Half-Blood Prince

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 183802


> Pippin:
> >  Snape's association with Sectum Sempra was generally known. Lupin
> declares that it's a specialty of his in DH. <snip>
> 
> Carol responds:
> 
> That statement has always bothered me. Lupin didn't know, any more
> than Sirius Black did, that Snape had been a DE, and Severus could
not have performed a Dark Curse that Madam Pomfrey couldn't heal at
> Hogwarts without being expelled. (The little cut on James's cheek
> doesn't count; clearly he was not "cut always.")

Pippin:
But clearly it *is* supposed to count. Why else would JKR have had
Snape cause that particular injury? If I know anything about young
men, James would have been mortified to go to Madame Pomfrey over a
slight cut on his cheek. As for squealing on a classmate, he'd have
died first. 

Snape and everybody else who used the curse at Hogwarts was probably
just a lot more careful with it than Harry was, knowing that if they
did  permanent damage with it they'd be expelled. After all, a lot of
the magic they use could be damaging if mishandled -- you could stun
or petrify someone so they fell down the stairs or over a parapet, you
could poison them with any number of potions, and so on. 

Pippin