The Do's and Don'ts of Being a Good Character

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 34648

Over the last few days, there have been several discussions about 
whether the "good characters" did the right thing in the HP books.  
Would Sirius have killed Peter right there in the street, and would 
that have been OK?  Would or should Sirius have performed some other 
sort of curse?  Would Dumbledore have killed Peter in the Shrieking 
Shack?  Is it OK that Lupin and Sirius would have killed Peter?  Is 
it OK for Hagrid to slam Karkaroff into a tree?  Is it OK for the 
twins and the trio to curse Draco, Crabbe and Goyle for saying 
something they don't like?  There are probably other examples of this.

I find it difficult to answer questions like this in any kind of 
consistent way.  When should the Good characters be permitted to 
deviate from conventions of fair play in the wizarding world?  How is 
it that an author can have her Good characters behave in these 
morally questionable ways and still remain Good in the readers' minds?

Any opinions?

Cindy