5	6	7	8	9	10	11
July 12	13	14	15	16	17	18
July 19	20	21	22	23	24	25
July 26	27	28	29	30	31 Harry's 12th birthday	Aug 1

continue with the day-by-day calendar for Chamber of Secrets