bullies? twins, padfoot and prongs

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 118616


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Magda Grantwich <mgrantwich at y...> wrote:
> 
> Yes, and that should give us some pause before we go condemning
> Teen!Snape as some kind of Dark Arts nerd with no redeeming
> qualities.
> 
> Sirius Black, from a Dark Arts family, was befriended by someone who
> held out a different view of what being a good wizard was all about. 
> Perhaps instead of hexing Snape they'd taken the time to befriend
> him, he too could have been shown an alternate path.
> 
> It's worth remembering that the Dark Arts aren't illegal.  Voldemort
> and the DE's would not face a trial for using the Dark Arts, they'd
> be tried for murder, assault, mind control, use of the
> Unforgiveables.  I really can't quite understand the logic of hexing
> Snape just because he's (supposedly) interested in the DA:
> 
> James: There's Snape!  Let's hex him to show that we hate the DA!
> Sirius: Right!  Then he'll see he should be good like us!
> 

Not only is Dark Magic/Dark Arts apparently not illegal, nobody has
satisfactorily defined just what constitutes them. Most accept/assume
that intention has something to do with it, but there must be some
other defining characteristic. Let's face it, just about any spell can
be cast with evil intent, but according to young Malfoy in GoF, at
Durmstrang they actually learn Dark Arts. They're different.

I also wonder just how much Snapey knew aged 11; I'd be surprised
if Sirius didn't know almost as much. We know that the Black family 
was pretty nasty, we assume the Snape family was too. Add the fact
that wizard kids seem to get their wands just before entering Hogwarts
and they could both have picked up a fair amount of theory but probably
not much practice.

It all seems a bit  vague; James hates Dark Arts yet  wanders around 
hexing students that annoy him. Sevvy is supposedly the Dark Arts 
expert yet there are no examples given of him using them. Sure he
causes a cut on James's face, but what spell or type of spell it was
we're not told. For all we know it might be equivalent to Heidleberg
duelling stroke. Unfortunately, in the only formal duelling set up we've 
seen it was supposed to  be disarming spells only, though others were
used - by second years with limited skills. 
Makes you wonder what else they use when it gets a bit more serious.
Maybe Flitwick will show us his  skills sometime.

Kneasy