"Your Owl Will Find Me"

[monicawitt at msn.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 29885

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Megan" <virtualworldofhp at y...> wrote:
> Cindy wrote:
> <some great stuff on owls>
> 
> Okay, here's my take I've always had on the owling system:  The 
owls,
> in a way like the goblins, have special magical rules that apply to
> their way of life.  I theorize that owls in general *cannot* be
> tracked, because their ultimate duty is uphold their owners and 
simply
> deliver the mail.  Magically, this is their job, and that is ONLY
> their job.  They would be impossible to track because this is not in
> an owl's duty.  

I agree. Elves seem to have their own magic, too. When Dobby gets 
dismissed, he seems to be able to stop Lucius from going after Harry. 
As for owls, I'd guess that in the case of someone like Sirius, it'd 
be difficult for owls from individuals who did not know he was an 
animagus to find him when he's in that form. On the other hand, 
there's never been any instance mentioned where an owl has returned 
unable to deliver a letter. 

I think that maybe the owls do get where they're supposed to go, but 
that there's an unspoken "code of conduct" between the owls and 
humans that they won't be misused. Perhaps an owl requested to 
deliver a letter for purposes other than sincere communication 
refuses to make the delivery. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense that 
Harry could use any owl from the Hogwarts owlery. If they did't have 
some code, or compact, with humans, there wouldn't be anything 
stopping an owl from tipping off someone, say, in the MoM, about 
Sirius' wherabouts, and getting a cushy, "house-owl" position or 
whatever sort of work owls dream about getting.

I don't think it's a case of the owl being able to be tracked, as 
much as it is that the same owl, seen coming and going to the same, 
seemingly uninhabited place, would draw untoward attention. And 
Hedwig is pretty noticable. Add to that Harry's celebrity status, and 
it's likely some curious Hogsmeader might just get it in his/her head 
to go for a little hike up the mountain outside of town.