Another Curse-Breaker

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 145054

Potioncat:
> But, Snape doesn't break the curse he begins emergency healing 
> treatment for the injuries caused by the cursed necklace. In my 
mind, 
> breaking the curse would mean he un-cursed the necklace. But he may 
> have had to see the necklace in order to know the treatment.

Ceridwen:
Grr!  Snagged by a technicality!  But, I'm the one who notices the 
store hours sign, and not the huge 'OPEN' sign above them.

Potioncat: 
> It is Snape, not Pomfrey, who begins treatment for the two Dark 
Magic 
> related injuries and Snape whom DD seems to want for the third 
case. 
> I actually think it's interesting that Pomfrey wouldn't have the 
> knowledge to treat the Dark Magic inflicted curses. But that may be 
> the difference between a Mediwitch and a Healer. Healer's have to 
> study DADA as well.

Ceridwen:
And, Snape started healing Draco after the Sectumsempra incident, 
which he labeled as Dark.  Maybe DADA involves some forms of healing, 
then, of a very specialized nature?  Could Madam Pomphrey not have 
been able to begin this healing, either?  Or was it purely emergency 
measures, as was obviously needed?

Potioncat:
> I would think it would be desirable that a DADA teacher know how to 
> break Dark Curses and defend against them. Pomfrey did comment that 
> Lupin at knew the treatment for a dementor attack. Since the DADA 
job 
> was jinxed and hard to fill, it's pretty obvious that not all DADA 
> teachers were fully qualified. As far as breaking the horcruxes, 
that 
> would be exceptionally advanced magic. DD doesn't seem to have 
> included Snape in the attempt to destroy horcruxes.

Ceridwen:
At first, I read this to mean that if a DADA teacher was competent, 
he or she would have been able to break the curse on the position.  
Reading it again, I see that you're saying that they've pretty much 
reached the dregs, or people to whom it doesn't matter if the 
position seems to spit teachers like watermellon seeds.  Like Lupin, 
who needed the job, or Snape, who either desperately wanted it or was 
ordered by LV to take it (or both).  Or Umbridge, who saw it as a 
foot inside the school.  And so on.

You do wonder why Dumbledore excludes Snape from the horcrux hunt.  I 
can see why he would involve Harry, since that's Harry's mission, and 
Harry was more successful at destroying the one he did destroy, which 
may or may not mean that he has a talent in that direction.

Maybe not all Dark Curses are equal.  If they were, wouldn't someone 
have been able to break the curse on the DADA position before now?  
It would be a simple matter for the school to bring in a professonal 
curse breaker, wouldn't it?  Unless there was something special about 
LV's curse.  Maybe the same sort of exceptionally advanced magic as 
the horcruxes?  He would have been at least somewhat familiar with 
such magic by the time he placed the curse.

I'm just trying to get around the idea of Bill Weasley being a curse 
breaker, so there are such people, and the curses on things like the 
opal necklace, the horcruxes, and the DADA position that can't seem 
to be un-cursed.  The ancient Egyptians were no sluggards when it 
came to curses, according to all the hype in and out of HP.  Why 
isn't there someone who can lift these curses?  Makes me wonder.

But, back to your point, Snape (or Lupin, or Bill) would be logical 
choices to help with the horcruxes due to their more advanced 
knowledge.  I think Dumbledore didn't include them because of the 
secrecy which needs to be maintained so LV doesn't know what's going 
on.  The fewer, the better in this case!

I do think Snape knew about the ring being a horcrux, because as you 
said, he would need to know the magic involved in the injury (and may 
probably have recognized it anyway, as a DADA expert), in order to 
begin the healing or at least stop the spread of the curse.

Heck.  The more I think about it, the curiouser and curiouser it gets.

Ceridwen.  "Don't call me Alice". ;)