Lily, Sev, Mary, dark magic
(Anonymous)
All those comments tell us are what Severus and Lily each personally BELIEVE it to have been. It is all hearsay. And neither of them was present when it happened, so it is all belief, nothing grounded in direct witnessing.
Presumably, since Mary is also in Gryffindor, Lily saw the direct after-effects of whatever was done to Mary. Maybe Mary went into the Gryffindor Common Room crying her eyes out and sought solace from her fellow girlfriends there, like Lily. Seeing a distressed Mary and comforting her would obviously colour Lily's take on things.
Lily thinks it was evil dark magic (and seems to think all dark magic is evil; whether all dark magic actually is evil is never directly answered in the text).
I disagree, I think it is answered in the text. The Unforgivables are obviously Dark Magic, so is 'Sectumsempra' (because its effects are so ghastly, it literally cuts people up). Of course none of that excuses Gryffindors behaving like pillocks to anyone else, or using 'ordinary' magic to be a pain in the butt.
But I believe the reason why JKR paints Dark Magic as evil in the series is this: she doesn't want her fictional witchcraft being perceived as evil. So she contrasts Dark Magic, i.e. magic that hurts people, with the 'ordinary' but powerful magic that her wizards use because that's what and who they are: they are magical people who can do magic! And there's nothing evil about magic in this universe, except when it's used to hurt people and when it is used deliberately in the service of evil, e.g. Dark Magic. As a practising Christian, I found this point quite an important one from the author.
The text doesn't say, so it's all speculation and interpretation.
Well, fine. I have no problem with that. Except I suppose that we have to come down on one side or the other, LOL. Either the reader gives Lily the benefit of the doubt, i.e. that her concerns about Mulciber and Avery had substance, or not.
-- Pearlette
Presumably, since Mary is also in Gryffindor, Lily saw the direct after-effects of whatever was done to Mary. Maybe Mary went into the Gryffindor Common Room crying her eyes out and sought solace from her fellow girlfriends there, like Lily. Seeing a distressed Mary and comforting her would obviously colour Lily's take on things.
Lily thinks it was evil dark magic (and seems to think all dark magic is evil; whether all dark magic actually is evil is never directly answered in the text).
I disagree, I think it is answered in the text. The Unforgivables are obviously Dark Magic, so is 'Sectumsempra' (because its effects are so ghastly, it literally cuts people up). Of course none of that excuses Gryffindors behaving like pillocks to anyone else, or using 'ordinary' magic to be a pain in the butt.
But I believe the reason why JKR paints Dark Magic as evil in the series is this: she doesn't want her fictional witchcraft being perceived as evil. So she contrasts Dark Magic, i.e. magic that hurts people, with the 'ordinary' but powerful magic that her wizards use because that's what and who they are: they are magical people who can do magic! And there's nothing evil about magic in this universe, except when it's used to hurt people and when it is used deliberately in the service of evil, e.g. Dark Magic. As a practising Christian, I found this point quite an important one from the author.
The text doesn't say, so it's all speculation and interpretation.
Well, fine. I have no problem with that. Except I suppose that we have to come down on one side or the other, LOL. Either the reader gives Lily the benefit of the doubt, i.e. that her concerns about Mulciber and Avery had substance, or not.
-- Pearlette