[HPforGrownups] Harry using Crucio

[Lee Kaiwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 174081

Cathy Drolet blessed us with this gem On 31/07/2007 22:41:

> J.K. Rowling: Harry is not, and never has been, a saint.

> Amycus spat on McGonagall. Hardly an "extreme situation." 

Since this is my pet peeve in DH, I have to jump in.

I agree that spitting on McGonagall cannot be in any sense considered an 
"extreme situation", and certainly nothing an Expelliarmus couldn't have 
equally well solved. If the scene had been written with Amycus waving 
his wand around threatening, perhaps even with the AK emerging from his 
lips, THEN perhaps one could begin to justify the Crucio. But a Crucio 
for a spitting incident just doesn't do it in my book, no matter how 
offensive.

> I think the problem here isn't that Harry used Crucio. It is how much he 
> appeared to enjoy it.

Further, how little reaction it illicited either from Harry himself or 
from McGonagall, who actually called an Unforgivable Curse "gallant", 
and then followed on with a UC of her own. It would have done the scene 
wonders for the good guys to display at least a little moral distaste 
for the actions they felt forced to perform. The lack of any sort of 
moral discomfiture was probably the most disturbing part of the incident.

CJ, Taiwan