Harry's Use of an Unforgivable Curse

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 96172


Jason wrote:
> I wouldn't bring charges. There's no way you could sentence a 
> juvenile for such a crime anyway. Much less one committed under 
> those circumstances.

Del :
But Harry was nearly sentenced for using the Patronus Charm in
self-defense. So it seems to me that there *is* a way he could be
sentenced for using the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix. It most probably
won't happen given the new (better) political circumstances, but under
the old (and unfair to Harry) Fudge Reign it could very well have
happened.

> Del wrote:
> > In GoF, after learning of the UCs, Harry wishes he could use 
> > Crucio on Snape, even though he had taken pity on the spider ! 
> > In OoP, Harry uses Crucio even though a) he knows it's strictly 
> > forbidden, b) he's gone through it himself, and c) Bella used 
> > it on Neville just minutes before ! That to me shows that Harry's 
> > anger and hate are strong enough to *corrupt* him, which is scary. 
> > I *do* wonder if we won't see him managing to use Crucio 
> > efficiently on someone else he hates in the next book. It's the 
> > logical progression I'm afraid. 
> 
> Jason:
> 
> I'm not understanding why or how this is such a bad thing.

Del :
It's bad because it's the straight road for Harry to become a new Tom
Riddle. Tom used the AK to avenge himself of the man who abandoned his
mother, causing her to die alone and Tom to grow up an orphan. We all
agree that Tom had ample reason to be in pain and to hate his father,
and yet we also all agree that killing him was wrong, right ? Well in
my idea, it would be just as wrong for Harry to use an Unforgivable to
get revenge : it would corrupt him, make him evil and quite useless in
the fight against LV.

Jason :
> Imagine someone killing your parents and enjoying it. OR worse 
> TORTURING YOUR PARENTS INTO MADNESS SO THAT THEY'LL NEVER KNOW WHO 
> YOU ARE. 

Del :
Don't shout. Please.
And if you think I don't know what pain at the hands of someone else
is, you're wrong. I know what it is to feel anger and hate, and to
want revenge. 

Jason :
> Now if this was done in front of you, and the person responsible is 
> about to get away scott free, what would you do? Let them go? AK 
> them? or Crucio them?

Del :
Tie them up and hand them to the authorities ? Harry *does* know how
to perform the Petrificus Totalus Charm.
I understand that Harry wanted to get his revenge, and that
Bellatrix's taunts were driving him to near insanity, I really do. I
don't underestimate the intensity of his pain. But I won't
underestimate either the gravity of the choices he made : first take
justice into his own hands, and then use a purely evil Curse.

Jason :
> In my head, Crucio is no different than beating someone senseless. 
> In fact, Crucio would seem more humane because the pain is liften 
> when the spell is. A broken bone lasts much longer. If someone 
> tortured my friend and his parents and killed my godfather, I'd be 
> taking Hagrid's advice and ripping them limb from limb and I don't 
> think any jury would find me guilty of anything.

Del :
Maybe not, but it wouldn't make you a better person either. Quite the
opposite in fact. I don't want that for Harry.
Moreover, vendettas never get anywhere. You hurt my family, I hurt
yours, your kids hurt my kids, my kids hurt your kids, and so on with
the grand-kids. What's the point ? Yes the DE are evil and what
Bellatrix did is atrocious, but if Harry and Neville decided to use
the same methods she used in order to get their revenge on her, then
in the end she would still win : not only would their (god)parents
still be dead or worse, but she would have turned the kids into evil
people like her as well. Much good it would do...

Jason :
> And in another point, if this is the beginning of VW2, Harry could 
> be seen as a soldier in war and any pain or death he caused would 
> only be a casualty of war and thus unpunishable.

Del :
He wasn't acting under orders. Soldiers aren't responsible for the
casualties they make while under orders. But it's a whole other matter
for the officers who gave them those orders. Harry decided for
himself, he wasn't a soldier under orders.

Del