What are Dark Arts?

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 91109

Potioncat:" Just about any of the magic the students are being taught 
could be  used for good or evil.  So, what are Dark Arts?  Does 
anyone have a  good feel for this?  Does anyone have a canon 
reference about this?"

There's no canon on a definition that I know of.  The idea of the 
Dark Arts (or Black Magic) has been explored in genre literature 
before, based on the Laws of Magic.  I like to turn to the late 
Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy series (a great read, and 95% of Potter 
fans will like it).  In that magical world, "Black Magic is a matter 
of symbolism and intent."

By that definition, the state of mind of the caster is all-
important.  In Garrett's world, practicing Black Magic always 
destroys the practitioner and turns him or her to evil.  The use of 
symbols of death and evil – a Hand of Glory, for instance – turns 
magic to evil ends.

But none of that is HP canon.  I think it is legitimate to take ideas 
from other literature and see how they fit with what we see in the 
Potterverse.  I think it's good enough for a working hypothesis until 
we learn more from JKR canon.

As far as the Marauder's Map goes, I think Snape was full of it 
himself when he called it "full of Dark magic."

Jim Ferer