On Human Sacrfice and Dark Magic

[annoni_no]

I've spent some time archive binging recently and got to thinking about what the new conclusions meant for old issues that weren't directly addressed.  In particular, I was reminded of all the old complaints about Lily's sacrifice being held up as exceptional even though most parents would die for their children.  And if sacrificial magic is as

Comments

[vermouth1991]

You want the short story? Nothing was specified in canon. Which wouldn't be that bad a thing, except we're never really lacking of cases where a mother throws her child out of the way when an incoming bus comes crashing through.

[annoni_no]

Lily's sacrifice and the protective magic it produced is the only reason we have a plot. And we do have the counter example of the German mother who likewise threw herself in front of a killing curse for her children, but did not generate the protective magic that saved Harry.

These are both irrefutably canon. As is the classification of human sacrifice as Dark magic, and the information on what Dark magic entails (intent and will).

What's your explanation for why one differed from the other?

[jana_ch]

I don’t remember any canon explanation about what Dark magic entails, at all. We are told that in order to perform Cruciatus, “you have to mean it,” but that’s only one Dark spell, and it was presented as a bit of mockery in battle from someone not known for clarity of mind. All theories about chaos and intent and will-even the idea that children’s accidental magic is Dark-is fanon speculation. JKR’s refusal to define Dark magic in any meaningful way is one of the biggest failures of her world-building. Fans have done yeoman’s service trying to make sense of it, but it remains fanon, not canon. It’s one of the many reasons I prefer good fanfic to the actual books.

[annoni_no]

I could have sworn Snape said something to similar effect in his introductory speech to his DADA class. If you say he didn't, I'll believe you since I don't have the books to double check.

I will say that Bellatrix's statement is at least consistent with what we saw of Harry's casting. Yes, he was furious with her and (a part of) him wanted to hurt her horribly, but mostly he was in a general turmoil over Sirius's death. So, he got a little effect, but he couldn't sustain it because he wasn't focused on it.

Also, it's more reasonable than not to assume that assume that she's well versed in the Dark Arts, and "You have to mean them," sounds about as foundational as saying, "If you want to use a computer, you have to turn it on."

*shrugs* I wouldn't take any detailed statements at face value from her, but we know she's functioning well enough at this point to be sent on the raid and act effectively. I think the general concept can be trusted as largely factual, if over-simplified and incomplete.

[jana_ch]

Bellatrix’s mocking comment tossed off in battle is doubtless true in itself, but it’s a slim reed to base an entire theory of Dark magic on. Too bad we have nothing better.

[vermouth1991]

'The Dark Arts,' said Snape, 'are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.'

[oryx_leucoryx]

Well, the German mother was probably a Muggle, so why should her sacrifice have magical effects? No magical energy at work.

[annoni_no]

Fair enough, but more depressing than I'd like. Personally, I would prefer the magic/lack of magic distinction to affect the power of the effect, if anything. Potterverse wizards/witches are already pretty Sue-like with so few restrictions on their magic.

Although, that still leaves the entire wizarding population throughout history, and they don't exactly have a pacifist culture. From the little bits of history we hear in the books, it seems unlikely they ever did. So why does no one seem to know about the power of sacrifice out of love?

[oryx_leucoryx]

Funny thing is that when Harry mentioned it to Diary!Tom, the latter acknowledged such an effect should be possible, so Tom's research in the Dark Arts by age 16 or so did point in that general direction (also supporting sacrificial magic being related to the Dark Arts, whether Rowling likes it or not).

[annoni_no]

Of course, we also know Tom was doing some rather specialized research at about that age, if not earlier

[oryx_leucoryx]

My view is that one of the things that Severus did to protect Harry from DEs was to start a whispering campaign that they might find Harry useful in some way. Or maybe Albus was responsible for the rumors. I think wizards believed so strongly in Harry's specialness because there was a deliberate effort to cause them to embrace this interpretation rather than the maternal sacrifice version.