Hagrid and illegal magic (used to be Re: Col. Fubster)

[ratalman]

No: HPFGUIDX 70949

<SNIP>
>Turn the page-on pg 426-(paraphrasing quite a bit) they 
chanced magic 
> after that, then had to lay off because giants don't like witches 
and 
> wizards and they didn't want there backs up and also because 
Dd did 
> not want them to draw attention to themselves because of 
spies for 
> Voldemort.

Susan, you make a good point that we must take JKR at her 
word, but I do find Hagrid's comment that he's not supposed to 
do magic confusing.  That he and Madame Maxime did use 
magic after that, I had attributed (perhaps wrongly) to magic 
performed by Madame Maxime.  He says:  "We chanced a bit o' 
magic after that...")  Maybe Hagrid's earlier comment is a flint, as 
you suggest.

<SNIP>

> Ultimately, you have proved the power of JKR's interview 
statements 
> on your own-aren't we debating such a statement regarding 
"magic late 
> in life"?  I have never read the "magic late in life" any place so
if 
> someone can give me the link I would love to see it.   But I have 
> read on this site, your posts and others, saying JKR said (I'm 
> paraphrasing) someone will use magic late in life as a result 
of an 
> extreme situation demanding it.  
> 
> Now, I, too beleive Hagrid could be the person JKR referred to 
as 
> using magic "late in life"; I even posted on this and did a top 
ten 
> list of possible candidates.  I also think he will learn more and 
> more magic and may indeed ultimately save Dd.  
<SNIP>

After a bit of sleuthing , I discovered the link you asked about 
here:

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/quickquotes/articles/1999/039
9-barnesandnoble.html

(I hope that it's okay to quote from this article)

Question:  "Will there be, or have there been, any "late blooming" 
students in the school who come into their magic potential as 
adults, rather than as children? By the way, I loved meeting you, 
and hearing you speak, when you came to Anderson's in 
Naperville. I can hardly wait until you tour again. "

Answer:  "Ahhh! I loved the event at Anderson's. It was one of my 
favorites. That is completely true. No, is the answer. In my books, 
magic almost always shows itself in a person before age 11; 
however, there is a character who does manage in desperate 
circumstances to do magic quite late in life, but that is very rare 
in the world I am writing about."

Now that I'm reading this again, I'm less certain that this pertains 
to Hagrid.  It could very well refer to Petunia, who, as many have 
suggested, could well be a squib.  I could see her "finding her 
inner magic", so to speak, if Dudley or Vernon were being 
threatened.

Robyn