When evaluating whether or not war is justified, one must first ask: what is a sufficient provocation to use force? And if there is enough provocation and one enters into wartime, how can one use the end goal to justify the amount of irreparable damage done during it? In the wizarding world, there is “often an ambiguity between good and evil, necessary and unnecessary force” (Lytle 45). This issue gets even more confusing when one evaluates what exactly is considered Dark magic and what is not. (Though not properly defined during the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling clarifies later on that the Dark arts include jinxes, hexes, and curses–however, the severity of how “dark” a spell is varies, with jinxes being smaller spells with less damage and curses causing immense damage.)
Notice, of course, that a common misconception of the Dark Arts is that it is, by definition, “evil”. This is not necessarily the case.
To understand this concept better, we must first ask ourselves: what does it mean to be evil? According to the Oxford Dictionary, evil means “profoundly immoral and wicked”. Though it is common for Dark wizards to act “evil” in that they are usually less sensitive to killing, maiming, and overall hurtful actions, this is not a concrete rule.
In some cases, especially in the context of war, it is necessary to use Dark magic. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, both Harry Potter and Professor McGonagall use the Imperius curse (DH). In addition, all members involved in the war had to use attacking spells at some point–likely, these spells were jinxes, hexes, or curses. That being said, it is important that those who use dark magic are not always corrupted by it. Even though our heroes use these spells, they do not face temptation to continue using them when not extremely necessary. The use of these spells is also not reserved to a certain “kind” of wizard–that is, a wizard or witch is not born to perform either Light or Dark magic. It is implied that they can choose to cast either type of spell.
Even the killing curse can be used for good in extreme cases. One of the best examples of this is when Professor Dumbledore asks Snape to kill him. Snape responds with, “And my soul, Dumbledore?” (DH). This line particularly shows the significance and severity of that favor, but Dumbledore insists on Snape performing this act, while knowing that murder would rip Snape’s soul apart (as Voldemort does in creating his Horcruxes). If we know the end goal of that murder is good, can we justify murdering, and thus ripping the soul apart?
Almost all spells can be arguably justifiable. However, the only exception is perhaps the spell which creates a Horcrux. As Professor Slughorn remarks, this fragmentation of the human soul is “an act of violation, it is against nature” (HBP). It is a monstrous life fuelled by selfishness. We can therefore say with certainty that this spell is actually evil in all possible scenarios, as it is “profoundly immoral and wicked”.
We should also consider that though most spells can be justifiable, they are still not ethical. The sole purpose of using the killing curse is to kill, which violates one of the four fundamental principles of ethics: nonmaleficence (Gracyk). Additionally, to use the curse when there are other ways of subduing people is definitely ethically questionable. Crucio, as we can see in the case of the Longbottoms, tortures people to madness, which also violates the principle of nonmaleficence. It is also more harmful than the killing curse if one considers killing a quiet mercy, in comparison to torturing someone to insanity. The Imperius Curse removes free will and thus, violates another fundamental principle of ethics: autonomy (Gracyk).
Another example of how “dark” does not always equate to “evil” is the usage of Dark creatures. Dementors are likely considered Dark creatures, as they live without souls and feed off of others’. Their feeding is called the Dementor’s Kiss, which is considered one one of the most gruesome punishments, as they strip one of their soul. Lupin explains to Harry, “you’ll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no.. .anything. There’s no chance at all of recovery. You’ll just – exist. As an empty shell” (PoA). As described, being “kissed” reduces someone to less than human, “much like a lobotomy” (Lytle 46). In the wizarding community, Dementors are looked down upon, as they are frightening and seemingly “evil”. However, they are also the guards of Azkaban. In this example, they are actually serving the greater good, as they keep the truly “evil” from escaping.
Or, take the Basilisk. Though by nature, they are Dark creatures because they have the ability to petrify and kill, we can assume that they are creatures designed to do the bidding of another. Though Tom Riddle uses the Basilisk to attack muggleborns, we can assume that Salazar Slytherin’s intent for leaving a creature that dangerous is not for it to be used as a weapon. Within the Fantastic Beasts book, while the Basilisk is rated “XXXXX (known wizard killer, uncontrollable, etc)”, it is noted that it was not put in the Chamber to kill, but rather to defend Hogwarts on Salazar Slytherin’s command (FB).
Werewolves are also considered Dark creatures, because as a wolf, they are reduced to senseless killing machines without moral or conscience. However, (Remus Lupin, being an example of this) on nights where they are not turned into wolves, they certainly can have moral conscience; Lupin is, in fact, one of the most moral wizards throughout the series. He also notes that his “wolf” can be influenced by others, as his “mind seemed to become less [dangerous] while [he] was with [his friends as Animagi]” (PoA). This seems to suggest wolves have some sort of consciousness that allows them to be less destructive, and thus humanizes them to some extent.
Lastly, though the Dark arts are often frowned upon–Hogwarts does have a class teaching how to defend against it–in context of the wizarding community as a whole, it is not considered a threat. As Draco Malfoy suggests, the Durmstrang Institute actually teaches it as part of their curriculum, and Borgin and Burkes sells Dark artefacts openly to the public (GoF).
We must therefore consider Dark magic as separate from “evil”. Dark magic, as portrayed throughout Rowling’s Harry Potter series, is a term quite vague. However, Dark spells and Dark creatures can mainly be justified, especially in the context of war. If Voldemort’s regime is causing so much harm to the entire community, it should be considered that fighting his Dark with Dark magic is more ethically sound, as in this case, the main just cause to war is to put right a wrong.
The British Museum of Magical Artefacts 