Here's the scenario: you have an underage wizard who breaks the rules so bad that they snap his wand... now what?

Assuming we're not talking about the main character, what would you expect to happen? What would the Wizarding World expect?

I mean, if it's a muggleborn they'd probably be sent home with a dismissal and a warning that any further evidence of magic will be punished, but how? If it's a pureblood... is there a remedial citizenship course or something that could grant them the right to use a wand again, or will they simply be banging around the ancestral row-house with nothing to do with their lives for the next 80-160 years?

 

Well, Hagrid had his wand snapped and he just stuck around Hogwarts for the rest of his life. He wasn't legally allowed to use his wand though, despite it being snapped in the 1940s and him being friends with Dumbledore.

Presumably the wandless are left to make do, same as squibs are.

 

Right- that's as far as canon takes it, but aside from a threatening look from Ollivander, Hagrid is able to continue casting spells and even teaching classes. Are such instances so rare that anyone would know if a particular wizard isn't supposed to be using wands? What's the responsibility of the average citizen to turn them in?

Admittedly, repeated stays in Azkaban might motivate a troublemaker to behave... or at least get better at being sneaky with their illegal wand-use, but if the point of educating young wizards is to get their use of magic under control, booting a half-trained wizard doesn't exactly serve the interests of sustaining the Statute of Secrecy.

 

Before anyone suggests that those expelled from Hogwarts should just go to a different country and get a wand there, I would like to point out that this is probably not possible.

For one, being expelled is treated in canon as something terrible and final.

Also, if it was that simple, Hagrid would have just moved to France and gotten a wand there.

Its likely that wizarding governments and schools around the world are cooperating when someone is expelled.

 

I'm quite sure Hagrid could have gotten a wand from another country; it all depends on the country's relations with the British Ministry of Magic. I'm assuming a country like France would condemned Hagrid for illegal wand possession if they found him with a wand because of their close ties with the british, but perhaps something like Brazil wouldn't give a fuck.

As for the question itself, I think having your wand snapped is basically being cast off. Hagrid managed to stay and work within the wizarding world because of Dumbledore who believed in his innocence, but I am pretty sure that others would be left to fend for themselves and would be seen as an outcast by the rest of the community - more than squib considering that it's not even their fault if they can't do magic, the guy who got his wand snapped...that was his fault.

It makes me think of "Forging the Sword" where Harry and Ron have an argument about forcing Unbreakable Vow upon every wizard to never harm another. I see it a bit in the same light.

 

I imagine it would be very much like being a squib. Either you find employment doing something that doesn't require magic for someone non-discriminatory or get a job in the muggle world.

 

I also remember Hagrid's concern over people finding out he used magic. So there's more to it than "You're wand's broken. See you around."

It seems from the limited evidence that wand-snapping is short-hand for a legal conclusion: the person is no longer allowed to perform magic. In a magical society, that's tantamount to implicit banishment. The person could no longer get into Diagon Alley unless someone allowed them to floo directly into their store. They'd also be dependent on either Muggle means of travel or Portkeys (or the odd animal/flying bike), which are controlled by the Ministry (hence, Fudge's outburst at the end of OotP). All of that would make it harder to get around and be a part of magical society.

Then again, Hagrid had no problem. But IMO, that's either a plothole or it can be handwaived as Dumbledore taking care of issues/Hagrid cheating with his wand in his umbrella.

 

If a pureblood is expelled I'd imagine they would grab a wand from a deceased family member. Before anyone starts talking about fanon, Ron was walking around using Charlie's old wand. If the wand chooses the wizard why would Charlie give Ron a wand that chose him? I believe the unicorn hair was sticking out, so that wand had to be really old as I doubt Charlie could do that in 7 years.

Also Grindelwald was expelled, but he had a wand before grabbing the Elder Wand. So, snapping a wand could just be a Hogwarts thing and other countries don't care or aunt Bathilda had one waiting for him. Then again, he could have just taken it from some poor, unsuspecting soul.

 

The Weasleys were poor so there's a large chance that they couldn't get the wands they needed when each of them first attended Hogwarts. That's why Ron is generally better at magic after second year, because he's using a wand that actually suits him rather than being his brother's old one.

I find it pretty likely that when each of the Weasleys could afford it by themselves that they'd have invested in a proper wand.

 

Just by reading the listed pairings on most stories, I'm guessing most punishment in the Wizarding World involves an asshole.

Interpret that as you will.


The whole lose your wand and never learn magic thing seems like a ridiculously harsh punishment, because your choices are either go full muggle or learn to love your parents' basement. Then again, the law is meant to prevent their society from being exposed to an overwhelmingly large population of potentially scared, xenophobic, and violent outsiders.

It would sort of be a shame to have everyone's world fall apart because some little shit couldn't keep a lid on the wand-waving.

 

It is possible that the Ministry may offer a deal to the rule breaker such as an job within the DMLE in exchange for them getting their wand rights back like a 8 year contract or something along those lines.

 

Agreeing with Space Cheese; Hagrid really isn't a good example of what would happen once you're expelled. Hagrid was both a giant, not particularly financially well off (I would assume) and he managed to immediately get a job he liked. Quite likely he simply couldn't go to a school in another country, either because he could afford it, was part giant or didn't have a massively pressing need to do so.

I would suspect for muggleborns getting your wand snapped would be the end of it. I would guess they'll take everything else magical from you and force you to live a muggle, and maybe even take your memories for it. They probably don't have access to what they need to transfer schools after that.

I would be curious if they have wand snapping for other criminal offences or if it just applies to children. It's pretty damn harsh if it only applied to kids.

 

Doubly so as the punishment only applies to children under 16; older students have their OWL's and are not threatened with losing their wands (or is this wrong? Fred and George seem to be fine after leaving Hogwarts). Anyway, we know Bellatrix's wand wasn't snapped when she was sent to Azkaban, and if there's anyone deserving harshest punishment it's her.

All in all the punishment seems like it's very much tailored to Harry's situation: a kid who hates his home and would do anything to get away from his relatives.

 

I always found the whole thing of snapping one's wand after expelling them to be weird. It's not like Hogwarts is the only school of magic in the world, and you're going to switch to another one once you're expelled from there. It's not like the school or the Ministry provided you with the wand so now they're taking it away from you.

And as people noted, apparently Bellatrix didn't get her wand snapped when she got sent to Azkaban.

Doesn't make much sense.

 

Or they go and buy a new wand...

Azkaban doesn't exactly apply if you aren't in the UK.

 

Sesc, they think Hagrid could have just went to France and attend Beuxbatons after buying a wand in the French equivalent of Diagon Alley.

I personally find that not possible, but they think it is.

 

We're also talking about half-giant as our primary source of information. I'm not exactly sure, but is it fanon that half-giants are immune to obliviation? Because if it isn't, then you have another option—for muggleborns, at least. Wand snapping + obliviation of magic.

Additionally the wand pieces might have stayed with Hagrid only because DD intervened.