Ancient Magic vs. Dark Magic (was ancient magic)

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 82034

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "corinthum" <kkearney at s...> 
wrote:
 Ancient magic is not synonymous 
> with complex magic, nor with family-related magic.  My 
interpretation 
> of "ancient magic" is magic that cannot be taught.  It is instead 
> linked to feelings and emotions that go back to the beginning of 
time 
> (or at least, to the time at which the human brain had evolved to 
the 
> complexity needed to produce them): love, compassion, etc.  
Universal 
> concepts, present in both the muggle and magical world.  


Jen:

You're right that we don't have much to go on in canon to define 
ancient magic. And I don't think it has to be a *branch* of magic as 
much as it is a *level* of magic. 

I feel when Dumbledore talks about ancient magic, he's not referring 
to "old" as much as he is to "deep" magic.  

We see many everyday spells that consist of one person casting a 
spell directed at an object or a person, and we see a specific result 
(or not). But then we're presented with a few, a very few, examples 
of magic that create a *bond* between two people. It's a much deeper 
form of magic than two people casting spells at each other.

The life debt and blood sacrifice are two such examples. You 
disagreed that the secret keeper is ancient, but I included it 
because it forms a bond between two people that could require a life 
sacrifice on the part of the keeper. So that would be a deeper form 
of magic, while maybe not necessarily *old*.


Corinthum:
> > "She {Petunia} may have taken you grudgingly, furiously, 
> unwillingly, 
> > bitterly, yet she still took you, and in doing so, she sealed the 
> > charm I placed upon you." (Dumbledore, OOTP, chap. 37, p. 836)
> > 
> > "While you can still call home the place where your mother's 
blood 
> > dwells, there you cannot be touched or harmed by 
Voldemort.....your 
> > aunt knows this.....She knows that allowing you houseroom may 
well 
> > have kept you alive for the past fifteen years."  (DD, OOTP,chap. 
> 37, p. 836)
> 
> Again, there is no indication that this charm is ancient.  Nor does 
> it necessarily require Lily's sacrifice.  It is simply a charm that 
> gives protection to a person when said person is in the home of a 
> blood relative.  Also, it is unlikely that the spell is based on 
> emotion; Petunia shows no sign of loving Harry.


Jen:  
In OOTP, Dumbledore explains that the blood sacrifice Lily made is 
only activated when Harry "calls home the place where your mother's 
blood dwells."  So Lily's sacrifice would be meaningless if Petunia 
didn't allow Harry to dwell in her home. Petunia's choice completes 
the circle of magic begun when Lily died.