Black Magic: A Guide to the Dark Arts

Black Magic: A Guide to the Dark Arts

The Dark Arts are magical concepts used for evil intent. They are spells and rituals specifically designed to harm people in a variety of ways. These fall into one of three categories: to control, to hurt or to kill. In Harry Potter, we have seen numerous spells in which you have to be in the proper mindset in order to cast them, whether the emotion is happiness, anger, or something in between. The Cruciatus Curse is an example of having to hate in order to cast it properly [HP5]. However, it is my belief that it is not just the spell that can be classified as a Dark Art. A person's state of mind is just as important when casting it. If someone wants to control, cause pain or kill someone; then plausibly they can do it with the flick of a wand and the magic words.

Why are the Dark Arts seen as evil? Well, first we must define what evil is. It is a wicked deed, harmful, morally bad. Unpleasant, to say the least. We have seen the Dark Arts as an unjust means to control, hurt and kill. Therefore, we can say they are evil.

However, do those who use the Dark Arts see them as evil? To the Good side of the Wizarding World, they indeed are. It is doubtful that Death Eaters think of them that way. The main distinguishing factor is morals. Can you kill someone for something you believe in? Can you control someone to achieve your aims? The question is not 'can you,' it is 'should you.' Have all other avenues been explored? Are there no other ways to get your viewpoint across?

Voldemort and his Death Eaters delight in the torture and anguish they dish out in their campaign. Look at the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup playing with the Muggles [HP4]. They enjoyed the humiliation they were giving and were not working to a specific cause. Their aim was pleasure in their evil-doing. I believe a distinction has to be drawn out between the crusaders and the rebels. The rebels, (i.e. Death Eaters) enjoy doling out the Dark Arts. Therefore, I believe that this makes the pursuit pure evil, an inexcusable event. Not that those crusaders using the Dark Arts could be excused. It would just be easier to see the why behind their actions.

State of mind is important for casting Dark Arts spells. It is choice and intent that dictates how these spells are cast, as well as harmless spells that are manipulated to be harmful. The Dark Arts make you want to control, hurt and kill. The more you continue down this route, the easier it becomes to get into the correct mindset. It would also take a broken mind to condone such actions.

Any spell could prove to be detrimental in the right circumstances. Intent is the main factor separating spells. For example, Ron using the Levitation Spell on the troll [HP1]. Wingardium Leviosa is an innocent spell. Something used to make a feather float on the air. However, what if the club had hit Harry or Hermione? The effect could have been disastrous. This does not make Wingardium Leviosa a dark spell though. There are spells specifically designed to either control, hurt or kill. Normal spells do not have that kind of background. The Cruciatus Curse, however, causes unimaginable pain [HP4]. Not something to use daily. The books also detail how the three purely Dark spells have long-term effects. We have seen that Crucio can cause insanity when the victim has prolonged exposure to it, using the Longbottoms as examples [HP5]. Imperio can induce madness; Mr. Crouch's spectacular rendition in the chapter titled 'The Madness of Mr. Crouch' [HP4] should offer enough proof. Avada Kedavra, the killing curse, kills you, forever. It cannot get more long-term than that. Can we say that 'normal' magic would have such an effect intentionally?

What have we seen that constitutes a Dark Art? The list includes Imperio, Crucio, Avada Kedavra, Horcruxes, the Rebirth Ritual and Sectumsempra. So why are the first three Dark? Well, they are Unforgivable for a reason. Taking away free will, giving intense pain and causing death.

The reasons why the Unforgivable Curses are so bad are not just the effects the Curses have on the victims, but the effects they have on the caster as well. The caster must be in the proper mindset for the desired result to occur. These people must wish to control, cause pain or kill someone. This state of mind implies that if the person responsible can think of killing and carry it off, then what else can they do? Relatively simple spells can be manipulated to be harmful. The Unforgivables, however, have symbolism behind what they do; they control, they hurt and they kill, which provides the basic structure of the Dark Arts definition.

In the Muggle World, examples of the most common deaths, besides age and illness, are car accidents and drunken stupidity. In general, they are accidental. If someone, anyone, in the Wizarding World can make themselves hate enough to cause a death via the Avada Kedavra, then the cause of death can escalate into so much more. These curses cannot be blocked by magical means, making them all the more daunting. Wizards and witches would feel defenceless, forcing a more poignant point from the Dark Magicians.

