Underage wizards and magic use & Dobby

[Diana <dianasdolls@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48826

Dom McDermott wrote:
> I was wondering if anyone knew any more about the rules etc for 
the use of magic for non-graduates? If I'm reading it correctly (and 
forgive me for being unable to provide quotes to back myself 
up) 'underage wizards' (presumably those who have yet to graduate) 
are not permitted to use magic outside of school. 
> Does this mean *all* magic? And also how strict are they on these 
rules?
> In COS, Harry is reprimanded by letter for using magic in the 
pudding incident. This letter comes to him even though it wasn't he 
who was the cause, so how do the MOM target individual underage 
wizards? Did they note that magic was used in the Dursley house and 
as the only wizard in the house, Harry must be responsible? If so, 
what would happen if, say Ron used magic in his house when his 
parents and older brothers were there? Would the MOM be able to 
ascertain that the magic was from Ron, or would there be the 
presumtion that it came from one of the qualified wizards (and 
witch)?
> Another note on this subject is that two other occasions stick out 
in my memory. Firstly, one the train to Hogwarts in PS/SS, Ron is 
trying to turn Scabbers yellow. Elsewhere in the series I believe it 
mentions that the students are still able to use magic while onboard 
the Hogwarts Express, but to me it gives the impression that Ron has 
perhaps tried the spell before (ie: when not on the train) and also, 
around the same time, Hermione arrives and says that she has only 
tried a few simple spells, but they've all worked fine for her.
> Secondly, during the build up to the quidditch world cup in GOF, 
there is an incident where a child uses his fathers wand to engorge 
a slug, and the mother gives the impression ('Havent' I told you not 
to play with your father's wand?' or words to the effect) that its 
not the first time. 
> Do the parents of this child receive letters from the MOM about 
improper magic use, and has Hermione already got a stain on her 
magical record before the first day of term at Hogwarts??

ME: 
I wondered about that as well, but then it occured to me that Harry 
was using magic for years without ever getting an admonishing letter 
from Hogwarts.  He sicced a snake on Dudley, made his hair grow back 
in one night, turned his teacher's wig blue, shrunk an ugly brown 
sweater Aunt Petunia was trying to make him wear, jumped up to the 
roof when being chased by bullies at school, and that's just the 
ones we know about.  Granted, Harry didn't know he was directly 
doing this magic, but then Hogwarts couldn't tell that it was Dobby 
doing magic in the Dursley home instead of Harry, either.  Let's say 
that Hermione's childhood was the similar, with mysterious instances 
of magical occurences because she didn't know she was a witch until 
she got her Hogwart's letter, then all the other muggle-born witches 
and wizards would have had similar instances in their childhoods.   
They couldn't really be admonished for this as they are too young to 
really control what they were doing.  Besides, these events signal 
that that child is a witch/wizard, which is something that can't be 
controlled.  
I would assume that young children using magic is up to parental 
authority and supervision, UNTIL that child enters Hogwarts as a 
student.  Hermione probably got her letter, then her magic supplies, 
wand, etc. and then immediately tried some spells.  She wouldn't 
have had any reason not to as there was no note in the Hogwart's 
letter [we saw Harry's letter word for word in PS/SS] telling the 
students NOT to use magic until they got to school.  

Most likely, I imagine that First Year students are not admonished 
not to use magic between the time they receive their letter and 
board the Hogwart's Express because they are so untrained and 
uneducated in magic that they couldn't do much harm.   
By the time they go back home and wait for their second year, those 
same students probably know enough magic to cause some trouble.  
Thus, Hogwarts hands out letters telling them not to use magic over 
the summer. 
As for whether MoM could distinguish Ron's use of magic in a 
houseful of wizards and witches, that is a very good question.  
Since MoM couldn't tell Dobby's house-elf brand of magic apart from 
the magic Harry creates when using his unique wand, then I doubt 
that MoM could pinpoint Ron using magic in house full of magic-
users.  MoM must decide that a houseful of wizards and witches would 
know to keep Ron [and others like him] from doing magic while on 
summer break because they were all previous graduates of Hogwarts 
and were familiar with the rules.  I wonder if Lucius Malfoy is 
keeping Dracro from using magic during the summer?  Hmmm.  

I think you are correct about why Harry got a letter.  He is the 
only wizard in the Dursley house.  If there's magic there, MoM must 
conclude he's the one doing it.  This does make me wonder how Dobby 
got into Harry's room if Harry is protected so well.  I mean, Dobby 
is a Death Eater's servant!   Wouldn't you think that a servant 
owned by a Death Eater would have had trouble getting into Harry's 
room?  I really wonder about how Dobby got past the protections and 
if that will be explained in the future.  Maybe there is a lot more 
to house-elves than we've been led to believe. 

Diana