help with JKR quote/ Children's reactions

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 176563

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lizzyben04" <lizzyben04 at ...> wrote:

 
Alla:
> > No, it really does not mean that to me. It is your conjecture that
> > Marauders Map and Animagi are dark magic, and as far as I am
> > concerned it is not supported by canon. My opinion obviously.

lizzyben: 

<snip>
 
> Now let's listen to Snape's diagnosis of the Marauder's Map:
> 
>      Snape pointed at the parchment, on which the words of Messrs.
> Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were still shining. An odd,
> closed expression appeared on Lupin's face.
>      "Well?" said Snape.
>      Lupin continued to stare at the map. Harry had the impression that
> Lupin was doing some very quick thinking.
>      "Well?" said Snape again. "This parchment is plainly full of Dark
> Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do
> you imagine Potter got such a thing?"
>      Lupin looked up and, by the merest half-glance in Harry's
> direction, warned him not to interrupt.
>      "Full of Dark Magic?" he repeated mildly. "Do you really think so,
> Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment
> that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous?
> I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop—"
> 
> Lupin is lying his head off here, of course.  Not only about the makers
> of the item, but also about the *nature* of the item.  Why? Does he know
> that the map's real function *does* use Dark Magic?   Mr. Weasley &
> Snape even use the same phrase to diagnosis these objects - the item is 
> "full of Dark Magic." Both items "think for themselves" and can respond
> to questions on their own.  You can't see where either item "keeps its
> brain" or who  is actually behind the item.  

<snip>

> Marauder's Map:
>      ""Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to
> yield the information you conceal!" Snape said, hitting the map with his
> wand.
>       As though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared
> on the smooth surface of the map.
>      "Mooney presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him
> to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."
>      Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbstruck, at the message. But the map
> didn't stop there. More writing was appearing beneath the first. "
> 
> They work in almost the same exact way - someone asks a question or
> makes a comment, and the item responds with the personality of its
> maker. Both are seemingly blank, but writing appears when the object
> wishes to respond. There are a *number* of parallels here - are we
> really not supposed to notice these similarities?

Geoff:
I have seen the thought expressed that whether a spell of some sort is 
dark depends on its use - that some magic used widely can be turned 
to the wrong use and may not be inherently dark.

On this question my mind turned to a real world parallel and I thought 
of the Marauders' Map as a kind of Hogwarts' SatNav system.

Its basic function is to show information as to the whereabouts of a person. 
This is not wrong.  We know, for example, that Harry's exploration of the 
Map out of curiosity revealed the fact that Peter Pettigrew was still alive and 
hence the fact that Sirius was innocent of his murder. This is hardly dark.

We also know that Harry did use the Map to try to spy on Draco's movements. 
Is this dark - or plain nosiness?

And the message to Snape? Looking at a real world SatNav system, these 
have pre-programmed responses built in which are linked to the information 
requested. Perhaps the Map has magic included to trigger these rather 
adolescent replies. After all, it didn't react until Snape had announced to 
the Map who he was and he Map picked up on this information to include 
in its reply. This to me suggests that the Map was in a different league to 
the Diary which, being a Horcrux, was a dark object by definition.