What is 'Dark Magic'?

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 95816

> Bill: "What exactly is `Dark Magic'? This has never been answered in
> canon. 
snip< 
> Symbolism that invoked evil – Hands of Glory, graveyard dust,
etc. -
> would likely have the same corrosive effect on the soul of the 
wizard
> who used it.
> 
> If that's true, it would explain why Harry didn't take harm from
> trying to cast the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix – he was driven
by
> rage and grief, not sadism.  That's why he wasn't good at it, as
> Bellatrix realized.  Curses like that are still dangerous to the
> caster, though – what if Harry had exruciated Bellatrix and
*liked* 
it?


Potioncat:
So, it's OK if he didn't inhale?  Or if he didn't "go all the way?"

I've avoided this topic because it's gotten very deep, and it's hard 
to tell if it is what JKR intended.  But if indeed, Dark Magic is 
magic that somehow harms/changes the caster as well as the victim, 
then Harry was most likey affected in some way.  The fact that it 
failed doesn't change the fact that he cast it.  

A kid who smokes one cigarette isn't going to drop dead of lung 
cancer, but he has irritated his respiritory system at least 
temporarily although it does heal. Dark Magic could be like that, in 
that repeated use of it increases the damage. Or that stronger dark 
magic causes more harm. It would also explain why some wizards 
continue to perform it, thinking that they are not abusing it. 

I'm not sure yet what Dark Arts are, just working out the different 
causes and affects of other people's ideas. 



> Carol: 
"P.S. IIRC, Parseltongue is specifically identified as a Dark
> Art in CoS. Sorry I don't have a page reference."
> 
Jim: It was, but by a student, and not in any way you'd take 
as "official."
> IOW, the student was wrong. 

Potioncat:
Boy, did I have a great idea on this one.  Canon blasted it, however!
Jim, do you recall who said paseltongue was dark magic?  In "The 
Deuling Club" pp 195--197 Hermione, Ron and Harry discuss it.  They 
say it is bad.  But they also think it ties him to Salazar 
Slytherin.  It is actually hard to tell if they think parseltongue 
itself is bad,(my original impression) or if being related to 
Slytherin at that particular time is bad.But the phrase Dark Arts 
never comes up in that section.
Potioncat who will post more thought on this later