I’ve always seen the Trace as something that can pinpoint the use of underage magic, but not explicitly state who performed it. It’s the only explanation that really makes sense to me, given what we know about the Ministry’s sloppy record.

I like to think of it as like Muggle cops ignoring smaller offenses against the law. If they see you going 5 mph over the speed limit, they probably won’t pull you over and write a ticket. But if you’re street racing and going 90 in a 30 zone, you’re going to court. The same applies to magic. If there’s a Lumos spell or a bit of accidental magic performed in Little Whinging, then alright. But if there’s a big giant hover charm performed in front of 5 muggles, Harry’s got some explaining to do.

It just seems like it would be way too much effort (not to mention way too time consuming) to chase down every kid who does a simple charm during the summer. Harry, Fred, and George can’t be the only ones! :)

It’s interesting just how manipulative Harry is in this chapter regarding his permission form. Voldemort was able to charm and manipulate people to get what he wants and Harry is using some of the same skills here. For people so different they do have similar traits.

Re: About The Chapter. Aunt Marge is evidently more infuriating than the rest of the Dursley family members combined. Her self-centeredness and indifference to others’ feelings are shown when she indirectly offends Petunia and, of course, insults Harry countless times. She even blames Harry’s parents to be drunks when she, herself, is drunk at that precise moment! Seriously, she deserves to be inflated like a balloon!

Reading about Fudge and Harry’s conversation later on, I have reason to believe that the Ministry did detect the glass-breaking and Lumos spell Harry elicited. They just passed it off as nothing because nobody wanted to expel Harry from Hogwarts just when Black had escaped. ;)

Scenes like the blowing up of Aunt Marge are exactly why some people consider Harry Potter an immoral story. The young hero should not be allowed to get away with such rampant disrespect towards his elders. (He certainly should not be allowed to stand up to his abusers.) But the problem with this scene is that his elders are disrespecting his real parents. If Harry had sat quietly and said nothing, he would have been acquiescing in this disrespect. So he is caught both ways. And the anti-Harry lobby simply doesn’t want young readers to think about this kind of moral dilemma.

The reality for Harry is that he either had to stand by to let innocent people be slandered – or stand up and challenge the guilty.