Tracking Magic (was:Special Qualities of Auror Magic?)

[Melody]

No: HPFGUIDX 79753

Tom wrote:
> wouldn't that be handy if you could just put a special 
> homing device on Voldemort's magic? Too handy.

At least that might help to prove he is actually using it.  You know,
I wonder now how they know an unforgivable is done.  Is it by witness
only?  We have cases now of unforgivables performed, and those witches
and wizards are not tracked down.  It seems, to me, that spells cannot
be tracked that well, and yet the times Harry has received notices,
the MoM knows precisely what spell was cast.  This baffles me.  The
only thing I could come up with is that "the nongraduated" or rather
"incompletely educated" are watched somehow.


Tom wrote:
> I think your analysis makes quite a bit of sense, especially when I 
> sat down and really thought about it. After all, we're talking about 
> Harry's offenses under the Decree for the Restriction of "Underage" 
> Sorcery, right?
> 
> So, if that's the case, then it would seem logical that the Ministry 
> would be keeping track of all students' homes, and the locations of 
> known "non-graduates."

Why thank you.  I had listed Hagrid as one of those that are tracked,
but I have to take that back.  I was lying in bed last night and it
hit me.  He did magic in the first book when he got Harry from the
Hut-on-the-Rock.  (Which by the way, after rereading OoP, I think
Hagrid got there by a thestral.  ::grin:: )  So, if the MoM has little
red sensors buttons on a big screen of all the "nongraduated" then
seems to me Hagrid little bulb would light up.  But if it is actually
"underage" then I guess not.  But it seems it is not tracked using the
individual but by the area.

I really do not know.  

In OoP:
We have Harry getting in trouble away from his house but near the
dementors that Umbridge sent.  He is underage and it was powerful,
impressive magic.  Dumbledore did not know.

Also in that scene, Harry called out "lumos" to his wand when it was
inches from his hand and it lit up (Ch 1, pg 17).  Technically that
too was a breech to the decree, but it was not also listed.  It was
done right before the patronus.

We then have the OoP barging in a couple days later.  We have only
aurors recorded doing basic magic, and there was not situation.  Well,
disillusionment probably is not so basic.  We also know that the MoM
does not know they are there, but Dumbledore does.

Oh I found another one--Harry gave Vernon an "electric shock" when
Vernon was choking him when they found him in the flowerbed (Ch 1, pg
5).  Harry did this without a wand.  It was not reported like blowing
up his aunt was.

In GoF:
We have Arthur repairing the room with magic.  Seemed nothing was
said.  The MoM knew he had hooked up the Dursley's fireplace to the
floo network, and probably knew they was going to get Potter around
the time they did.  Dumbledore definitely did.

In PoA:
In the third book, Harry blows up his aunt, well she is not *his* aunt
but I am babbling, but that was done *without* a wand.  The MoM knew
and sent help...but then again they could have been watching to see if
Black was near the house.  Dumbledore could not have known about the
Aunt blow up but he did about Black.

In CoS:
We then have Dobby levitating a dessert then apparating from the
house.  The levitating registers.  But we also have Dobby wanting
Harry to be "safe" from the bad things that were going to happen at
school, so there is a possibility Dobby kind of made it where they
found out.  Dumbledore could not have known Dobby was going to Privet
Drive.

Frankly I find it an interesting pattern.  Seems when they are looking
for odd activity, they can tune in to the place and detect it.  I am
beginning to really think in CoS, Dobby tried to frame Harry.  In PoA,
they were watching for Sirius' magic, so they watched period for
anything, and especially non-wand magic since Sirius did not have a
wand.  GoF, they did not care.  In OoP, Umbridge wanted to frame
Harry.  She got what she wanted and that was it.  She ignored the
"wandless" magic and the simple "lumos".

So my question is still...how can they keep track of that and not
others?  Is it simply because he is underage, or is it watching the
area?  Or is it as Tom suggested, and Dumbledore has a way of covering
his OoP's tracks?  Is it like a surveillance camera?  

Whatever the method, when Harry's trial began, it was never refuted
how the MoM tracked down that Harry did the patronus.  Seems to be
common knowledge how they do it and that it is reliable.  


Melody