[HPforGrownups] Binding magical contracts

[Simon Nickerson]

No: HPFGUIDX 48294

In message <OE35ljBOh8s4KWiGtXs00004282 at hotmail.com>, Christopher 
Nuttall <christopher_g_nuttall at hotmail.com> writes
>Simon"What form does this obligation take? (I assume it's nothing as
>prosaic as a Muggle law court!) What would have happened to Harry if he
>had simply refused to take part in the tournament?"
>
>I think its just an 'if you sign, you must do' type of agreement.

OK, but who or what would make Harry take part if he absolutely and 
adamantly refused? The contract is described as a "binding magical 
contract", so I don't think the obligation to take part is being 
enforced in the same way that a Muggle agreement might be enforced. If 
so, wouldn't there have to be another party who demanded for the 
agreement to be enforced? But nobody wanted (or could openly say that 
they wanted) Harry to take part in the Triwizard Tournament. Dumbledore 
said that he couldn't see how to resolve the problem without Harry 
entering the tournament; if there were a 'diplomatic' non-magical 
solution (corresponding to a non-magical way of enforcing the 
agreement), then surely Dumbledore would have tried it. Surely this 
implies that there is some degree of *magical* compulsion involved. IF 
this conclusion follows, then how is this any different from using the 
Imperius curse on somebody, especially if you can become bound by a 
contract that you never agreed to?

Chris:
>If Harry had not wanted to take part, he would have had to convince 
>people that he had not managed to get round the charm defending the 
>goblet.

But Harry did manage to persuade a number of people that he hadn't got 
around the charm. How many people would he have to persuade? Do you 
think that the agreement is enforced on him by the people who think that 
he entered? Quite a lot of those people would have been only too happy 
to prevent Harry from entering, so why would they be enforcing the 
contract?

-- 
Simon Nickerson
"I went on the Underground - "
"Really?" said Mr Weasley eagerly. "Were there escapators?"