Hogwarts Homework -- Practicing Spells Away From School

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 114673


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Bex" <hubbarrk at r...> wrote:
> Matt wrote:
> > Possibly students only do written homework over the summer, and no
> > spell practice. (We certainly have not seen Harry doing any 
> > practical homework.) Possibly there is an exception for homework, 
> > but the assignments get communicated to the Ministry so that they 
> > know that the spells are permitted. Possibly the Ministry 
> > conflates the two rules (as Harry sometimes seems to do) and only 
> > punishes underage magic if it is done in front of Muggles.  
> 
> Yb on the ball:
> From what we've seen, a lot of Hogwarts HW is essays, and I think 
> all the holiday work is written, not practical.
> 
> "This separation from his spellbooks had been a real problem for 
> Harry, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him a lot of 
> holiday work. *One of the essays...* " PoA, AmVer, p.3, emphasis mine
> 
> This quote implies that *all* the holiday work is written. Plus, the 
> notes handed out at the end of PS/SS don't mention anything about 
> exceptions for homework.

Finwitch:

Quite right... still, that was Harry's first year - twins' third.
Maybe Wizards past their OWLs *are* allowed to practice spells,
provided they're not doing it near Muggles/have an adult wizard near
them? Considering how, after OWLs, they're about 16, only a year
before being of age. Nor are they, after OWLs, necessarily attending
Hogwarts any more!

> Matt again:
> > On the other hand, Fred and George are pretty secretive about the
> > magic they do over the summer before Book 5. ---

Yb again:
> I think I have some sort of canon support that they are getting away 
> with it, not using a loophole. Fred and George get the notices too, 
> because they [F&G] hope they [school admins] forget to hand them 
> out. I think this implies that the twins are not exempt from the 
> rules. Perhaps it's a combination of being from a magical family, 
> thus only being around magical areas and people, and the fact that 
> their father works in the ministry, and can take care of 
> any "issues" that arise with the Improper Use office and Underage 
> Wizard statutes, that lets them get away with all their pranks and 
> practices.

Finwitch:

Quite right. As Harry's experience with Dobby's hoovering charm
implies, the ministry clearly is NOT able to tell who does the spell,
even though they can determine the spell used.

So, Fred&George doing their WWWs goes unnoticed, considered that 
1)there ARE five adults present (parents and all 3 older brothers),
2)they can't tell which twin did it or if it was Ron or Ginny
3)Fred&George ARE pass their OWLs, so Ministry lets it be as it is,
they're almost of age, anyway - they'd lose popularity by nitpicking
for months...

F&G are being secretive mainly because of their mother freaking and
destroying their stock if they let her know... Molly's seemingly
strict about the under-age law, but I think she's just using it as an
excuse. (as OOP shows when the twins *are* of age and use magic for
everything. Now she says they're still at school when it comes to
joining the order... Mind you, Percy did the same thing once he got
his apparition license - apparating whenever possible).

So I think that anyone gets away practising underage magic in places
like Weasley household (by Ministry, but not by Molly) or any place
fully magical - like Diagon Alley (so long as you don't do it in front
of a ministry official) simply because they'll never find out!

Also, considering that
a) Bill made it to Head Boy
b) Charlie made good at Quidditch (though he *might* have been the
Head Boy, too - Ron just didn't mention it because he appreciates
Quidditch more)
c)Percy made it to Head Boy

Apparently all 3 of them made good grades, too. (had to, in order to
get the badges, I think) They all got swiftly employed from school...

I think they DID practise their spells at home, and Ministry never
found out. Maybe they even 'forgot' to give the notice to i.e. Bill?

Fred&George concentrated on their pranks (for the shop) and Molly
tries to keep it quiet. (if they manage to keep it from her, when
she's *there*, the ministry has no hope finding out!) I don't think
she minds their prank-shop now, at *Diagon-Alley*, *financed by
Harry*, and *making success*.

Ron hopes to be an Auror - will he? (considering you need NEWT in
potions, and in order to be in class, he must get O in his OWL) No
idea what Ginny plans to do once she leaves Hogwarts, or Hermione for
that matter...

Finwitch