[HPforGrownups] The gap in the Weasley family

[Heather Edmonds]

No: HPFGUIDX 1666

Having been lurking for a long time I am emerging from my corner of the UK
to ask for help with something that is puzzling me. I have worked on
creating a timeline using the books, Steve Bates lexicon etc for the Weasley
family. According to my amateur calculations based on Charlie Weasley being
18 when he left school and that being the year Gryffyndor won the Quidditch
Championship.IIRC (I've lent my copy - stupid) it says in HP & PS circa 1991
it has been seven years since Gryffyndor has won. Therefore Charlie Weasley
must have been born in 1966, with Bill sometime previously. The next Weasley
is Percy who if he left Hogwarts at 18 in PoA 1994 must have been born 1976.

Why the ten year gap in the Weasley family? Were Arthur & Molly estranged
(unlikely IMHO)? Was Arthur away on Ministry business? Did it just not
happen, then Percy was a miracle baby followed by several more? Did they not
want more children because of the rise of Voldemort although this seems
implausible as Percy, Fred, George and Ron would have been born before his
fall.

I am puzzled. Please help put me out of my misery so I can concentrate on
studying for my PGCE which is what I should be doing now. I'm teacher
training and love the work in the classroom but I'm not so keen on the
theory, however necessary.

Heather