Under age magic - just wondering?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 188314

Christy wrote:
>  >  <snip> In OOTP Fudge, Umbridge and their "allies" wanted to  discredit Harry and neutralizze the threat that perceived him to be (by claiming Voldemort had returned and therefore undermining the peace and security under Fudge's administration). The dementors failed, thanks to Harry; so, they took the opportunity to charge him with underage magic and "take him down" that way. Consequently, JKR wasn't inconsistent.<
> 
> 
> Brian:
> I'm always amazed how far people will try to twist what's in the books to cover up inconsistencies in the books.
> Even JKR doesn't deny that there are errors.

Carol:
True, but neither she nor her editors have spotted all the errors that we diligent fans catch. :-)

Brian:
> In this example there is nothing whatsoever in the book to suggest that the mechanism used to issue the warning was any different to that used in any other, nor is there anything in the books to suggest that the Ministry can tell WHO is actually present (as in which Muggles and what they know). 

Carol responds:
I don't think that's what Christy was suggesting. (Certainly, *I* wasn't in my response to her.) Obviously, as in other instances, the MoM knew that a Muggle was present. What's different in this instance is that they actually stage a full trial in front of the Wizengamot for a case of underage magic in front of a Muggle (in contrast to, say, Morfin's use of magic *on* a Muggle, which clearly was a crime in the view of Bob Ogden and the MoM of his time)). The MoM would have expelled Harry and taken his wand away before the hearing had Dumbledore not stepped in, they expanded what should have been a hearing in front of Amanda Bones into a full trial before the Wizengamot, and they might well have sent him to Azkaban had DD not again stepped in, bringing Mrs. Figg as a semi-credible witness.

Brian:
Umbridge's plan was apparently to kill Harry.

Carol responds:
Clearly not since the Dementors don't kill; they suck souls. The question is whether she really intended for them to do so or whether she wanted to provoke him into using a Patronus (which she knew through Fudge and/or Percy that he could cast) and get him into trouble, discrediting Dumbledore at the same time. (Fudge, of course, knew nothing about the Dementors but definitely wanted to get Harry out of the way and discredit Dumbledore. Umbridge states her motive in front of the Inquisitorial Squad, HRH, a three other DA members, and it isn't to kill or even soul-suck Harry. It's simply to make him look bad (as the Daily Prophet was already doing). Fudge thought that DD was trying to take over the Ministry and Umbridge either believed the same thing or, more likely, fed his delusion and his fears for her own purposes.

Brian:
  The warning (which seems to be automated or semi-automated judging by its speed, no matter the time of day or night and the fact that it's always signed by Malfalda Hopkirk, who surely can't be on duty 24/7) was issued before she would have known if her plan had succeeded or not. 

Carol responds:
I'm not sure what your point is here since something similar happens with the magically multiplied and readdressed Hogwarts letters in SS/PS. Of course, it's improbable, but we're supposed to believe that it's magic.

Christy's point, I think, was that the procedure in this instance differed from the normal procedure in terms of the severity of the intended punishment for the underage magic/breach of the Statute of Secrecy. No one that I know of is saying anything about the mechanism behind the warnings, only that their tone and content were different from what Christy and I perceive to be the more standard warnings in CoS (and the complete cover-up of Harry's accidental magic against a Muggle in PoA, which also differs from the standard procedure--Harry thinks he'll be expelled if not arrested and instead Fudge shrugs it off and makes sure that Aunt Marge is brought back to normal and Obliviated.)

Brian:
> <snip> JKRs books would have been improved if she'd had decent editors who were professional enough to actually check the books  properly and with the courage to point out mistakes before they were inflicted on us.

Carol:
I happen to agree with you though not necessarily with regard to this example. Even in SS/PS, we have the Charlie Weasley problem and the Missing Twenty-four hours, which I suppose the copyeditor either didn't notice or thought was beyond the scope of his or her job (there was no consistency editor at that point since it was the first book). The project editor may or may not have noticed those problems but probably thought they weren't worth worrying about in a first novel/children's book that might not even sell.

Later, Scholastic, at least, hired a consistency editor and a few discrepancies (such as the description of Percy's badge--silver in one book and red and gold in another) were made consistent in subsequent editions. So was the discrepancy in Sir Nicholas's death date (400 years ago in one book and 500 in another). Other details (e.g., Moaning Myrtle's U-bend turning into an S-bend) were deemed too minor to merit correction. (I don't know if anyone even noticed that the Sorting Hat's stool has three legs in some books and four legs in others. I noticed, but, then, I'm a copyeditor.) Other details, such as September 1 always being a Monday, the number of students in Harry's classes, and the Charlie Weasley problem, are probably unfixable.  

Brian:
> Although I criticise JKR sometimes, this is NOT JKRs fault.  It is the fault of her publishers. <snip>

Carol responds:
I assume that you mean the fault of her various editors (unless the publishers told the editors to edit lightly--certainly, the American copyeditor was told to change fewer Briticisms in the later books than in SS/PS). But the ultimate responsibility *always* lies with the author, who has the right to accept or reject any suggested edits in a manuscript already accepted for publication. (If she were an unknown, she might need to make a few substantive changes before the project editor accepted the book; once she's a best-selling author, of course, it's unlikely that they'd request sweeping changes.) JKR herself was, of course, working to a deadline, but editors at all levels (and even proofreaders) also have deadlines. The book has a production schedule, and everyone involved has to complete his or her work on time. 

Carol, who hopes that JKR will take a good, long look at the criticisms readers have made of her books, fix what she can, and learn to consult previous books rather than trusting her less than photographic memory on details (such as Draco's Hand of Glory) if she plans any future series