Wandlore and more

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 185398


> 
> Magpie:
> Or else Snape was just wrong and Harry had both the nerve and the 
> ability. It's not like Snape's ever been a particularly good judge
of  Harry's character--how would he know? He's taunting him.

Pippin:
That's a good point. If the Mirror of Erised had been plopped in front
of Harry as he crucio'd Amycus he'd probably have seen himself exactly
as he was. That wouldn't have been the case with Bella and Snape --
what he wanted then was that Sirius and Dumbledore wouldn't have died. 

But I think crucio, like some other spells, may take some practice
even if you are properly motivated. Neville says that they are
supposed to *practice* on students held in detention. That would risk
permanent damage if the students were actually good at it, something
Neville says they are supposed to avoid.

Usually, when Harry fails at some magic he wanted to use, he practices
until he gets it right. He didn't do that with the crucio or imperius
curses, and I think that's where his moral quality shows. Most of the
time, he didn't care to be skilled with those curses, just as he
didn't want to be skilled at the dark magic Slytherin was known for.
My theory is just that using Draco's wand may have been a shortcut to
acquiring the necessary skill.

But Draco did want those skills -- at least until he discovered they
would be put to Voldemort's uses, not his own. 

The moral question in the Potterverse is not whether Harry has an
ability but whether he can  recognize when using it would be wrong. 
Of course, knowing something is wrong is not always enough to keep
someone from doing it, and I think that's what JKR is interested in
here. Harry didn't cast the crucio in cold blood.  We're told the
blood was thundering through his brain.

Pippin