Dark Magic and Snape (was:Re: CHAPDISC: HBP24, Sectumsempra)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 161384


> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Right, but Dumbledore's wrong about Harry's interest in the Dark 
> Arts.  Harry tried to throw a Crucio in OotP.  That's why this 
> statement confused me.  Does Dumbledore not know that Harry reached 
> for an Unforgivable when he was desperate?  Did JKR forget that 
> she'd written that scene, or was Harry's failure good enough for her?
> 
> I definitely agree that Harry has never, and will never be, tempted 
> to *join* Voldemort.  I haven't seen anything to suggest he'd refuse 
> to use an AK to kill Voldemort if given the opportunity.  So does 
> that mean that the Unforgivables aren't really Dark Arts?  Is that 
> what makes Dumbledore's statement correct?  And if so, then what 
> *are* the Dark Arts?
<snip>:
> But it's the lack of precise definition that I'm harping on.  And 
> honestly, I don't think it's a *bad* thing that the Dark Arts or 
> dark magic is hard to define.  It's a bit more realistic, IMO.  But 
> it also means that it's harder to judge someone based on their 
> interests.  
> 
> And I worry that JKR is trying to eat her cake and have it too.  
> She's shaky on what exactly dark magic is, but she'll have 
> McGonagall praise Dumbledore for not using some unnamed powers.  
> She'll have Harry think about how he despises Draco for Draco's 
> interest in "dark magic" without any indication of what exactly 
> Draco has expressed interest in.  (Somehow I doubt Harry caught 
> Draco pouring over books telling him how to create a horcrux.)

Pippin:
 I bet if you asked the list to give specific examples of what 'evil' is, 
we'd get widespread agreement on a few broad issues and bitter debate 
on many others. The wizarding world can't be any different and still 
be 'real'. Naturally there will be disagreement on which spells are dark,
and also on the 'fight fire with fire' strategy. Draco's murderous
plot is a variant of the  'ticking bomb' scenario, after all. We can
imagine what someone like Crouch Sr would do if he had known
as much about Draco's plot as Dumbledore claims to have
known. And there are some people here, I think, who would say
that stronger measures were definitely justified. 

But I think it's important to remember why Harry's curse failed --
all that was behind it was righteous anger, and that wasn't enough
to power an Unforgivable Curse, according to Bella. Although
there are some people Harry would enjoy hurting, he has never 
actually been tempted to hurt someone  because he would 
enjoy it. He thinks, for example that it would feel very good to
turn Dudley into something with feelers, but there's no answer
to that thought from his will, no sense that he needs that
feeling and should bring it about. He experiences no remorse
when he sees that Ron and Hermione have damaged fingers
from Hedwig's pecking, but that again was righteous anger.
Harry was not thinking that it would feel good to punish 
somebody and then discovering he had a grievance against
Ron and Hermione. 

We don't know if righteous anger is enough to work an
AK, but from what Bella says, the answer is no, so if Harry
needs to kill Voldemort without succumbing to temptation, 
he will have to find another way to do it.

Pippin