Snape's Role/ dark magic

[prep0strus]

No: HPFGUIDX 176482


> 
> Alla:
> 
> Eh, as I said upthread I agree that JKR definition of dark magic is 
> not very precise, but no I do not agree that it makes no sense. I say 
> sometimes it does and sometimes it does not.
> 

Prep0strus:

As I read through the books, I think I kept an idea in the back of my
head of the Piers Anthony series, 'Incarnation of Immortality'.  In it
there was dark and light magic - and the dark came from Satan, and
using it accrued evil on your soul, and the light came from god and
did not.  You get the feeling the dark magic is seductive - maybe a
little easier, sometimes more powerful, or able to accomplish things
light magic couldn't.  'Good' characters certainly used dark magic to
achieve 'good' goals - but they did pay for it with evil tallied to
their souls.

Not being conscious of it, the way we can be when we have previous
feelings from another source, I think that's how I felt throughout the
books.  The dark magic actually came from a different source, that it
actually was 'evil' inherently.  That minor jinxes and the junk the
twins pulled were just twists within the system of good magic, and the
dark stuff was scarier - and cost you something, the way murdering
someone tears your soul.

At least, that's how I felt until book 7.  And after that... it just
doesn't make sense to me.  Just as it doesn't make sense that every
book we can see Harry struggle over and over to turn a new small
animal into a new household object, but he can perform an Imperius
curse on a battle-tested Death Eater never having been taught how and
never having practiced it.  Aside from the moral implications that I
felt were implied by the previous books with unforgiveable curses, I
did feel that performing magic that was 'dark' would have some
legitimate impact as well.  Perhaps I even thought we'd see the
difference in this book - how Dumbledore's magic was good, and
Voldemorte's was bad, and what the difference really was.  The lines
were blurred in this book, and I don't think in a good way.  Sometimes
moral greyness is wonderful, and the world becomes more complex.  But
with this issue, like so many others, I think JKR set something up to
be a certain way, changed it without explanation, and has left many of
us either disappointed or just scratching our heads.

~Adam, who's desperately trying to keep up with posts, but not usually
doing a good enough job to have time left over to post himself