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To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.fan.harry-potter,alt.magick,alt.magick.chaos,alt.satanism,alt.lucky.w
From: elendraug 
Subject: Dark Arts Hogwarts Representatives (Snape/Slytherin?) (fiction??!) 
Date: Sun, 04 May 2003 01:42:19 GMT

50030503 VII 
potter series chars: Snape, Voldemorte, Dumbledore
              house: Slytherin
              topic: Dark Arts, relative evils, architects
             report: J.K. Rowling (copyright holder)
David:
#> ...If the majority of 'darker' wizards were chosen to 
#> be in Slytherin house, 

according to oldVoldy? 

creeping in the dank corners and sewers of Hogwarts is probably 
pretty exciting for His Majesty's Darkness. something more
impressive is liable to use magic to transport itself to proximity
to humans, dominating our wills to slavery, and perpetrating 
magical deceptions upon *human wizards* as wizards have done 
to those it calls 'muggles' apparently for centuries (is this 
an issue of racism?  some kind of mutant/normal dichotomy?).

after all, why is Harry Potter important as a magician *except*
that his parents defied the slithering pipsqueak etromedloV and,
through a mother's love, cursed him to obsess about and thereafter
be destroyed(?) by her offspring? far more greater evils and 
powers *might* exist, as has already been suggested here. 

it seems indeed valuable to keep one's enemies close to hand. 
a wizarding school might be an ideal place for a renegade 
sorcerer to go astray. you can break in the Defense of Dark 
Arts teachers (exposing frauds, etc.), and do a community 
service all at the same time. presumably, with wizarding 
powers, nobody's going to get hurt too badly, besides.

those Defense of Dark Arts teachers that performed with inferior 
skill did so in manners which were not highly disruptive of the
muggle world, and they seem to have had only minor effects on
that of the wizards, bringing to light many important dynamics,
politically, metaphysically, in the dimension Terra-Potter, as
reported by Rowling. with the revelation of Dobby and slavery
at Hogwarts to the mix, we may wonder where the responsibility 
for the evils of inter-species exploitation begins and ends.

#> why on earth would the professors (apart from those who show 
#> allegiance to V etc,) have in on their conscience to teach 
#> them at Hogwarts?

are you kidding? Hogwarts probably has trouble getting enough
qualified Slytherin students as it is! most of them seem to be
inferior wizards from mean families that are lackies of monsters 
they've got hidden in their basement. their bigotry and haughty
superiority are sure signs of their inability as wizards, yet 
their social position and political connections serve to help 
them achieve at least some of their ends.

Lizard :
# I can think of several reasons:

these are all VERY lovely, thank you. I've titled them and 
added my comments here, extending discussion of the Dark 
Arts in Terra-Potter to occult forums as we examine possible
connections to Terra-Real, as well as to conduct analysis on
the value of magical competition, allies, and adversaries:

# a) [DEFRAYING COMPETITION]
# The thought that, without guidance, they might become even worse -- 
# Slytherin and Hogwarts both provide something to have loyalty to beyond 
# their own ambition, make them part of the larger culture, and thus, more 
# inclined to play by the rules. Absent Slytherin as an 'acceptable' 
# outlet, Hogwarts might find itself in competition with, say, "Malfoy and 
# Crabbes Academy of Sorcery".

apparently there are a number of other European academies which have
more and less Dark Arts practices and focus (as with the German
contingent which shows up in the 3rd or 4th book). it is possible
that England is less suffused with those interested, and it is also
possible that families like the Malfoys and Crabbes want their
children to 'tough it out' by attending an institution which is
at odds with their overall operational philosophy. compare the
secular who send their children to Roman Catholic schools for 
similar reasons, or as is sometimes the case in this illustration,
maybe Hogwarts focusses less on Dark Arts but is seen as providing 
a better or more thorough education on magic as a whole. 
they are certainly getting their share of action at the school! ;>


# b) [ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES]
# Let's face it, there's always a need for bastards who are willing to 
# be on the side, however grudgingly, of the angels. There's a strong 
# implication in Book IV that Snape can do what no one else in 
# Dumbledore's inner circle can, not just due to ability, but due to the 
# fact his personality will let him do the unspeakable things which need 
# to be done to prevent even MORE unspeakable things from being done. 

as a developing apparent Double Agent for Light and Dark Arts, 
Snape is ambivalent as seen with the discerning eye, and a real
asset to Hogwarts. his faithful yet deceptive demeanor always
has the students guessing. Snape's personality and connections
*alone* are probably why Slytherin even exists at Hogwarts. few 
instructors described by Rowling and portrayed in the films are 
as able to maintain the student's attention to their tasks, 
reprimand sternly (if apparently biasedly) while instructing, 
and consistently convince the students of his authority and 
power as a wizard (save but a few noteworthy examples).

most Hogwarts teachers use subtle, exemplary methods which may 
appear lenient given the subject matter, but with remedial 
magic to rely upon, there is quite a bit of latitude, especially 
if the School Nurse if an ally. :> Snape is possibly as misunder-
stood as Dumbledore, but for different reasons. Prof. Snape may 
simultaneously be assuring all those involved with treacheries 
of the imperative data, and yet in at least the films it is 
made very obvious that he is working at odds with at latest 
the minions of YKW. should we really doubt his loyalties 
at this point, given the Headmaster's insight?

