Midnight
He had to hide until he was deemed capable of handling his own affairs , after which he could fight his own battles in his own way without the interference of the laws that are set up to protect the immature . With Tim Fisher and his brand-new bride out of the way , James took a deep breath at having leaped one more hurdle . Then he sat down to think . Obviously there is no great sea-change that takes place at the Stroke Of Midnight on the date of the person 's 21st birthday ; no magic wand is waved over his scalp to convert him in a moment of time from a puling infant to a mature adult . The growth of child to adult is as gradual as the increase of his stature , which varies from one child to the next . The fact remained that few people are confronted by the necessity of making a decision based upon the precise age of the subject . We usually cross this barrier with no trouble , taking on our rights and responsibilities as we find them necessary to our life .