[HPforGrownups] Magic Outside of School

[Meg Demeranville]

No: HPFGUIDX 37069

Sorry that I am so late in responding to this but I had to think about it
some (plus that stupid thing called a job...)

Debbie wrote :
<snip> With all the charmed wands and Ton-Tongue Toffees that the Weasley
Twins have been busy concocting (not to mention the teddy bear they
transfigured when they were 5), why haven't they been expelled?  Doesn't
each one require a separate spell?  Molly worries about the Improper Use of
Magic Office coming after them, but they've gotten away with quite a bit.
But the real shocker is that even follow-the-rules Hermione claims of the
train to Hogwarts in PS/SS that she's tried a few simple spells and they all
worked. <snip>

Melanie replied:
 <snip> My theory on Hermione is quite simply that she asked the school if
she may practice simple spells before school so that she was more than ready
in the fall. <snip>

My theory on Hermione is that before beginning Hogwarts for the first time
there is no restriction placed on them doing magic. It is not until when
they are leaving are the students told that they cannot perform magic
outside of school. This would account for the accidental magic that
pre-Hogwarts Muggle born students perform as well as the twins
transfiguration of the teddy bear. I think Hermione represents an oddity in
that she actually tries and gets some spells right. I don't think she asked,
I think it was figured that, especially among Muggle born students, they
would lack the ability to do anything that would get them into trouble. Of
course, she could always just be talking big and trying to make herself seem
important, making up for her fear or nervousness in the situation. We see
Harry spending his last month reading all of his course books (and IMO
probably trying out some of the spells), but in Charms class on Halloween is
the first time that we read about the students actually using their
wands.Flitwick makes reference to using the proper swish and flick that they
have been practicing. I think that since Hermione does not mention again
using magic over the summer, I think that after getting her notice at the
end of first year, she does not perform spells over the summer. As far as
the Weasleys go, I think that as long as their parents perform the spells
(car and the like) they can use the tools, so to speak. Or else, I will
agree that probably since they live in a magical household, they aren't
quite as screened. Fred and George do not use magic when they rescue Harry.
They pick the lock to his door and the closet under the stairs. The use the
car's strength to pull off the window bars. Being that they are Gred and
Forge, I would imagine they know all of the loopholes in the restriction.
Even Ron knows that in an emergency, underage wizards are allowed to use
magic "section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy" (CoS). I
would think that with brothers like his, he would know exactly when they
could get away with using magic. I think this covers everything.

Meg -- trying to survive a very long week at work