# There's plenty of innately evil things lurking in the HP universe beyond 
# just [V---------], so, the 'good guys' will often have a need for 
# someone who can meet the darkest forces on their own level. "It's a 
# dirty job, but somebody has to do it."

has it been established what other things of a malevolent and 
violent nature, skilled in magical use, there might be on or 
beyond Terra-Potter? these reports from Rowling make it obvious 
that at least wizards are taking this feud between the boy and 
the sorcerer quite seriously.

other than a few peculiar unidentified flying vehicle reports 
and the occasional mass-hallucination that recedes into news 
history without any kind of explanation, however, what danger
are they in a real and cosmic sense? what likelihood has there
been that V would have been able to complete the Operations he
was attempting? how much of his power has been wasted in his
futile struggle with the revenge of his evil maturing before him?

if Dumbledore knows more than he lets on, and this is a type
of 'education' he's providing to the wizarding world for a fee;
a suitable entertainment comparable to muggle television, but
with real drama and brushes with real power; then this is in
no way made obvious by Rowling's descriptions, or any additional
material from the films.

supporting a thing whose power and continuation depends upon 
evils such as does oldVoldY, as such an experiment would imply, 
is in any case opposed by most wizards and muggles, but if such 
an extensive experiment showed signs of wear (as may have been 
demonstrated by the Hogwarts Headmaster's temporary removal) 
it would be no real surprise. 

the extent of the "dirty job" you're talking about would seem
to be mediated by Dumbledore's typical role with respect to
cosmic baddies. a focus, therefore, on the background and
alleged exploits of this Headmaster might shed some light on
the matter of Dark Arts' relation to Hogwarts:

	::: reaches for HPatPS, opening it immediately 
	    to the following page and transcribing:::

------------------------------------------------------------

 	              ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
 	              ----------------
              Currently Headmaster of Hogwarts

  Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, 
  Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the
 dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the
  twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy
   with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore
   enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.

------------------------------------------------------------

	   HPatPS (aka HPatSS), by JKRowling,
            AALevine Books, 1998; pp. 102-3.
	=======================================

     ::: puts the book back on the magic shelf :::

so it seems that Professor Dumbledore has a somewhat
lengthy history of wrestling with what are at least
by wizardly trading card manufacturers standards called
'dark wizards', such as Grindelwald and Voldemorte. we 
hear more about Professor Dumbledore's partner Flamel 
in Rowling's account, but I haven't noticed much chamber 
music or very many bowling alley episdoes at Hogwarts. 

1945. does Terra-Potter come after any world wars? 

is there sufficient referential material to place it 
in a Terra-Real timeline and come to some conclusions
about what Grindelwald was doing in 1945, where, and
how Dumbledore foiled him? was this covered in Rowling's
account that I'm forgetting? is Dumbledore running a 
wizard's intelligence operation for the Terra-Potter 
Magic Police, for e.g., by containing a series of 
magical nuisances that he is adequately (uniquely?) 
capable of handling with care?


# c) [CLASSIC PLOT-DEVICE (META)]
# Because in books like this, there's ALWAYS a 
# house/fraternity/wahtever that's set up to be the 
# bad guys. It's a literary law.

and yet Slytherin isn't the only one. we heard about some
other schools, and yet multi-school representation didn't
give the impression that other schools were as diversely-
composed as Hogwarts. the field of vision broadens as the
years of education through Rowling continue, revealing
more and more subtle, more and more sinister evils than
one might at first suspect become apparent in later books.


# d) [REPORT BIAS: WHAT RELATION IS TERRA-POTTER TO TERRA-REAL??]
# We're seeing everything through the viewpoint of Harry 
# and the Gryfindors. 

and, if you like, further embellishment by Rowling (if we
are to regard Terra-Potter as somehow reflective of 
Terra-Real). if so, how has Rowling come into possession 
of this information? is she one of the wizard society 
blowing its cover in an amusing but important manner? 
some identify her in some way with Hermione (through a 
magical link?), so perhaps she and the girl have worked 
together to produce the manuscripts. 

are these wizards the fabled Great White Brotherhood (and 
Great Black Brotherhood?) told of in secret occult societies, 
what are called the "Secret Chiefs", "Hidden (or Celestial)
Masters"? beyond this possibility ....
 
in the books, what you have said here is quite true. 
the perspective of the narrative is rather consistent.
can we catalogue any exceptions where Rowling displays
action that would not have been known to Gryffindors?

# Fifty years from now, a revisionist retelling ala 
# "Wicked" might show a very different side of things...

why wait that long? Malfoy may be an adroit writer,
planning his ascendancy to Beast-hood as we speak,
via his "autohagiography", or one to be commissioned
by his father. "The Wickedest Man in the World" is 
an epithet slung around by *muggle* journalists often 
enough with respect to those it perceives as sorcerers. 

if time can bring attention to scallywags and 
reprobates and recast them into roles of magical power
and prophethood, what bother would it be to invert the
tale of Hidden Masters and their difficulties with
those who jump the rails of their exalted instruction?

just imagine what *actual* dark wizards might say
about the events described in Terra-Potter. it might
be considered an amusing extinguishment of a minor
failed dark wizard (V). that would seem to depend upon
what cognizance the dark wizards have of the actual
entities of power in the universe and their location.

Hogwarts might be something dark wizards tune into,
like television (a comedy about some big, blowhard
wizard slimeball and his difficulties with one of
the students at a white light magic academy head-
mastered by a bumbling but kindly old Magus whose
downfall they have been promised by the last episode).

                             ::: cue laugh track :::
elendraug                         
  member, with Hermione, in the ELF
                                LIR
                                FBO
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