MUST-401 Lessons

Welcome back to class everyone! I’m glad to see you all and am hoping that this year of Muggle Studies has been treating you well so far. This year started with how the Muggle world has a completely different landscape of communication that witches and wizards are only just now beginning to understand… in other words: the Internet. However it’s important to know that despite this new form of communication, the International Statute of Secrecy still applies. One must remember to keep the wizarding world as separate from Muggles as possible in order to maintain the relative peace we all have currently. But is there any time in which you can use magic near Muggles? And if so, how do you know when that time is appropriate? That is what we need to discuss today.

In general, witches and wizards should avoid using magic around Muggles. As we’ve discussed, this is because the ISoS was implemented to protect both magic users and non-magic users after a tumultuous history. Someone under the age of seventeen should not practice magic outside of class times as well; in 1875, the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery was instituted which bans the use of magic outside of Hogwarts. This was to prevent underage witches and wizards from using magic while in the vicinity of Muggles, which could be extremely dangerous. This specific decree was updated in 2014 with the advent of Hogwarts’ website. As you are all aware since you are fulfilling your Hogwarts education online, this decree has been slightly changed so that students may use magic outside of the physical boundaries of the castle if they’re currently enrolled in Hogwarts is Here. Otherwise, magic is not permitted for underage witches and wizards, and is regulated heavily for adults.

These regulations for magic are enforced by the Improper Use of Magic Office through the Ministry of Magic. This office’s sole job is to keep track of magic being used within the Muggle world and to issue warnings and punishments for those that use magic in a way that violates the ISoS. Generally, this office gives a rule-breaker a single warning before setting a date for a hearing, unless it was an extreme situation in which case the warning period would be skipped.

An interesting thing to consider is how this office is able to determine whether or not magic has actually been used in the presence of a Muggle. With underage witches and wizards, this is easier to do with the placement of a Trace. The Trace is a complicated and difficult charm that can track whether or not magic has been done in certain environments, and is placed on a newborn to monitor their magic as they get older. This type of spell is not only used on underage witches and wizards though. A notable example is during some particularly tense Ministry meetings, the use of magic is banned. To make sure no one uses magic, a Trace is placed on the government officials to keep things as civil as possible. 

A common misconception is that the Trace cannot work on anyone over the age of seventeen, but this is not quite the case. Indeed, since the Trace is placed on a magic user as a newborn, it will eventually fade. But it can be placed on adults as well, as aforementioned. Interestingly enough, the charm does tend to last longer on young minds, whereas a new Trace on an older person will simply fade away within a few days or a few months at most. The reason for this is unclear, but it may be due to the fact that adults tend to use more difficult spellwork that wears out the Trace more quickly. 

Ultimately, the Improper Use of Magic Office forbids magic near Muggles. However, after much deliberation, the rule has been altered to allow for magic to be used in specific cases. These exemptions are divided into two simple, but also complicated, categories: danger to the Muggle, and danger to the wizard.

Danger to the Muggle and Wizard

Judging whether another person is in danger is not the easiest thing in the world; it may seem obvious to you that someone is in a dangerous situation but they may disagree with that assessment themselves. Similarly, you may not notice someone is in danger right in front of your face. As such, it is difficult to know whether or not using magic around a Muggle is truly necessary.

The advice that magic users are encouraged to follow is to avoid using magic at all costs unless you are certain that the dangerous situation cannot be resolved in any other way - and you can prove that it was necessary during a court hearing. If at all possible, using physical or verbal means to stop a dangerous situation is the best course of action, so rely on that before resorting to magic. 

While rare, situations in which magic is already being used on the Muggle is a permissible time to use your own magic on them. For example, if you come across someone being attacked by a Boggart, do not try to subdue the creature using non-magical means as you already know this will not work. Be more effective and use Riddikulus to rid the Muggle of this non-being and contact the Ministry immediately to remedy the situation. In a case like this, your use of magic would be tolerated and even encouraged to save this Muggle from torment. 

The other category of allowances that the Improper Use of Magic Office gives is for danger to the witch or wizard themselves. In the act of self-defence (either from a magical or non-magical source), the magic-user is permitted to use their abilities to save themselves despite the presence of Muggles. As aforementioned, you must be confident that this line of defence was necessary though, to the extent that you can provide an explanation for doing such in a court hearing.

Maintaining the ISoS After Using Magic

Unfortunately, there are times in which a Muggle may find themselves witnessing a magical act. Hopefully, this is only due to a case of danger, but of course, there are criminals who try to use magic near a Muggle without regard for the ISoS. Whatever the case may be, the end result is a Muggle who has witnessed magical activity and is thus a liability. As we’ve discussed previously in this course, we currently keep all magical knowledge away from Muggles to prevent any sort of malicious attacks.

As such, the Improper Use of Magic Office will then have the task to determine whether the Muggle has seen “too much.” If this non-magic user could potentially share what they’ve seen with others, then it is generally regarded as a dangerous amount of intelligence. This is, of course, subjective. The decision is reached within the office - which is made up of people that are extremely well trained in this discipline of Muggle-Wizarding Relations - through an in-depth discussion and vote. Once a consensus has been reached, then the office has the authority to repair the damage.

The most drastic - but most effective - way to make sure that a Muggle is not going to be able to spread the information is to cast some form of memory-affecting charm. The one you’re likely most familiar with is the Forgetfulness Charm or the Memory Charm (whose incantation is Obliviate). This is a difficult spell not because it is hard to pronounce or because it has a complicated wand movement, but because it is extremely difficult to control. The intended purpose of this charm is to painlessly remove the memory - usually a specific memory - from a person’s mind. However, if one is not careful, then it is quite easy for the charm to result in permanent brain damage. If performed correctly, this spell can be reversed and also should not cause any negative side effects. But it is a difficult spell to get correct, and the chances of unintended consequences are quite high. Thus, it is always best to leave this spell to the professionals! If you find yourself in a situation in which you have used magic in front of a Muggle, do not attempt this spell. Instead, alert the Ministry (if they have not contacted you already; they are generally very prompt when it comes to breaches of the ISoS) and they will determine whether the Muggle has witnessed too much as well as what to do about it.

The professionals in question may resort to the most drastic Forgetfulness Charm, or they may use another memory-altering charm. Another you may recall from your Charms class is the False Memory Charm (which will plant false events into someone with gaps in their memory). I should make it very clear: memory altering charms happen, but they are the last resort when dealing with accidental Muggle discoveries. It is not ethical to treat Muggles’ memories in this way if there is any other possible way to remedy this break in the ISoS. The Improper Use of Magic Office is much more likely to use other forms of damage control, such as simply cleaning up the event the Muggle witnessed, so they may leave the area thinking “Hmm, did that actually happen?” Altering someone’s memories is a last resort!!

And that is it for today! I have a few assignments for you to complete -- our usual quick quiz to cover what we’ve discussed during this lesson, as well as an essay that I hope will make you think. And a reminder that next week is our midterm, so be sure to start your studying now! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

Anna Soleil