How does Imperio work? was, Re: [HPforGrownups] Ron and the Imperio (was Re: Shi

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48660

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Susanne <siskiou at e...> wrote:

> I've entertained the possibility that the Imperius curse was
> never taken off Ron, but I always get stuck with this
> theory, because I don't know enough about how the curse
> actually works.
> 
> ...edited...
> 
>  Susanne  

bboy_mn:

I think the curse can work several way. 

1.) The immediate command, "Jump onto the desk."               

2.) Then general command, "Go to work, act normal, and don't tell them
anything about me (Voldemort)." Or, "Go to work, act normal, and
report anything that might help the Death Eaters to Rookwood."

3.) A triggered command, "Go to work, act normal, and when Malfoy
says, 'Mars is very bight tonight', you will kill Minister Fudge."

If we think of Harry's reactions (actually his thoughts) when placed
under the curse, you see that the curse works much like sodium
pentothal (muggle truth serum). It creates a tremendous overpowering
sense of euphoria. It creates a very stoned out 'I don't care' state
of mind which completely inhibits impulse control. Someone asks you to
implicate yourself in a crime, and you don't care. You don't care who
knows or what the consequenses are. There is no part of you that is
balancing the merits of the request. So, you are so unihibited, you
tell them whatever they ask. You've lost both you good and bad conscience.

Imperius works the same way. Moody tells Neville to perform
gymnastics, but the part of Neville that would logically and
reasonably say, 'I'm an unathletic fat kid who is hopelessly clumsy.
Performing gymnastics is suicide.' has been so supressed by the
positively all consuming euphoria that Neville doesn't argue. He
performs gymnastics. Part of it is similar to the Vella, I suspect
that there is a sense that if you fail to obey, you will lose the
wonderful bliss that is consuming you. As with the Vella, you will do
anything to make sure that that pleasure and comfort do not go away.

Now, in long term Imperius enchantments, I suspect there is a residual
bliss, that keeps you from revealing that you are acting under someone
else's control, although, it's not that apparent from the outside. It
is apparent to some extent and does seem to cause some stress. Harry
remarks several times that Crouch doesn't look too good and maybe
isn't acting quite right. But most people would probably think the
person in question was just having a bad day.

Now, the insidious part; if you are under the Imperius Curse, the more
an act goes against your true nature, the greater the sense of
euphoria. The closer you get to committing 'the crime', the better you
feel, and the greater you inhibitions are supressed. Quite a clever
curse I would say. You are only mildly 'drugged' during your normal
life, and when it time to do the evil deed, the ecstacy it overwhelming.

Now to Harry. Harry is an inhibited person. He has been supressed his
whole life while at the Dursley's. Plus, an abused person learns to
restrain themselves. They learn that no action is better than the
wrong action. While Harry is without a doubt very brave in the face of
danger, he is very shy in the face of daily life. He doesn't have alot
of close friends. Even with the close friends he does have, he is
frequently inhibited; holding back, keeping secrets. He is not so
inhibited that he is disfunctional, but his inhibitions are strong
enough that even under the Imperious Curse, they don't go away
completely. So when Moody says 'jump', he really doesn't want to do it. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Harry could resist the curse
because he was weak. This sense of inhibition, is part of the
interplay of good and bad conscience which operate at much more subtle
levels than just right and wrong. In fact, we know that Harry is a
very selfless and moral person, and has great strength of character,
but he's also a little shy. It's that moral center and strength of
character that are part of how he is able to ask 'why?'. 'Why should I
jump on the desk?'

I think another small trace of this comes from being abused. An abused
kids knows that no matter how good the moment is, any small thing
could set the abuser off and spoil it. So there is always a part of
them that is on guard. A part of them that never completely lets their
inhibitions down. Living with an abuser is like carrying a bomb in
your pocket. You can laugh as hard as you want too, but there is
always a part of you that know the next laugh might be the one that
sets it off.

Again, I want to make sure no one interprets this as me say Harry was
able to do this not because he was strong, but because he was weak.
I'm not saying that at all. All these elements good and bad, have
accumulated over a lifetime (a short lifetime) to build Harry into the
strong, morally centered, selfless person that he is.

That's my story and I'm stuck with it.

bboy_mn