dark magic was Re: bullies? twins, padfoot and prongs

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 118727


Potioncat wrote:
> <snip>
> In CoS Hermione suggests they use the polyjuice potion that Snape 
> talked about in class.  Neither Harry or Ron remember Snape even 
> mentioning it. They trick Lockhart into giving them permission to 
> check the book out of the restricted section.  Hermione says the 
> book has lots of dark arts in it.  (Am beginning to worry about 
> movie contamination for that last part.)
> 
> In OoP Harry thinks that he did well on the question about the 
> effects of polyjuice potion because he used it himself. 
> 
>  But remember, the kids learn about defending against dark arts, so 
> the potion could be a dark art...Snape did not have them make it in 
> class that we know of. He does know in GoF that someone is stealing 
> supplies that would create polyjuice potion.
> 
> I'm just not sure that the WW isn't as confused about ethics as we 
> in the RW are.  And I'm not sure everyone draws the line at the same 
> point of "dark".

Carol notes:
Since the Dark Arts aren't taught at Hogwarts but Snape mentions the
potion to a second-year class and has the ingredients in his supply
cupboard, I would venture to guess that it's taught to his NEWT
potions students, who have evidently learned the *theory* of the
potion for their OWLs. (And wasn't it the Potions OWL rather than the
DADA OWL where this question came up?) I don't think polyjuice is Dark
Magic or Hermione would not have suggested that they use it in
CoS--though, like most magic, the potion can be put to evil uses
(Crouch!Moody).

Just my opinion, of course. I agree that the definition of "Dark" is
very shadowy so far.

Carol, wondering what's happened to Karkaroff, who taught Dark Magic
to his students