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

[sevenhundredandthirteen]

No: HPFGUIDX 124021


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 liedetector, 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.

Laurasia:

We know that there are difference strengths of Veritaserum (Dumbledore
asks for Severus to fetch his 'strongest'). Perhaps the real problem
is that, like the Imperius Curse, it can resisted to some degree. Why
bother having varying strengths otherwise? Why not economise and get
Severus to fetch his veritaserum-on-a-budget bottle? Or do the
strengths just dictate how long it lasts? In which case there is still
a problem- how does an interrogator know whether the serum has worn
off yet? 

Or perhaps one builds up resistances to it over time. Maybe giving a
criminal a little bit now might mean that any later dosage would have
less effect. Which would mean that they told the absolute truth the
first time, but then, with each progressive dosage, their body could
resist it more and more... So, perhaps they hold off on using is
*just* *in* *case* there is a time in the future when it is absolutely
necessary to be told the truth. (Similar to how some people refuse to
take antibiotics or pain medication). 

It seems that Dumbledore gave the veritaserum to Crouch Jr because
there was not going to be a 'next time.' The MoM wouldn't bother is
such case because they don't appear to care WHY Crouch Jr did what he
did, only that it was done (Fudge, at least, has this opinion). 

I don't see how they could force a witness to take it, and in the
circumstance where there was a guarantee that the convicted person
would never be released from Azkaban, the Ministry appears not to care
about finding the whole truth, just finding guilt.

In contrast, Dumbledore interrogates Kreacher and explains his
behaviour to Harry as a natural manifestation of his environment. He
never judges Kreacher as 'guilty' or 'not guilty,' but instead tries
to find out what caused him to be that way. Dumbldore cares about
finding preventative measures, the Ministry is more concerned with
punishment. The MoM might just ask 'Did you do it?' 

IMO, veritaserum would only work when the person asking the questions
is trying to find the whole truth, not just the parts of it that
prove/disprove guilt.

~<(Laurasia)>~