Curses! Foiled again.

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 160801

JKR:
> Curses:
> Reserved for the worst kinds of dark magic.

Potioncat: 
> "Connotation of dark magic? Connotation???"  Is there is such a
> thing as being a little dark? So, now we get to start the 
> discussion, "What is Dark Magic?" all over again.

Jen: You say that like it's a *bad* thing, Potioncat. So now allow 
me to launch into an essay on dark magic....hah, I'm only joking. 
Steve/bboy et. al. have covered that topic quite extensively and he 
can probably provide a link to the threads if anyone is interested.

I couldn't help but notice the part where she called Stunning Spells 
more of a charm yet chose go for the alliterative effect. She may 
have been a Hermione as a younger person, but I think she grew up to 
be less McGonagall and more Dumbledore, valuing form over function. 
I'll bet Dumbledore's maths are his shakiest area, too--wonder if he 
knows the population of Hogwarts? :)

Sadly, no explanation of magical Vows there. I'd like to infer they 
are self-explanatory and everything we need to know about them we 
understand from Muggle culture, etc., but...you never know if 
something was left off because it wasn't the topic she's responding 
to or because the answer would give something away.


Carol:
> I can *almost* accept her definition/distinction....I'm not sure
> that the Trip Jinx is amusing, and the so-called jinx on the DADA
> position most definitely is not. (Certainly, the person in that
> position has bad luck, but sometimes it's *very* bad luck, indeed.
> Any spell that brings about the fate of Quirrell or of Fake!Moody 
>(or even the real Moody) or causes Snape to kill Dumbledore goes
> beyond bad luck and is most certainly not amusing. 

Jen: I seriously doubt Rowling will blame the most pivotal scene of 
the series on a curse/jinx/whatever that eliminated Snape's free 
will. Except for Quirrell being possessed and therefore not always 
acting on his own, there's no evidence the rest of the DADA's had to 
leave the position for reasons other than their own flaws bringing 
them down. This includes real Moody who wouldn't have made the ruse 
so easy if not for his paranoia. 

Jen R.