How did the Weasleys get home/Misuse of Magic Dept

[Doreen Rich]

No: HPFGUIDX 22793

I was wondering, myself, why the Weasleys would see the train off ... 
when they knew that Ron and Harry were not *on* it.

As for the boys taking the Ford... and why they didn't think of the 
consequences, that is *so* typically teenager ... I could write you 
volumes!

But, as for it being ok to use magic ... the letter clearly forbids 
it:

"Dear Mr. Potter,

    We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at
your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past nine.

    As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform
spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead
to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction
of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C).

    We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that
risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a
serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation
of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy.

    Enjoy your holidays! Yours sincerely,

    Mafalda Hopkirk"

***********
My guess is that using a flying broom is not the same as using a wand 
to magically open a trunk or start a car. 

Doreen


--- In HPforGrownups at y..., monzaba at p... wrote:
> 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)