More Owl Musings

[Megan]

No: HPFGUIDX 29943

Cindy wrote:
> Megan wrote:
> 
> >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.  >
> 
> Mmmm, I think owls can be tracked.  Sirius tells Harry, "Don't use 
> Hedwig, keep changing owls."  This must be because he is worried 
> Hedwig will draw attention, and his location could be determined if 
> Hedwig is used too often.
> 
> Let me throw in a quick random thought.  Bertha Jorkins is missing, 
> yet no one at MoM thinks to just send her an owl.  If the owl came 
> back with the message as undelivered, this would be a very bad sign.  
> Maybe the reason no one at MoM bothers with this is because having 
> the message come back undelivered wouldn't solve the mystery because 
> they wouldn't know if it came back undelivered because Bertha was 
> dead or Bertha was blocking it.

Okay, let me elaborate, because I know I wasn't exactly clear on my
theories about owls.  I think that owls are not trackable in the sense
that you couldn't follow one from one point of destination to the
other.  It's just simply magically impossible.  However, once an owl
begins its descent from flight to DELIVER the message, they are
obviously seen.  Hogwarts students see them come into the Great Hall,
Sirius warns Harry that a white owl flying repeatedly to his hiding
place could attract attention.  This is  *not* the same as tracking,
but more of simple observation by an outside body as to the action of
the owl delivering the letter.  I believe that if an owl was given a
message solely on the intent to track, that it would not perform (or
even be able to perform) this action because that is not in its magic.

Monica wrote: 
> 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.

Monica has succintly said what I've been trying to spout these last
few posts.  Though I don't really subscribe to "alternate dimension"
in those words, I think the actions of owls is its own branch of
magic, like goblins and house-elves.  They don't really answer /to/
wizards, but are bound to serve their owner out of fierce loyalty. 
Hedwig might be miffed (giving a cute personality to owls I really
like) at Harry during some point in GOF, but I see it as more of a
game for her--I think in the end she would have delivered the
letter/message, but wanted to admonish Harry in her owl-way. (LOL!)

-Megan (who is beginning to think that people might be starting to
believe she thinks ENTIRELY too much about owls)