Another question about the "Witch Hunts" (Veritaserum)

[Indigo]

No: HPFGUIDX 47592

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Grey Wolf" <greywolf1 at j...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., Kethlenda <kethlenda at y...> wrote:
> > I've noticed several people discussing the "witch
> > hunts" in which the accused Death Eaters were put on
> > trial, and the fact that several characters have been
> > condemned to Azkaban on very little evidence.  It
> > brings to mind a question I've had ever since I first
> > read GoF.
[snip]

Very little evidence = circumstantial evidence.   

Which is exactly what kind of 'evidence' was used for the witch hunts 
in the muggle world and ours.  Hence the term witch hunt.  In the 
Potterverse, the wizards can pretend to be burned but rather get to 
enjoy themselves.  But yet they follow the same flawed reasoning 
muggles do when their own wizards go out of control. They take the 
first thing that looks likely and decide "that must be it!" without 
any further checking.

> > (1) It's an accidental plot hole.
> > (2) Only Snape knows how to make it, and either he
> > didn't know how to make it yet at that time, or else
> > was not trusted with such an important matter.
> > (3) Some high muckety-mucks in the MOM didn't *want*
> > the whole truth told, because they were afraid their
> > own dirty laundry would be aired.
> > 
> > Any thoughts?
> > Strix
> 
> There are two more reasons: one has already been pointed out, that 
the 
> Verisaterum is a recent invention (the problem with this is that 
Snape 
> talks about his *strongest* truth-telling potion, which means there 
are 
> more truth-telling potions, and not all can be recent discoveries).
> 
> The other, the one I prefer, is the fact that there are truth 
telling 
> potions in *our* world (the muggle world), and good ones, too. And 
yet, 
> they are not used. I consulted a doctor about it the last time this 
> came up on the list and I participated (almost a year ago, IIRC), 
and 
> he told me that truth-telling serums (like sodium pentothal) are 
indeed 
> efective. Why they aren't regularly used, I haven't the faintiest 
idea, 
> but if someone can hunt the reason down, it is probably aplicable 
to 
> the WW too.
> 
I just happened to read in another book [presuming the author of the 
fictitious work in question did his research] that sodium pentothal 
can cause brain damage with its usage.

Which, I guess, is why it's always showed being used by villains in 
the movies, who don't care whether they damage their subjects.  The 
good guys don't want to damage their subjects.

--Indigo