Mafalda Hopkirk's Letter of 1995 warning Harry Potter about his breach of the Decree.
- "Dear Mr. Potter, the Ministry has received intelligence that at six twenty-three, this evening, you performed the Patronus Charm in the presence of a Muggle. As a clear violation of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, you are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hoping you are well, Mafalda Hopkirk."
- — Mafalda Hopkirk's Letter of 1995[src]
The Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery is a bylaw of the Ministry of Magic, written in 1875, which bans the use of underage magic outside of school. The Decree is enforced by the Ministry's Improper Use of Magic Office. The restriction is for wizards and witches who are under the age of seventeen, and who still have the Trace on them. Although young wizards and witches are not allowed to use magic outside of school, the Ministry does recognise that they may have to use magic in certain situations such as self-defence. In addition, young children of below school age are technically exempt from the rule since they usually have little or no control over the magic they perform.
- "In the matter of Harry Potter, the law cleary states that magic can be used before Muggles in life-threatening situations."
- — Albus Dumbledore at Harry Potter's Disciplinary Hearing[src]
Paragraph C of the cause states that it is a crime to knowingly perform magic in a Muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle. However, Clause 7 states that magic can be used in front of Muggles in exceptional circumstances, including situations when the life of the witch or wizard is threatened, or the lives of other witches, wizards and Muggles are threatened.[1]
Known breaches of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery
| Offender | Crime | Date | Action taken | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hermione Granger | "A few simple spells" | Summer of 1991 | No action taken | Hermione told Harry Potter and Ron Weasley just prior to their first year at Hogwarts that she had successfully cast a few spells[2], but apparently, she received no notice or warning about this being banned. |
| Harry Potter | Illegal use of a Hover Charm | July, 1992 | Official warning | The Hover Charm was actually produced by the House elf Dobby.[3] |
| Harry Potter | Illegal use of the Inflating Charm his aunt Marjorie Dursley | July, 1993 | No action taken | Action not taken due to the recent escape of Sirius Black from Azkaban, and the need to keep Harry safe.[4] |
| Harry Potter | Illegal use of the Patronus Charm in front of a Muggle | July, 1995 | Expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, later rescinded and given a hearing | Acquitted of all charges due to the fact he technically did not break any rules.[1] |
| Hermione Granger | Illegal use of the Reparing Charm outside school | August, 1992 | No action taken (apparently, it was unnoticed) | Non-canon; only on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) |
| Harry Potter | Illegal use of the Illuminating Charm outside school | August, 1993 | No action taken (apparently, it was unnoticed) | Non-canon; only on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) |
| Lily Evans | Magic | Unknown | Received a few warning letters | None of her warning letters were “too serious” |
|- |lord voldemort (as tom riddle 3rd year at hogwarts) |attacked a muggle family using STUPEFY after the family called his parent rechy filthy murderers |exspelled from hogwarts (he later stole 30 books from hogwarts after packing the books taught him dark magic including the 3 curses, dark potions and much more that tranfigured him into lord voldemort| Exspelled after a week after the attack the muggle family died due to many stupefying spells in there chest |
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)