Underage Magic during war & at the MoM

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 93603

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Arya" <dequardo at w...> wrote:

> 
> In fact, I go back to support my belief that they're not monitored
at all while 
> they are supposedly in school because in GoF, if Harry's use of the 
> Disarming Charm, Summoning Charm and any other spells he cast while 
> escaping from the graveyard set off an UAM alarm then Mafalda Hopkirk 
> could have helped to support Harry's story of Volde's return. 
("Yes, Minister, 
> he cast a Disarming Charm, an Impediment Jinx and then a Summoning 
> Charm in a cemetary in the middle of Little Hangleton.")    Oh, and
in PoA, 
> any spells cast while the kids were in the Shreiking Shack would
have set off 
> the UAM detector--they were in Hogsmeade, not Hogwarts at that time.  
> 
> Arya

bboy_mn:

Very much in agreement with you, so no arguement here, but I do want
to expand on a few points.

First, by all indications, and by the Ministy's own admission, Privet
Drive is being monitored very closely. I think the original aim of
that monitoring was the idea that if any magic did occur there, it
probably represented an attack against Harry, and that would mean
Voldemort and/or Death Eater activity. 

So, while I don't want to argue the details of Privet Drive
monitoring, I do want to emphasis that it is there and to a far
greater degree than say Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, or the
Burrow. Those places, as well as others, are flooded with magic and
would be very hard to monitor. 

The second point is that underage magic IN the Magic World is probably
a petty misdemeanor and happens all the time. As long as the parents
are monitoring it and keeping a lid on it, and it doesn't become a
public nuisance, then the Ministry probably doesn't get too upset.

However, magic in the muggle world is something of major concern, and
could very well create serious problems that would require significant
Ministry resources to fix. In that case, underage magic would be taken
much more seriously.

So, I don't think the level to which Privet Drive is monitored
represents the lever to which the wizard world or the world at large
in monitored. 

Also, I don't think underage magic in secure magic space is take as
seriously as magic in the muggle world.

Just a few thoughts.

bboy_mn