The war is at its fever pitch and it's hard not to run into Death Eater attacks, bomb threats, kidnappings, encounters with strange mysterious beings, and other events far too exciting for parents' tastes. Summer (and Christmas hols) can be a dangerous time. Several things to keep in mind when school lets out:

If you're out after dark with no adults around, your friendly neighbourhood Auror is going to spot you and return you home. While this may be an acceptable RP hook, make sure the Auror in question is interested. Slumming in Knockturn means ICC is coming your way. If you think there's some IC reason you need to be in Knockturn best to clear it and any potential consequences by adult RP staff first. Extremely young children should not be alone in the LC, and no you can't rent a room underage -- even older students are encouraged to do their shopping in groups for safety reasons.

If you want to avoid angst, be aware many adult public events contain badness, though occasionally it will be advertised OOCly that nothing bad is scheduled to happen. When in doubt, feel free to ask the Adult sphere staff. If angst is your cup of tea, also be aware the wizards area tight knit community and a binge of smoking, drinking, etc. does get back around. As under aged drinking is a crime, Aurors can book you for it.

Use of underage magic, even in emergencies, still brings consequences that can jeopardize your future career. In the books all characters under the age of 17 are prohibited from practicing magic outside of school and at Hogwarts Express we follow this policy. This Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery is evident throughout the novels. In book one, mention is made of letters send home forbidding practicing magic. In book two, Harry receives a warning when Dobby uses magic in the Dursley house. In book five, Harry is subjected to a full Ministry hearing for the casting of a Patronus spell. He is only let off from the later because of the clause allowing such magic in life threatening situations.

Therefore, if your character is under 17 and not currently in school, you need to be careful of magic use. The admin of the game will bring characters to trial in character for such infractions. If you have a good excuse, be prepared to ICly defend it. There has also been precedent set for characters burning themselves out - channelling too much magical power that they overreach themselves and severely limit their future abilities. In short, always remember that if you take an action that within the book canon would have consequences, you need to be prepared to accept those consequences for your character. If in doubt, find a way to not use magic.

Internships are a large part of summer RP for many students. Students can intern in a variety of places, anywhere from private businesses to the Ministry and Mungos. Prior to school letting out a call will be put out on the boards for applications -- To be eligible a student must be 15 by June 1st and have applied within the allotted timeframe. IC interviews may be conducted, especially if asking to intern for the MLE, and you may be asked to provide a 'second choice' in your request.

Ministry internships are the most sought after, and thus the most regulated. To help balance out the departments, each area has only four slots that can be filled by Interns. The spots go initially to go to those who have interned previously without complaints filed against them, then to the older students -- a Sixth year is more likely to get the position than a fourth year, mostly because a fourth year has more time to get the internship than the Sixth year does.

If you take an internship with the Ministry you're in the same danger zone as the rest of the Ministry workers. Acceptance letters are accompanied by waivers both parent and child must sign that state the student and their family understands that at the moment there are 'hazards associated with the Ministry', and while the Ministry of Magic takes 'every precaution' there remains a certain level of risk.