JKR's Single Biggest Error so far - ie: Veritaserum

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 124020



Bboyminn:
  
I still maintain my position that people jump into the use of
Veritaserum a little too easily and a little too quickly.
  
Ask yourself this, why, in this one instance (Sirius), would they 
have been motivated to use Truth Serum? They caught Sirius at the 
scene, they had eye/ear testimmony of witnesses. Given that Sirius 
was in shock; filled with grief and a crushing sense guilt, he very 
probably felt that he was indeed the cause of the Potter's death. 
Given all that, I don't think he was doing much to defend himself, 
and given what seemed like overwhelming evidence, I can't imagine 
why the idea of using Truth Serum would have occurred to anyone.
 
 Alla:
 
What do you  mean, a little bit too quickly? Veritaserum is a drug, 
which makes you tell the truth - not from time time , but ALWAYS. ( 
I disagree by  the way that it can be closely analogised with lie 
detector, because polygraph CAN be fooled and as far as we know ( 
unless there is something in canon to the opposite, which I don't 
remember) Veritaserum cannot be fooled.
 
It seems VERY inconsistent to me that veritaserum is not used in ALL 
criminal investigations of WW. I mean, we don't know maybe it IS 
used in some, but then again why wasn't it used in Sirius' hearing, 
investigation, whatever occurred there?
 
I mean, I guess it goes more to justice system as whole, but 
nevertheless I think JKR did not think it through that well.


I guess the answer I want to know is if veritaserum is not supposed 
to be used in situation like Sirius' than when exactly it is 
supposed to be used for? 


 

Steve:
Really, Veritaserum (and Time Turners) are not the answer to all
life's problems.
  
Alla: 
Definitely not, but  don't you think that Veritaserum was created to 
be answer to SOME? I want to know which ones JKR had in mind. 

Just my opinion of course,
 
Alla