underage wizards doing magic, family protection, post-schooling

[blpurdom]

No: HPFGUIDX 38052

> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "adatole" <adatole at y...> wrote:
> > First, I think we need to keep in mind that MOM is not exactly 
> > stating that underage wizards should not perform magic. More to 
> > the point, they are saying that underage wizards cannot perform 
> > magic that would give them away to Muggles. 

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "alhewison" <Ali at z...> wrote:> 
> Actually, I disagree with you here. The letters they receive at 
> the end of PS/SS tell them not to use magic in the holidays. When 
> Harry receives his reprimand from the MOM for the "pudding 
> incident" it is because he contravened the law against using magic 
> in front of Muggles - AND because as an underage wizard he was not 
> allowed to use magic outside school.

No, he was reprimanded because someone TOLD the MoM that he'd done 
it (probably Dobby, still trying to find a way to keep Harry from 
going back to Hogwarts).  The Ministry seems to work on an honor 
system to a certain extent when it comes to the underage magic law 
and the laws against letting Muggles see magic, but if someone rats 
on you you're in big trouble.  If no one tells the Ministry 
Hermione, Ron, the twins, etc. have been doing magic and they don't 
hear of it through the Muggle news, no one seems to get in trouble.  
(Remember--when Ron and Harry arrive at Hogwarts after smashing the 
car into the Willow, it's all over the Evening Prophet that Muggles 
all over the country spotted a flying car.  This is a blatant 
violation of the law requiring secrecy, even though they didn't 
bewitch the car, Arthur did.)  

OTOH, if there's an "appeals process" when one is unjustly accused 
of breaking the law (as Harry was unjustly accused) Harry didn't 
investigate this; as someone who's grown up with the Dursleys, this 
is probably force of habit.  It never mattered what he did as a 
child, he was tried, convicted and sentenced before he could do 
anything about it.  As far as he knew he had nothing to do with his 
hair growing back and also didn't know how he wound up on the roof 
when Dudley's gang was chasing him.  Having grown used to being a 
victim of injustice, he evidently didn't try to convince someone at 
the Ministry that he hadn't performed the levitating charm, that it 
was a house-elf instead.  As no one grassed on the twins or 
Hermione, they didn't get in trouble.

--Barb
 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HP_Psych