Some might say that the best defence for the Avada Kedavra is to move out of the way of its path. However, how fast do spells travel? I have gained the impression from the 'Harry Potter' books that spells are made up of light. Does this mean that they travel at the speed of light? If this is the case, then pretty fast would be an understatement. How then, would a normal magical person move themselves out of the way in time? Apparition could be an option. Though, could a wizard keep in control of himself to be able to perform such a feat? Remember the three Ds: destination, determination, and deliberation [HP6]. You would need to keep your head about you to apparate without splinching yourself whilst spells were coming at you at break-neck speeds. The Unforgivable Curses perpetuate fear. If you saw a streak of green coming towards you, it could, quite literally, scare you stiff.

Magic is a revered possession in the Wizarding World. The lack of knowledge in Muggle concepts creates a loop: they desire to do everything with a wand and that desire produces a block to learning Muggle ways. When something so precious to the people can be manipulated into hurting or killing others, it becomes something to be feared.

The Imperius Curse is, perhaps, the tamest of the Unforgivables. That is not to say that it is not potent though. It is possible to shake it off with a determined mind and its pain is purely psychological. However, it could be argued that this is an altogether more lasting pain than the physical counterpart of the Cruciatus. The vast majority of the population do not have the strength of mind to battle Imperio. They could be forced, by an evil person, to maim themselves or people they are close to. They could be demanded to perform detrimental acts under its influence that they otherwise would not. The damage to the mind after the acts had been committed could, perhaps, be worse than any physical pain. They would have to live with whatever they had done.

The Cruciatus Curse stimulates the worst kind of pain all over the body, stretching the body's resistance. To cast it, the person must want to cause this pain to the victim wholly. The hate they feel must be real. The Longbottoms were driven insane by it. Other torture forms cause pain in a specific place, in a specific way. For example, a knife stab has a central, intense pain around the entry point. Crucio would cause that intensification every place on the body.

Killing in any form is a detestable act. The Avada Kedavra is the worst one could come across. The result is death to the victim. The caster's mind has to be in a warped mindset to actually perform the curse. The caster fragments their soul, willingly and intentionally with this curse [HP6]. So not only the victim is destroyed through the curse, but the instigator is as well.

It is not just spells that are incorporated into the Dark Arts category. Horcruxes are as much a part of it as Avada Kedavra is. A Horcrux requires splitting your soul after killing someone [HP6]. There is a direct link to one of the Unforgivables there, (i.e. the Killing Curse). It takes something out of you and makes you lose your innocence. To physically take a piece out of yourself, you would separate a part of your being, your essence. You would not be entirely human anymore. Also, why would someone want to create a Horcrux? Immortality. Ultimately, greed. Why would someone want to live forever? It's a selfish concept, to kill so you won't die. Therefore, I feel safe placing it amongst the Dark Arts.

We have seen the direct rebirth of Voldemort. How do we know this is Dark? Well, look at the wording:

Bone of father, unknowably taken,

Flesh of servant, willingly given,

Blood of enemy, forcibly taken [HP4].

The entire concept is based on grave robbing, decapitation and loss of free will. Again, there is another link to an Unforgivable Curse, (i.e. Imperio). Even if one is willing, the whole concept is Necromantic, firmly placing it on the side of the Dark.

The Latin connotations of Sectumsempra are sectus: to cut and sempra: always [HP Lexicon]. It leaves a certain amount of scarring and it is used for 'enemies' [HP6]. Snape specifically created the spell for such use. The 'always' in the name implies it is a long-term spell. This, I would say, categorises it as a Dark spell.

All the spells described above link into what I have defined a Dark Art to be. Therefore, my conclusions about the individual spells reflect that.

What is the big deal with killing? Compared to Muggles, the Wizarding World has a low population count. To lose people by unnatural means instead of by age is unusual, especially as they live so long. Voldemort, reportedly [HP1], caused so much disarray with this that the community is afraid to speak his name even after his downfall. To further this, wizards and witches feel that their bloodlines are very important. Who would carry on the family name and blood if people kept getting killed?

The Dark Arts can come in several forms but they all revolve around the same premises; namely, they control, hurt and kill. They have detrimental effects on both the victim and the caster to large extents over a long time period. Combating them could prove to be problematic but the main problem they present is the state they require the caster to be in when the casting is being done. The effects on this person's mind could escalate to disastrous proportions and cause a much greater problem in the future.

Reference List:

[HP1] Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

[HP4] Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

[HP5] Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

[HP6] Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

[HP Lexicon] www.hp-lexicon.org