Re: The Trace

DaveD wrote:
I'm confused by the Trace - again!

Harry got into trouble for Dobby doing some house-elf magic and dropping the cake in CoS, presumably because the MoM couldn't distinguish between Harry doing a spell and someone - or in this case, some creature - else doing magic in his vicinity.

And I apologise if this has been asked before, but I'm stressed at work so have a memory like a sieve at the moment lol - so how come when Harry was being rescued and taken to the OotP's HQ, Moody could pass a disillusionment spell on him at 4 Privet Drive, especially as the reason Harry was in trouble in the first place was that he was being disciplined for under-age use of magic, especially when his escorts seemed worried about using other magic (my interpretation admittedly) such as side-along apparating, or a portkey (which would have had to have been registered with the MoM)? There seems to be a bit of a contradiction there...

(Also, in OotP, Sirius mentions keeping Buckbeak in his late mother's bedroom - which I suspect is why I thought hippogriffs were smaller than in the film: I can't imagine getting, still less keeping, a full-sized horse with large wings in/into a bedroom, even in a grand mansion, and definitely not in a typical Georgian house in London!)

DaveD


THe problem with the trace has to do with who can be traced.

Obviously - in the case of the Dementors - Harry actually performed underage majic.

However - it the case of the Aunt - it appears that the MOM cannot trace Elves. So - when the magic was detected at the Dursleys - the only "wizard" there was Harry - who was blamed for it.

Since Adult wizards are allowed to do magic - there must be something that does not register at the MOM when they do.
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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Sirius & the Magic Mirrors
    ... How about when Umbridge is about to Crucio Harry towards the end of OotP - she clearly knows it's wrong, but she decides the end justifies the means and that the Ministry will never know (which was odd, as I seem to recall that the MoM monitored the use of the Unforgivable Curses - my mistake). ...
    (alt.fan.harry-potter)
  • Re: The first 5 chapters (spoilers within)
    ... Surely that would have been the smartest thing ... Harry wasn't of age yet and he would have been in trouble and expelled ... As far as for getting in trouble, they didn't trust the MoM anyways. ...
    (alt.fan.harry-potter)
  • Re: The Trace
    ... Harry got into trouble for Dobby doing some house-elf magic and dropping the ... presumably because the MoM couldn't distinguish between Harry ... doing a spell and someone - or in this case, ...
    (alt.fan.harry-potter)
  • Re: The Trace
    ... presumably because the MoM couldn't distinguish between Harry ... doing a spell and someone - or in this case, ... Also, as I understand it, the trace is for detecting magic not magic-in-the-presence-of-muggles yet it's policed by the MoM not Hogwarts... ...
    (alt.fan.harry-potter)
  • Re: Underage magic
    ... which is the advisory body to the MOM. ... magic other adult wizards perform near Harry, ... Since house elves don't use wands, ... attributed to Harry. ...
    (alt.fan.harry-potter)