The Riddles' Murders (WAS: The only one he ever feared?

[ginnysthe1]

No: HPFGUIDX 117501


Debbie wrote:
> The only argument that supports the notion that the MoM must have 
known about it is that if the Improper Use of Magic Office employs 
countrywide surveillance, Mafalda Hopkirk's predecessor should have 
picked up on it.  But I doubt they keep track of very much, or they 
would've noticed Mundungus Fletcher disapparating at 4 Privet Drive 
at the beginning of OOP.<

JP replied:
> Correct me if I'm wrong but my impression is that the Improper Use 
of Magic Office does not focus on the use of magic on murders, 
apparitions etc... I think that the Office focuses on underage magic, 
use of Muggle artifacts to play practcally jokes or to harm Muggles 
and such. Even if the magic done by wizards were "bad", it is 
not "improper" because using magic when your "of age" is allowed and 
I think that you'll need to get a licence to apparate, so logically, 
the Office of Improper Use of Magic had not known the Riddle murders 
because it was simply not their job to monitor them.<

Kim now:

But then the deaths of three Riddles from Avada Kedavras would surely 
have been considered "harm to Muggles," as you say.  Besides that the 
MoM Improper Use Office would have noticed the three AKs in Little 
Hangleton because Tom Riddle Jr. (young Lord Voldemort) *was* 
underage at the time (at least it appears from canon that he was 
either 16 or 17).  (Which leads to another question which may have 
been asked many times before -- what age is "of age" for wizards? 
Sorry, my brain is a little swiss-cheesy today)

In any case, AK (Avada Kedavra) is also an Unforgiveable Curse and it 
wouldn't matter if the wizard who performed it was "of age" -- 
performing AK, Crucio, or Imperius curses is supposed to land you in 
Azkaban. The MoM would have known about the 3 Muggles dying from AKs 
in Little Hangleton or else they were asleep on the job that day.

Kim