How did the Weasleys get home/Misuse of Magic Dept

[monzaba at poczta.onet.pl]

No: HPFGUIDX 22790

I gather that the Weasleys simply apparated home, but only after a 
frantic and fruitless search for the boys.

But why, why, *why* didn't Harry and Ron simply wait for them? After 
all, the Weasleys must have noticed that they didn't appear to the 
platform. After seeing the train off, Molly and Arthur surely started 
to look for them. I imagine that Arthur finally persuaded his wife 
that the boys must have get to the train and that they simply missed 
them, so they got out, went to the car and found it missing. It must 
have been a terrible shock. 

So why didn't the boys wait for them? The most logical thing to do 
would be to separate: one of the boys should wait for the Weasleys at 
the entrance to the platrform, the other should run out and wait near 
the car, just in case they apparated there.

I realise, of course, that every teenager dreams of using his dad's 
car, but Ron knows his mother well enough to guess what she would do 
if she catched them starting off in Arthur's car :)

That must have been a very close shave, too. The Weasleys had no 
reason whatsoever to stay behind on the platform.

It's quite shocking that Ron, being in trouble, didn't even think 
that his parents would have helped them. Same for Harry's behaviour - 
poor way to repay the Weasleys for all their kindness - he didn't 
even stay a bit to say goodbye to them.

Only explanation I can think of is that Dobby dealt not only with the 
barrier, but with boys' brains, too.

As for the MoM Dept, all they really would have to do would be to 
notify Molly Weasley :)

The Department didn't react, I think, mostly because it's not so much 
illegal to use magic when Muggles can't see a wizard doing anything 
extraordinary. After all, they weren't after the Weasley brothers and 
Harry, when they were flying brooms during the summer.

Monika
(The Snape fan)