Magic Carpets - correction

[naama_gat at hotmail.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 11845

I found the references! I was wrong - it wasn't Fudge at all.

The first is on page 83-84 of GoF (UK):
 'Oh, and I've been wanting a word with you, too, Arthur,' said Mr 
Crouch, his sharp eyes falling upon Mr Weasley. 'Ali Bashir's on the 
warpath. He wants a word with you about your embargo on flying 
carpets.'
Mr Weasley heaved a deep sigh. 'I send him an owl about that just 
last week. If I've told him once I've told him a humdred times: 
carpets are defined as a Muggle Artefact by the Registry of 
Proscribed Charmable Objects, but will he listen?'
...
'Ali thinks there's a niche in the market for a family vehicle,' said 
Mr Crouch. 'I remember my grandfather had an Axminster that could 
seat twelve - but that was before carpets were banned, of course.'

The second reference is on page 370:
[Percy to Bagman] "... I've had to deal with all sorts of things that 
have cropped up in his absence - you heard Ali Bashir was caught 
smuggling a consignment of flying carpets into the country?"

I've wondered too why carpets are banned and broomsticks aren't. I 
think there was a thread about it some time ago but I don't remember 
when or what was said exactly, so I don't know if this is my idea or 
something I read - maybe flying broomsticks are manufactured as magic 
objects in the first place. In this case they would not be muggle 
artefacts in any stage of their manufacture. Flying carpets, OTOH, 
are possibly produced by magicking ordinary (muggle produced) 
carpets.

Hope this helps.

Naama