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Vanishing vs the Unforgivables or more questions about Dark Magic

The World of Severus Snape

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Vanishing vs the Unforgivables or more questions about Dark Magic

[info]oryx_leucoryx
9/14/09 09:27 am
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"Where do Vanished objects go?"
"Into nonbeing, which is to say, everything."

In their 5th year Harry and his classmates learn to Vanish living beings - first snails, then mice. While Vanishing a mammal is difficult and requires more concentration than Vanishing an invertebrate it is still within grasp of the general trained wizard. And what happens to the mouse? It ceases to exist. From McGonagall's reply to the Ravenclaw common room question, it seems to be an irreversible transition. Does this mean that with just a bit more concentration anyone with E or higher on their Transfiguration OWL knows how to magically kill a human being? How is Vanishing different from AK (apart from not leaving a body behind)? Why aren't the students warned against doing it the way Crouch Jr warns them of a mandatory life sentence for performing Unforgivables on human beings?
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  • [info]oryx_leucoryx
    9/14/09 07:39 pm (UTC)
    The reason Vanishing creeps me out more than AK is that without leaving a body as evidence for the act it has the deceptive appearance of 'neatness' that might make it tempting. Hagrid's latest monster is causing trouble? Why don't we vanish it? The neighbor's dog barks into the night, digs up the garden what not? Vanish and it's gone! The neighbor's baby screams at night - er?

    • (Anonymous)
      9/16/09 01:35 am (UTC)
      *vanishes JKR*

      Damn, didn't work. If only it did, and someone thought of it before she finished penning this series. Oh well, there's always fanfic.

    • (Anonymous)
      9/16/09 06:16 am (UTC)
      Star Trek has phasers and disruptors that, under certain circumstances, can also disintegrate people completely. I haven't seen people get all up in arms over that in the fandom, TBH.

      • [info]oryx_leucoryx
        9/16/09 06:25 am (UTC)
        At least those weren't wielded by 15 year-olds, but by trained adults AFAIK. And my impression is that the training of members of the Star Fleet had a stronger ethical element than the Hogwarts curriculum. Had I seen evidence that wizards take the ethics of using magic with any degree of seriousness I wouldn't have been as alarmed at the thought of Vanishing living beings.
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