wizard punishment/Squibs/ApparateatHogwarts/underageMagicUser/#students/Sept1

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 69970

T.M. Sommers wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/69856 :

<< However, Azkaban seems to be the only form of punishment 
available. Hagrid is sent there without even having charges lodged 
against him. >>

Azkaban seems to be the only form on IMPRISONMENT available. Hagrid 
was sent there for preventive detention. We know of at least one 
other punishment: breaking the person's wand and forbidding them to 
do magic. I believe there is also some mention of fining law-breakers.

<< What Malfoy did was wrong. Letting Malfoy get away with what he 
did would be wrong. Punishing him was not wrong. Think of it as 
detention: Malfoy was detained for a couple of minutes in a ferret's 
body. >>

Detention is not supposed to include being bounced hard from ceiling 
to floor so as to squeak in pain.

Komogata Mai wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/69861 :

<< Maybe Squibs are just random mutations. (as some muggle-born 
children might be). >>

I'm inclined to think that Squibs are like babies with birth defects. 
Some defects result from random mutations, but others are result of 
something that happened during pre-natal development, such as if the 
mother was exposed to some dangerous chemical. I also told my own 
theory about Squibs in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/69821 

I think the Kwikspel was aimed at low-power or low-trained wizards, 
not at Squibs.

Lexy582003 wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/69862 :

<< Hagrid mentions that Dumbledore uses the Thestrals if he is going 
on a journey and doesn't want to apparate (OotP21)- I thought no one 
could apparate or disapparate in Hogwarts - Hermione is very clear 
about this and mentions it in all the books. Does this mean that 
Dumbledore can do it because he is such a great wizard, or that he 
is the one who casts the protection spells over Hogwarts and is 
therefore exempt? >>

I thought Dumbledore (and everyone) walks or something to the gates 
of Hogwarts campus and Apparates from just outside the gate.

House Elves can Apparate at Hogwarts (in CoS we saw Dobby do it), 
presumably because "they have powerful magic of their own", and there 
is an old theory that Dumbledore is a House Elf (sometimes specified 
as Nicolas Flamel's House Elf) who changed his appearance into a 
wizard, and that is why he saw socks in the Mirror of Erised. And 
that is why he's such a powerful wizard, he has both House Elf magic 
and a wand. I don't believe that theory.

Nicholina wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/69864 :

<< The MoM doesn't seem to start keeping track of underage magic 
users until they start at a wizarding school. Someone must, though, 
in order to figure out who to accept in school - perhaps Hogwarts. >>

About how they get accepted to Hogwarts:
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/transcript1.htm says:

"JKR: The Ministry of Magic doesn't find out which children are 
magic. In Hogwarts there's a magical quill which detects the birth of 
a magical child, and writes his or her name down in a large parchment 
book. Every year Professor McGonagall checks the book, and sends owls 
to the people who are turning 11." 

About underage magic, many listies have posted over the years 
that Mafalda Hopkirk's letter in CoS specified: "(Decree for the 
Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C)." So 
it existed in Lily's time, but wasn't enforced. It doesn't seem very 
enforced now, except on Harry, in OoP where we know they were 
specially watching him in an attempt to discredit him, and in CoS 
where it was actually Dobby who did the magic ... it has been 
suggested that it was also Dobby who tipped off Mafalda.

Ravenclaw Black wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/69938 :

<< I think there is some merit to the idea that Gryffindor, and 
Ravenclaw may be much smaller than the mean, and Hufflepuff is much 
larger. (snip) After all, we know that Hufflepuff "takes all the rest" 
>>

Canon suggests that Hufflepuff is the same size as the other Houses. 
WHen Gryffindor and Slytherin had Potions together, we were told 
that 20 cauldrons were set out (why, when the students have their 
own cauldrons?) and when Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had Herbology 
together, 20 pairs of earmuffs were set out.

Karen Evans wrote:

<< Is it just me or does Hogwarts always start on September 1? Maybe 
I made that up, but I seem to remember it always being like that. If 
that's the case then some years school would start on the weekend. >>
 
JKR doesn't use a real calendar of any year. The Hogwarts Express is 
always on September 1st and the next day is always Monday. I think 
Lexicon Steve also found a place where she had Thursday and the next 
day was another Thursday.