Dark Book, was Re: Dark Magic (+ a little Marietta)/Karma and the Twins

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 176913

lizzyben wrote:
> 
> Yes. That moment is the moment when Hogwarts almost descends into
mob violence & massacre. And no one, including the author, seems to
realize it. I honestly think we are supposed to cheer there. 
> 
> Here we have a situation of extreme stress & tension - the Death
Eaters are about to attack. And here are the Slytherin students, the
"other", associated w/Death Eaters, Dark Arts, EVIL in general, and
one just tried to point out our hero to the bad guys. And the new
headmaster has just threatened to kill any Slytherin student who
opposes their side. And 3/4 of the school has just risen and pointed
their weapons at the table of Slytherin students. And every single one
of those children has learned and practiced Unforgiveable Curses. <snip>

Carol responds:

I agree with you to some extent--McGonagall [the interim headmistress,
not the new "headmaster"--I thought for a moment that you meant Snape]
is assuming the worst of the Slytherins based on one student's (Pansy
Parkinson's) behavior, and she has become rather murderous here, ready
to kill even first-years, apparently, if they side with Voldemort.
(The likelihood of their doing so, given Slughorn as their HoH and no
known DE parents other than Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle, is rather
slim, however.) I dislike Mcgonagall's behavior from the moment she
calls Harry's Crucio gallant. Her behavior--dismissing the entire
House and allowing the other students to point wands at them--suggests
that, in her view, the Slytherins are guilty until proven innocent.
Whether the reader is supposed to approve of her conduct or not is
another matter. I certainly didn't and don't. The best that can be
said of it is that it allowed all but three Slytherins to escape from
the battle without choosing a side, along with the younger students
from all the Houses and the older students from G, R, and H who were
either cowardly or uncommitted.

But I think you're assuming a bit much in stating that "every single
one of those children has learned and practiced Unforgiveable Curses."
After all, Snape has been the headmaster for the entire year and he
has promised Dumbledore that he'll protect the Hogwarts students. He
would do as much as he could to control the Carrows. He would, for
example, make sure that the curses that the new "DADA" teacher, Amycus
Carrow, taught were "age appropriate," just as Umbridge had tried to
do at the opposite extreme the previous year. Learning *about* the
Unforgiveable Curses was supposed to be reserved for the sixth year
(see GoF), so, under Snape (hired by the new Ministry, which still
includes Umbridge as Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, actually
*learning* those curses would probably be reserved for sixth and
seventh years. After all, Snape is attempting to maintain a
respectable front and at the same time, avert the suspicions of the
DEs that he's undermining them.

At any rate, there's no indication that Neville, for example, has
"learned and practiced Unforgiveable Curses." Not even Draco, who has
been forced by Voldemort to use the Cruciatus Curse outside of school,
is accused of using it on fellow students. Only Crabbe and Goyle are
mentioned as doing so. Also, Fake!Moody tells the fourth-year
Gryffindors that Avada Kedavra requires both power and the will to
kill and doubts that all of them saying it together and pointing their
wands at him would result in so much as a nosebleed. Harry, after
performing his first successful, says that "you have to really mean it." 

So, yes, I can understand your being upset by McGonagall's attitude
and I can't disprove your assumption that we're supposed to approve of
it. But let's not exaggerate. Snape is a good guy. He's not going to
let the Carrows teach the Unforgiveable Curses to underage students.
Just as he found a reason to get Carrow to stop Crucioing Harry and
get all the DEs off the Hogwarts grounds in HBP, it stands to reason
that he would argue that it was undesirable to teach students with
wizarding blood to kill and torture one another in the corridors. If
nothing else, he might suggest that the other three Houses would gang
up on the Slytherins.

We have no evidence that any student other than Crabbe and Goyle used
the Cruciatus Curse on any other. No one states that they used the
Imperius Curse. And until the scene in the RoR, there's no indication
that even Crabbe has attempted to kill anybody. No one has been killed
on Hogwarts grounds during Snape's time as headmaster, and most of the
torturing has been done by the Carrows.

I'm not sure what spells the adult Order members are using, but
Neville and the DA members are not using Unforgiveable Curses.
Neville, in fact, fights with either plants or the Sword of Gryffindor.

Carol, reading "we duel to kill" as applying only to staff and "of
age" students