Dark Magic, Dark Wizards (was: Philosophy of Dumbledore)

[Pippin]

No: HPFGUIDX 179584

muscatel1988:

> The problem I have, and the problem that Betsy Hp referred
> to, is that the *author* doesn't seem to have decided what
> the moral rules of her universe are.  What exactly about
> Dark Magic makes it bad?  <snip>....JKR does not provide
> us with the means to determine what makes a spell Dark.

Pippin Fowler:
It seems to me from the short menu of Unforgiveable Curses
that some readers may be looking for more in 'Dark Magic'
and 'Dark Wizards' than JKR intended to place there. What
makes magic dark? It causes pain (Cruciatus), it controls
someone else's mind (Imperius), or it kills (AK). What makes
a wizard 'dark'? His or her wanton uses of these curses.

muscatel1988:
> Sectumsempra is depicted as a pretty nasty device, one that
> we'd be tempted to regard as Dark.

Pippin Fowler:
Sectumsempra is also considered 'dark' by the author.

"Mrs. Weasley looked around and said, 'I can't make it [George's
ear] grow back, not when it's been removed by Dark Magic. But it
could have been so much worse....He's alive.'" (DH Fallen Warrior)

I wonder if Snape had the ability to restore George's ear, as he
healed the Malfoy boy.

muscatel1988:
> For many here, Marietta's fate was richly deserved, and I
> don't want to debate it, because that's not the point. The
> point is that we're supposed to think it's deserved because
> it was carried out by the White Hats - it's who does it and
> who it's done to that make it acceptable, not the procedure
> itself.

Pippin Fowler:
I believe we're supposed to think it's deserved because Marietta
Edgecombe was betraying Dumbledore's Army to Umbridge. Should Cho
Chang get at least some of the blame for Marietta's blemishes?--

"Her friend Marietta looked at them rather sourly and turned
away.
"'Don't mind her,' Cho muttered. 'She doesn't really want to be
here but I made her come with me. Her parents have forbidden her
to do anything that might upset Umbridge, you see--her mum works
for the Ministry.'" (OotP Dumbledore's Army)

muscatel1988:
> The ritual that restores Voldemort to full size and strength
> in the graveyard reeks of Black Magic - "blood of the enemy
> forcibly taken, bone of the father unwillingly given", all
> that.  But there's another spell in canon that falls under
> the traditional classification of Black Magic, the one which
> uses a body part of another person, the one that is essentially
> identity theft: the Polyjuice Potion.

Pippin Fowler:
A potion is a thing. Things have no inherent good or evil. Like
a knife, they can be used many ways with many intentions.

muscatel1988:
>  Voldemort's ritual is bad because he does it.

Pippin Fowler:
Robbing graves and forced body part and blood donations are
generally frowned upon by some people, myself included.

Is there more Dark Magic than the Unforgivable Curses and
Snape's slashing invention? Yes, I think so, but then we get
into matters of intent and morality, and what is good or
wicked depends on one's point of view.

Pippin Fowler