The Twins and the Transfigured Teddy

[ericoppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 155346

While I have to agree (greatly against my will, since if I had the 
ability to do so, I'd love to give the Dursleys, all three of them, 
the finest beatings ever seen this side of _A Clockwork Orange_) 
that the Ton-Tongue Toffee Incident was over the line, I have to 
speak up in defense of the Twins, at least as far as Ron's teddy 
bear being Transfigured into a spider goes.

The Twins are about two years or so older than Ron.  At the time 
this happened, they wouldn't have been to Hogwarts---and we know 
that magical children, under stress (such as is produced by anger) 
produce spurts of wild magic.  Harry has done it, as with the hair 
growing, the "jump" to the top of the school, and the like.  At the 
Wizengamot hearing, we find that such spurts of wild magic, not 
being under the wizard's or witch's control, do not come under the 
purview of the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery rules.  

Particularly if _both_ the Twins were angry at their little brother 
at the same time, I could see something like this happening without 
any conscious volition on their part. Since it happened at a time 
before anybody's considered criminally responsible, and also almost 
certainly not by any intention of the Twins, I have to say that in 
the case of R. vs. Weasleys (in re Transfiguration of Stuffed 
Animals) I'd have to direct an acquittal, were I on the bench.  

--Eric, who loves _Rumpole of the Bailey,_ and wonders where Rumpole 
would Sort---Hilda'd be a Slytherin for sure.  Hmmm...we never hear 
_which_ school she and Dodo Mackintosh were at, do we?  *grin*