help with JKR quote/ Children's reactions

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 176472

> 
> Julie:
> I have never heard this quote from JKR, but if she did say it,
> then I'm really confused! After all, when Severus complained
> to Lily that James and his friends weren't as wonderful as 
> everyone thought they were, Lily says "They don't use Dark
> Magic though." Yet James and Sirius hexed other students in
> the hallways just for fun. Fred and George certainly hexed
> plenty of people. Hermione jinxed the DA parchwment which
> eventually gave Marietta long-lasting pustule eruptions and
> permanent scarring. And Ginny is a master at jinxes...
> 
> So which is it? If all hexes, jinxes and curses are Dark
> Magic, then why did Lily differentiate between the magic
> performed by Severus's Slytherin friends and the magic 
> performed by James and Co, when both were at least on the
> level of hexes meant *specifically* to cause pain and/or
> humiliation, however minor. And if all of it is Dark Magic,
> why does the Hogwarts staff allow this continual practice
> of Dark Magic by students against students to go on year
> after year? (Though it does explain why the students all 
> need to take DADA, since they need that knowledge simply
> to survive their daily lives!)
> 
> I think there must be some dividing line between the usual
> hexes and jinxes students perform on each other at school
> on a regular basis (such as the twins hexes, Ginny's jinxes,
> etc), and that which Lily referred to as something of a 
> more sinister variety, "Dark Magic." I just don't have the
> least idea where that dividing line lies--and perhaps neither
> does JKR!
> 

>From the website:
Section: Extra Stuff
Spell Definitions
Every now and then somebody asks me for the difference between a 
spell, a charm and a hex. Within the Potter world, the boundaries 
are flexible, and I imagine that wizards may have their own ideas. 
Hermione-ish, however, I've always had a working theory:

Spell:
The generic term for a piece of magic.

Charm:
Does not fundamentally alter the properties of the subject of the 
spell, but adds, or changes, properties. Turning a teacup into a rat 
would be a spell, whereas making a teacup dance would be a charm. 
The grey area comes with things like 'Stunning Spells', which on 
balance I think are Charms, but which I call spells for alliterative 
effect.

Hexes:
Has a connotation of dark magic, as do jinxes, but of a minor sort. 
I see 'hex' as slightly worse. I usually use 'jinx' for spells whose 
effects are irritating but amusing.

Curses:
Reserved for the worst kinds of dark magic.


Alla:

I think this is a quote Potioncat was talking about, and if it is 
then I have no problem accepting that Lily was differentiating 
between what Sev's friends did and Marauders did.

But of course I agree that JKR's definition of dark magic is how to 
put it? Not very precise  IMO.

Hexes have connotation of dark magic and so do jinxes, yes? The 
curses are supposedly the worst ( my guess is that is what Muliciber 
did), BUT just read what JKR wrote about jinxes - those effects are 
irritating but amusing.


Sooooo, minor Dark magic **can** be amusing?



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Zara" <zgirnius at ...> wrote:
<SNIP>
>> I have two nephews, ages 9 and 10, who are readers of the HP 
series, 
> and I vacationed with them in August shortly after we had all read 
> DH. My sister, my son (not yet old enough to read, but has seen a 
> couple of the movies) and I were discussing Snape as a mean 
teacher 
> when the 9 year old interrupted me indignantly mid-sentence to 
> say, 'but he's very, very good!'. The ten year old nodded 
agreement. 

Alla:

Fascinating Zara, thanks for sharing. I have to say though that from 
the children reactions I heard about and again this is NOT by any 
means statistics, I heard from several people here ( on list) I 
mean, and asked couple colleagues, so it probably comes to no more 
than seven or eight kids all together, your nephew is the first one 
to express liking of Snape.

Truly, it is not like I even asked those kids myself, as I could 
influence them or something, with my, you know, extreme dislike of 
Snape. This is the first time I hear of young reader being 
sympathetic towards Snape. Again, maybe there are hundred kids who 
love him, it is just first experience for me. Ever. I am not talking 
about sixteen seventeen year olds by the way, I am cutting off my 
imaginary research say fourteen years old :)


zgirnius: 
> I think that kids, like adults, probably have a variety of 
responses 
> to the books based on what interests them and what they value. 

Alla:

Well, of course, but I was thinking that some similarities on some 
issues may show up, maybe I was completely wrong, you know?

Like I was thinking that young readers so far ( those whose 
reactions I heard) do not like Snape :)


> --zgirnius, who will be careful not to badmouth Sev around her 
fierce 
> nephew in the future.
>


Alla:

Heeee. I wonder, did your nephew like Snape before DH as well?


Carol:
<SNIP>
> I agree that kids' reactions are interesting and I look forward to
> reading more of them, but I think we should examine what they're
> reacting *to*. What are their expectations, what shaped those
> expectations, and how do they differ from adult expectations? 
<SNIP>


Alla:

Oh, I see what you are saying. Makes sense, yes.