Hate crimes (was Re: muggle baiting vs. muggle torture)

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 155818

Gerry:
> OK, because nobody answered in my first post: Marge is a Muggle and
what Harry did was torture/baiting. Correct yes/no? Why?

Ceridwen:
Actually, two or three people have already answered, though with a 
slight lag in posts being sent and the same posts making it to the 
board at times, you may not have noticed them.

Upshot of the ones I have read this morning is, this is a classic 
case of 'accidental magic' along the same lines as Harry's hair 
growing back after Petunia clipped it, or Harry flying (or 
apparating?) to the roof of the school to get away from his 
tormentors.  He did not purposely target Aunt Marge even though he 
was very angry with her.  He did not use his wand, he did not use 
some other magical artifact.  His anger at what she was saying about 
his mother was enough to provoke an unintended magical occurrence.

And adding: Even after the Marge incident, the magical Obliviator 
S.W.A.T. team came out, deflated Marge, and modified Muggle memories 
while Harry had an interview with Fudge, who was, at the time, trying 
to get on Harry's good side so discounted what had been done.

Maybe you should have asked about Harry's intentional use of magic in 
front of a Muggle when the Dementors attacked him while he and Dudley 
were walking home.  Harry was called before the Wizengamot and nearly 
expelled from Hogwarts.  The only thing that saved him was the (to 
Wizards) nearly worthless testimony from a Squib, that Dementors 
really were present.  Merely using magic in front of a Muggle was 
enough to get Harry dragged into court.

Ceridwen.