Why Didn't Ron Get In Trouble w/the Ford Anglia?

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 114266

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Cathy Drolet" <cldrolet at s...>
wrote:
> Angie
> "In the COS, Ron used his wand to open the trunk and start the car -- 
> so why didn't he get into trouble for practicing magic outside of 
> Hogwarts?"
> 
> DuffyPoo:
> My personal theory on this is that it is an old law on the books
that doesn't get used, for the most part, unless there is someone
watching you to know what you've done or someone reports it.  Hermione
and Ron both lit their wands in GoF, F&G set off Filibuster Fireworks
(at home), improve Percy's Head Boy badge, make all kinds of
explosions in their room, Hermione's "I've tried a few simple spells
just for practice and it's all worked for me" the first day on the
train, yet no owls, no warnings.

Annemehr:
I do think the law gets used. I think the MoM keeps tabs on the homes
of Muggleborn students.  However, in households with at least one
wizarding parent, I believe the MoM expects the parent(s) to monitor
the children, because I agree that the MoM probably can't tell *who*
is doing the magic.

Underage wizards are apparently allowed to *use* magical items, such
as Filibuster Fireworks and broomsticks.  When Harry questions the
twins' and Ron's use of the Flying Ford Anglia in CoS, Ron replies,
'Oh, this doesn't count.  We're only borrowing this, it's Dad's, /we/
didn't enchant it.'

I don't believe we've ever seen any of the underage students doing
magic in view of Mr. or Mrs. Weasley, have we?  Fred and George seem
to always do it in secret, and the bangs from their room in GoF could
have been more fireworks as far as Mrs. Weasley knew, couldn't they? 
The lit wands and 'improved' HB badge are done in places full of
wizards, so the MoM would have no way of knowing it was underage
magic. When the of-age F&G levitate trunks and stews in OoP in front
of their parents, it certainly seems to be a new state of affairs.
'JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WHIP
YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERY TINY LITTLE THING!' -- a little
CAPSLOCK!Molly there. <g>

As for Hemione tyring a few simple spells before going to Hogwarts, I
know this can be argued about, but I have no trouble believing that
the MoM wouldn't monitor a Muggleborn child's house before the child
ever starts Hogwarts. First of all, the magical quill that JKR
mentioned in a chat somewhere, which writes the names of all magical
students when they are born, is at Hogwarts, and it is Professor
McGonagall who checks the names and sends letters to the ones turning
eleven.  The MoM may not even know there is a magical child there at
all until they show up at Hogwarts. Even if the MoM did know of the
Muggleborns before they start Hogwarts, they probably would just
assume they couldn't do any magic yet, until they were taught at
school.  Hermione is especially good at learning spells quickly, after
all.  Finally, I don't think we ever hear of Hermione doing any more
magic at home, do we?

Duffypoo:
> The two times HP got caught, IMO, were because someone was informed.
 When Dobby 'did magic' at Privet Drive, what he did was also inform
the Improper Use of Magic Office. <snip>  When HP was caught using
magic to repel the Dementors, it is because he was being watched.  The
Dementors knew exactly where he was; he was being tailed by more than
just the OotP.  
> 
> HP received no owl the night he shattered Aunt Marge's wine glass 
nor three days later when he blew her up.  No one knew until, IMO,
Mrs. Figg informed the Ministry that 'something' had happened at four
Privet Drive <snip>

Annemehr:
I still think the MoM detected the hover charm themselves because they
keep an eye on Privet Drive. It may also be that they were able to
tell that this (unlike, say, Harry shrinking a sweater) was deliberate
magic.  

Skipping to the wine glass incident, it is at least possible that
Harry was not responsible for that, as Marge had just done the same
thing herself just days before, at Colonel Fubster's, and Harry just
assumed it was him.  You could also allow for the MoM realising some
minor uncontrolled magic is bound to happen anywhere and a broken wine
glass is nothing to get worked up about.

Blowing up Aunt Marge is, of course, huge <g>.  Since Harry left the
house right afterwards, there's nothing to say the MoM didn't detect
the magic and send someone out ASAP.  It would take *some* time. Then
they wouldn't know where Harry was before he'd flagged down the Knight
Bus and was off.  By the way, that bus journey took all night. When
Harry arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, the sky was already lightening. 
There had been plenty of time for the MoM to detect Aunt Marge's
inflation and wipe all necessary memories, and to realise (if they
didn't already know) that Harry hadn't done it deliberately. If they
knew Harry was on the bus, they could have flagged it down themselves
and taken him off, so I'm thinking that a wizard's bus journeys are
his own business and the MoM didn't know.

The dementor attack is easier to consider along with your point about
the Advance Guard:

Duffypoo: 
> Some folks believe the Dursley residence was monitored which is how
the IUMO found out about Dobby's smashed pudding and attributed it to
HP.  However, when the Avanced Guard shows up in OotP, there is lots
of magic going on (cage cleaning, wand lighting, truck packing and
moving, disillusioning) and again, no owls, although the Ministry
would believe, if we believe it, that only one wizard lives at number
four so it must be him doing all the magic.

Annemehr:
First off, we do know that the Dursleys' residence is especially
watched by the MoM. As Madam Bones observed during Harry's hearing in
OoP, 'That situation has always been closely monitored, given...given
past events.' One of the things this tells us is that we can't judge
their usual monitoring policies by how they handle Harry Potter.

I think it's quite possible that the MoM knew that certain other
people were watching Harry.  If so, they probably knew they were
friends of Dumbledore's.  The Order members must have apparated to and
from Privet Drive, and they did it in regular shifts.  Mundungus
certainly apparated *away* from Privet Drive, and we know no owl was
sent to Harry about that.

If the MoM knew about (and was content to allow) Dumbledore's guard on
Harry, it would explain two things.  First, it would explain how
Dolores Umbridge might have known to send the Dementors during the
shift when Harry was left unguarded. Second, it would explain how the
Advance Guard could arrive and do all sorts of magic without Harry
getting the blame.  Actually, it's even more probable that Dumbledore
informed the MoM that he was having Harry removed to the magical
world, since the MoM was bound to notice he was gone, anyway. Either
way, there's no question of blaming Harry for their uses of magic that
night. 

So that's what I think -- underage magic is not allowed.  The MoM
probably* keeps an eye on underage Muggleborn Hogwarts students, while
magical parents are expected to monitor their own children. Small
outbursts of uncontrolled magic are to be expected and are tolerated,
and children are allowed to use magical items such as broomsticks.
Harry is much more closely watched than others in Muggle households.
Though the MoM can detect magic, they probably can't tell who did it
if more than one magical being is present.

*There's actually no proof of that, it just seems it would be a huge
breech of security not to.  This does mean we need an explanation for
the magic Lily did on holidays during her Hogwarts years.
Possibilities: the MoM already had their hands full with Voldemort to
worry so much about underage magic, the law was less strictly enforced
in those days, the MoM keeps Harry on a much shorter leash than anyone
else, Lily lived in a neighborhood that contained other witches and
wizards so her activity was masked by theirs, or JKR had not thought
it through when she wrote in the first book about Lily's magic done at
home. That last one is no fun at all, of course!

Annemehr