Charlie Weasley's age

[scoutmom21113]

No: HPFGUIDX 76426

Now for the updated calculations!  I tried to fit in all the 
comments but there is at least one discrepancy.  Many thanks to 
Geoff, Karen, angelic146uk, Ginger, and bibphile for input.  Here 
goes...

UPDATED FACTS:
1991 - Ron enters Hogwarts, age 11 (born 1980). Charlie has already 
graduated.
1991 - (SS p153) Gryffindor hasn't won the Quidditch Cup since 
Charlie left.
1993 - (POA p184) "Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth 
year in a row..." 
OOTP. "When Charlie, Fred and George were training in the holidays 
they made me keep for them." (Ron)
(CoS US paperback p.323) "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts 
since B-Bill came..." (Ginny)

REASONING (I won't call it Logic because who knows??...)
Charlie could be at Hogwarts for only 1 or 2 years while Fred and 
George were there. (response to angelic146uk's comment:  Fred and 
George could have played at home even if they weren't on the team 
yet.)  If Charlie was still there during their 2nd year, he would 
have graduated in 1990, the year before HRH arrived.  The consensus 
seems to be that there was more than one year in between.

Taking Karen's comment into consideration, Gryffindor had lost the 
previous 7 years, not 8 (a/o the beginning of PoA).  So the last 
time they won was in 1986.  (Just another thought to really confuse 
the issue: McGonagall says "out of the running" not "we haven't 
won."  Would a 2nd place finish be considered in the running?)  
Which means that Charlie graduated in 1986, 3 years before Fred and 
George even started.  

Now our updated and expanded timeline is:
1968 - Charlie born
1976* – Percy born
1978* – Fred and George born
1979 - Charlie starts Hogwarts
1980* - Ron born
1981* – Ginny born
1986 - Charlie graduates (last time Gryffindor won Q-Cup)
1987* - Percy starts Hogwarts
1989* - Fred and George start Hogwarts
1991* - Ron starts Hogwarts
1992* - Ginny starts Hogwarts
1993* - Gryffindor hasn't won Q-Cup in 7 years (1993-7=1986)
* = supported by canon

CONCLUSIONS:
1. Charlie is 12 years older than Ron and 8 years older than Percy.  
He was 23 in SS and 27 in OoP.
2. Charlie would have graduated before Fred and George started at 
Hogwarts.  Considering Ron would have been only 4 when Charlie 
graduated, and Fred and George would have been 6, the most likely 
way the twins would have been "in training" is if they were on a 
Quidditch Little League team, I there is such a thing.  Maybe Ron 
meant that Charlie was in training and mis-spoke by including Fred 
and George.  (Has anyone noticed that no one says George and Fred?)
3. Bill was at Hogwarts when Ginny was born.

MORE QUESTIONS:
1. How old is Bill?
2. Given the 2 year differences (1 year for Ginny) between the 
youngest 7 kids and the big gap between Charlie and Percy, what were 
Molly and Arthur doing during the war?  (Note: I believe that Bill 
and Charlie are the sons of Molly and Arthur, not adopted.)  I think 
there is a mystery here that might come out in the next 2 books.

Ravenclaw Bookworm (who has spend  - certainly not wasted :) - too 
much time on this question and is going back to painting her 
daughter's room)