While the books suggest that [Molly] has her children do their chores largely without magic, I simply cannot see wealthy teen-aged girls going to social events without magical assistance, be it charms for their hair, magical replacements for make-up (either charms, potions, or both), charms for clothing (both for fit and to make the appearance more … magical), so on. Some of this may be built into the fabric when it is purchased, but I am reminded of the descriptions of elfin women in The Elvenbane1. In that series, the women use their appearance and clothing to display their magical prowess, with the goal of making themselves more attractive as brides. Sure no one talks much of that in Harry Potter, but I think it is only because it is largely a child’s series, with little attention paid to marriage or the finding of a spouse (and secondly because the main character is male). The hints of this are there. [Lily Evens]’ magical prowess is referenced over and over again, even by Hagrid.2 [Neville] comes from a good family, but is belittled for a supposed lack of power.3 [Ginny]’s power is also remarked upon.4
That aside, if [Molly] is going to teach [Ginny] to cook, is she really going to teach her to do so entirely without magic? Sure, [Ginny] can peel potatoes, or chop vegetables, but we see [Molly] making some sort of cream sauce with her wand, as well as lighting the stove.5 Even if you suppose both silent casting like we see in book six, and a form of casting that does not depend on precise wand movements, to both turn on a gas stove and light it with a single poke? It seems more that [Molly] has a stove designed for wand-based operation. If that is true, [Ginny] would have to use her wand, or at least a wand, to learn to cook on it. While some families might have house elves, I think that the world described is sufficiently traditional that most mothers would be teaching daughters to cook, and thus an exception must exist.
The alternative is that this household magic, which seams to be a mix of charms (turning on the stove, automating knives) and transfiguration (the cream sauce), is taught at Hogwarts. If so, we should have seen some indication of this in the six years that [Harry] attends class.
[Harry]: </Harrypedia/people/Potter/Harry James/>/ [Molly]: /Harrypedia/people/Prewett/Molly/ [Neville]: /Harrypedia/people/Longbottom/Neville/ [Ginny]: </Harrypedia/people/Weasley/Ginevra Molly/>/ [Lily Evens]: </Harrypedia/people/Evans/Lily J/>
Ms. Mercedes Lackey and Ms. Andre Norton. The Elvenbane: Halfbood Chronicles Book 1 1991-11-01. Tor Books; ISBN-13: 978-0312851064 exact citation needed.↩︎
Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Better citation needed.↩︎
Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Better citation needed.↩︎
Mrs. J. K. Rowling. ““The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part Three” 2005-07-16. Last Viewed 2021-03-29.↩︎
Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Kindle Locations 964-966. Pottermore Limited. American Kindle Edition.↩︎