Bathroom scene again WAS: Re:Weasley Family Dynamics/To t...

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 165094

 
> > Pippin:
> > Then using an illegal spell is a victimless crime? 
> 
> Amiable Dorsai:
> How does Hermione's speculation that Levicorpus might not be "Ministry
> approved" (whatever that means) make Sectumsempra is an "illegal spell"?

Pippin:
Fair point. The ads in the Rumors section of JKR's website suggest that
ministry approval is advisory only -- or it may be advisory for qualified
wizards and mandatory for others, or maybe it's like the flying car and
it's okay to study unapproved spells as long as you don't use them. 
I speculate. But it still means the burden is on Harry to know whether 
the spell is safe to use or not.

Amiable Dorsai:
> Pretty good analogy, except that Harry only got into the car in
> desperation when Draco was actively trying to run him down, Draco was
> in full possession of his faculties when he tried to run Harry down,
> and we (and Harry) have exactly zero knowledge of the legal status of
> the spell.
>

Pippin:
You make it sound like Harry looked up as he fell and saw Sectum
Sempra written on the ceiling. He had the spell "up his sleeve" as
Ginny puts it, and he'd put it there with no intention
of testing it to see  whether it was relatively harmless before 
trying it. He just assumed that it was. That assumption was not 
only stupid, it was negligent, IMO. 

I'm no expert, but it seems that in the UK and the US, only the 
use of  reasonable force is justified in defending oneself from attack. 
Harry thought he was using reasonable force but that itself was not 
a reasonable assumption, and Harry should have known that.

Pippin