Young Dumbledore (wasRe: Why Leave Harry at HW at the End of HBP?)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 148423

Angie wrote:
> <snip>
> I'll admit, I've always thought of DD as the epitome of goodness, as 
> JKR said.  This is a new theory for me.
> 
> But just b/c DD is too "noble" at the beginning of SS and thereafter 
> to use Dark Magic, that doesn't mean he's always been so noble or 
> that he's never used Dark Magic.  I really doubt if anyone in the WW 
> would view him poorly if he used Dark Magic to get rid of a Dark 
> Wizard, if his conduct was otherwise above reproach.  Can you
destroy a Horcrux without using Dark Magic???  <snip>

Carol responds:
We have Barty Crouch Sr. as an example of what happens to a wizard who
tries to fight evil using Unforgiveable Curses. He goes mad and is
murdered by his own son, also corrupted by those same curses. And
McGonagall has known Dumbledore for a long time, first as his student
(he was also, probably, her HOH) and then as a teacher and his second
in command. She may not be in his confidence, but I think her judgment
of his character is sound. And I see no evidence in the books to lead
me to think otherwise. I'm almost certain that JKR would not advocate
fighting evil with evil in what she considers to be a children's book.

As for destroying a Horcrux, surely you could use good magic or
defensive magic to destroy a Dark object. The Dark Arts are not taught
at Hogwarts. Defense against the Dark Arts is. Whatever Snape, the
current DADA teacher, did to prevent the ring Horcrux curse from
killing Dumbledore and the necklace curse from killing Katie was
surely "good" magic, as was his countercurse to Sectumsempra (and his
removal of the curse from the opal necklace, which he must have done
although it isn't specifically mentioned). A Patronus, we're told (on
JKR's website), is "a powerful anti-Dark Arts device." So the Dark
Arts (apparently) can't be fought using the Dark Arts. Dark magic
would probably make a Dark spell stronger rather than destroying it.
(Bill Weasley is a Curse *Breaker*, not a Curse caster, as a further
example.)

And Dumbledore keeps telling Harry that he has to keep his soul whole
and pure if he's going to defeat Voldemort. Love, not the Dark Arts
(which DD praises Harry for resisting) must be his weapon. So I
seriously doubt that DD used a Dark spell to destroy the ring Horcrux,
or that he expects Harry to destroy the remaining Horcruxes with Dark
magic (which, in any case, he hasn't learned). 

Carol, noting that we already have a character who went over to the
Dark side and has (apparently) been struggling for some twenty years
to "return" to the light. It would be redundant, and IMO
inappropriate, for Dumbledore to have done the same