Death Chamber/ancient magic

[urghiggi]

No: HPFGUIDX 81902

Urghiggi wrote:
If this brand of magic is so ancient, fundamental, and powerful -- why 
> would LV despise it so? He seems to be of the "use any means" type, but 
the 
> nature of ancient magic seems repulsive to him, despite its power. Is it that 
he 
> WON'T use it (presumably because it's somehow love-based, the view that 
> seems to be supported by canon) or that he CAN'T use it (again, because 
it's 
> love-based)? And just because the only example given (lily's sacrifice) is 
> love-based -- does this necessarily rule out the possibility that there may be 
> other aspects of this ancient magic that are morally neutral or even dark? 


And then replied to herself:

After I wrote this I remembered another example-- though I don't think it was 
referred to specifically as "ancient" magic but rather as "magic at its deepest, 
most impenetrable" (something like that, i don't have my PoA here). This is in 
the scene at the end of PoA where Ddore is explaining to Harry the benefits of 
his having let Pettigrew go -- that this would put pettigrew forever in his debt, 
apparently via the operation of the "deep magic."  Maybe there are other 
instances I'm not remembering?

What I'm specifically NOT remembering is any description of this kind of magic 
as morally neutral (like the Star Wars "force," able to be tapped for good or ill). 
JKR's ancient magic seems to be fundamentally a power of good, which 
perhaps is why LV hates it and/or can't use it.

And now I see that I'm covering old ground anyway, since I went over to the 
Lexicon to look for references and saw that Steve has quite a nice essay 
about this over there in the "magic & magical theory" section -- again 
comparing/contrasting the Narnia-type "deep magic" with JKR's "ancient 
magic." Well worth a look.....

Urghiggi, Chgo