Muggle Born Wizards and the Law of Secrecy

[Renee Daniels]

No: HPFGUIDX 63457

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "thomac77" <thomac77 at y...> 
wrote:
> I have had a nagging question in the back of my mind since I 
> finished OoP  
> 
> We know that wizards are born of muggle parents (exactly how the 
> genetics work for that I would love to know!) but presumably (from 
> Aunt Petunia in Book 1), the parents don't know their child is a 
> wizard until they receive their letter from Hogwarts in their 
> eleventh year. Soooo


> 
> 1.	Wouldn't the Muggle parents have a good laugh at the gag 
> letter from Hogwarts they just received and chuck the letter in the 
> trash?  Or do Muggle parents get a special packet in the mail 
> explaining about the Wizarding World?  However, who is to say that 
> they would believe such a packet, and wouldn't that packet violate 
> the Secrecy Laws?
> 

Me: I have to assume that the Muggle-born get special attention and 
information, like how to get into Diagon Alley, Gringotts, Platform 9 
3/4, etc. I imagine they might even have a little brochure or 
something, complete with moving pictures.

> 5.	Even assuming that the parents embrace the far-fetched idea 
> that their child is a wizard, how much about the Wizarding World 
are 
> they allowed to know?  Hermione's parents show up in Diagon Alley

> how do they know how to get there, and wouldn't seeing all that 
> stuff blow their muggle minds?  Are they prohibited, as muggles, 
> from telling their muggle friends about the WW (what school does my 
> child attend? Oh..um
uh
)
> 

Me: Again, my oppinion is that they are allowed to know about as much 
of the Wizarding World as they can get their hands on, there's no 
canon for this, but it make sence. After all, it's likely that their 
desendents will be wizards and that through their children, they will 
be affected by the Wizarding World. However, I'd think that this is 
as far as the information would be encuraged to go. As for the nosey 
neighbors questions about where little Billy goes to school - Obscure 
Private School in Far Away Lands.


> We know that Hermione's parents are normal, practical, well 
adjusted 
> Muggles, (they are dentists, after all).  They receive a letter 
from 
> Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry telling them that their 
> precocious little Hermione is a witch...and off they send her to 
> school?  There must be more to this story.  
> 
> 
> -Carisa

Me:

Well, strange things happen to these kids. Bouncing Neville, 
Apparating, Shrinking, Hair-growing Harry. The ones who are resistant 
to the idea are probably given a one on one with a Prof, maybe a tour 
of Diagon, etc. Those who still say no are probably left alone. It's 
mentioned that *kids* often to spontanius magic, but usually under 
duress/stress and that they tend to grow out of it (this could be 
training, canon doesn't say). So weird little things might happen to 
the kid for the rest of his life, but it will probably be explained 
away (Shrinking Keys and Sweaters) as the could-have-been-wizard 
lives out his Muggle life.

~Climora (Who hates the idea of The Last Marauder Standing.)