Choosing sides

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 118761


Nora wrote :
"We are told, fairly early on, that lots of odd things have happened 
to young Harry--his hair fixing itself, some seeming teleportation, 
etc.  Not too much of a stretch to assume that strange magical things
 happen with other kids."

Del replies :
Agreed. But it is also strongly implied that Harry is powerfully
magical. After all, Neville had to be thrown through the window to do
something magical. I would suppose that many Muggleborns rarely do
anything strange.

Nora wrote :
" Combine that with parents who actually observe what is going on with
their offspring instead of carrying out a regimen of neglect and the
fact that a teacher comes to talk to them about Hogwarts (per
interview--I forget where, though), and you have a more powerful
rationale for letting the kids go off.  It's obvious that they can do
things the normal kids can't, things that are, well, magical: that may
play a large role in letting them go, the realization that your child
is talented and will only learn how to use it at one place."

Del replies :
That's only if you place magic higher than any other talent the kid
might have, or learning to control it higher than any other goal the
kid and/or the parents might have. I doubt we can assume that all
parents and all kids give in that easily.

Nora wrote :
"...with the possible added bonus that things could get hairy if you 
don't.  Wouldn't shock me if at least some Muggleborns' magic
manifested itself in messy and costly ways on things like the family 
china. :)"

Del replies :
No need for a child to be magical to get that kind of results :-D

But really my point is that accidental and wandless magic are
extremely rare. They can hardly justify sending your kid away to some
unknown place, giving up on everything that is his life right now, and
abandoning any dreams or goals he might have had for the future. I can
understand why *some* parents and kids would do that, but I can hardly
imagine that *most* of them would do it.

Del