Rare Dark Arts

The Dark Arts, also known as Dark Magic, or Dark Side was a term that referred to any type of magic that was mainly used to cause harm to, exert control over, or even kill people and creatures. Most people who practised what was known as the Dark Arts were evil, but not all.
The Dark Arts commonly referred to spells and actions that could be used to harm others, ranging from the powerful Unforgivable Curses, to brewing dark potions and breeding dark creatures. These acts were often illegal or at least heavily discouraged in the wizarding world. 
Practitioners were referred to as Dark wizards or witches. The most prominent and powerful of these was Lord Voldemort, who was widely considered to be the most evil Dark wizard in all of history. His followers, known as Death Eaters, also heavily practised the Dark Arts.
==Nature of the Dark Arts==
The Dark Arts were generally regarded as corrupting to those who use them (which is part of the reason they are called "dark"). After engaging in them extensively for many years, even Tom Riddle's appearance demonstrated his corruption — he lost his former handsomeness, eventually taking on serpentine physical qualities such as red eyes. 
Albus Dumbledore, in particular, suggested that engaging in any of the Dark Arts that involve murder was damaging to the soul; for instance, he told Severus Snape that Draco Malfoy's soul was "not yet so damaged" that he was probably capable of murder, but that if he did go through with murder, his soul would be "ripped apart". This suggested that using very dark magic, such as the Killing Curse, damaged an individual's soul. The dark art of creating a Horcrux involved literally splitting the soul for the unnatural purpose of achieving immortality. Quirinus Quirrell was interested in dark magic, initially by a theoretical view to gain recognition, but his curiosity turned to avarice, and eventually he was completely drawn in and corrupted.
According to Snape, the Dark Arts were pragmatic in nature, where every time a branch was defeated, it only came back "fiercer and cleverer" than before. It is therefore imperative that one's defences had to be as versatile as these foul arts themselves.
Powerful dark spells also required malicious intent in order to be successful. To cast the Cruciatus Curse, for instance, one had to truly desire to cause pain in and of itself, according to Bellatrix Lestrange. The Dark Arts could also be difficult to control; for example, Vincent Crabbe lost control of the cursed fire he created in 1998 during the Battle of Hogwarts and was killed by it. Injuries caused by dark magic sometimes never fully healed, such as George Weasley's ear after it was cut off by the Sectumsempra curse (he was struck with during the Battle of the Seven Potters).. Also in , Harry mentions "the injuries from Dark Magic... You can't repair the damage." 
Some curses could remain in one's genes, being passed down through generations as recessive, or could reemerge in a descendant that could lead to frail health. For example, Astoria Malfoy was one such victim of her ancestor's curse.
Dark creatures could also have lasting impacts that were deadly or incredibly harmful to those who came into contact with them. Basilisks had the ability to petrify people who saw them indirectly or kill them with their gaze, or from the venom in their fangs. While petrification could be cured by the Mandrake Restorative Draught, and wounds from Basilisk fangs cured by phoenix tears, these treatments were quite difficult to prepare or obtain. Dementors had the ability to consume human souls with their kiss. There was no cure for someone who has had their soul removed, as they spent the rest of their lives in a vegetative state which is even considered worse than suffering a painful death.
===Protection===
According to Albus Dumbledore, the only power strong enough to enable a person to resist the temptation of the Dark Arts, and to defeat them, was pure love. He was perhaps referring to the sacrificial protection which Lily Potter inadvertently used to protect infant Harry Potter, and Harry himself later used to protect the defenders of Hogwarts by letting himself willingly be hit by a Killing Curse from the Lord Voldemort. 
However, Harry was not killed by this curse, since it only destroyed the part of Voldemort's soul inside him; he spent a brief time in limbo before returning to the land of the living.
===Ethical considerations===
While the Dark Arts had a bad reputation, overall, dark magic was not, by definition, "evil" magic, as reflected in some of the people using them not being evil. Dark magic could be used for good as well as evil. Even the Killing Curse could be used for good, as Albus Dumbledore said that it would not harm Severus Snape to kill him (Dumbledore) as he had asked Snape to kill him since he was going to die anyway (and it would ultimately serve to fool Voldemort and lead to his destruction). Using the Dark Arts in an act of true mercy in and of itself contradicted the very stark moral view that many such as Bartemius Crouch Senior publicly espoused regarding them.
At the same time, dark magic was not the only type of magic that could be used with the intent to kill. For example, the Severing Charm could kill if used irresponsibly or maliciously.
The only exception to this rule was the spell which created a Horcrux; this was an entirely selfish act — taking a life in order to prolong one's own. This act was so reprehensible that the caster's soul became fragmented, allowing the creation of a Horcrux. The soul could only be restored by complete remorse for the murder, or repentance, which was actually painful enough to cause death.
===Wandlore===
The suitability of a wand to perform dark magic depended, at least partly, on its core; dragon heartstring, phoenix feather, and rougarou hair"History of Magic in North America: 1920s Wizarding America" on had reputations for being suitable for it, while it was hard to perform dark magic with unicorn hair wands. In addition, wands made of applewood mixed poorly with dark magic.
==The Dark Arts and the law==
Although many members of the wizarding world appeared to frown upon the Dark Arts, they were not prohibited (with the exception of the Unforgivables) and may have had even — under certain conditions — been encouraged. For example, while Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry taught only Defence Against the Dark Arts, Durmstrang Institute taught the Dark Arts itself. During the height of the Wizarding War, Bartemius Crouch Snr. authorised the use of killing instead of capture and the Unforgivables to Aurors. Under this, it can safely be assumed the Dark Arts were encouraged by the Ministry to combat, ironically, the Dark Wizard followers of Voldemort. 
Moreover, shops like Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley openly traded in Dark artefacts, and were patronised by "hundreds of people", which suggested that at least some aspects of the Dark Arts were somewhat socially acceptable or at the very least legal among parts of the wizarding population.
Also, in times of war, the Ministry of Magic had been known to permit Aurors to use strong Dark Magic against its enemies. When Lord Voldemort was in control of wizarding Britain in late 1997 to mid-1998, every aspect of the Dark Arts was legalised and taught at Hogwarts by Death Eater professor Amycus Carrow. However, Voldemort was controlling the Ministry at this time, so it was not standard protocol.
In addition, there was a matter of degree. The three Unforgivable Curses were punishable by an automatic life sentence in Azkaban prison when used on fellow humans, except when permitted in wartime, whereas some types of magic could have more benign uses as well as Dark uses and, thus, were presumably not always illegal. 
==Known Dark Magic==
===Dark charms===
A dark charm was primarily defined as any charm that consistently affected the object in a negative manner, usually associated with varying levels of discomfort. - The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1
Dark charms could be classified into three groups: jinxes, hexes, and curses. These groups form a hierarchy, with jinxes at the base, hexes in-between, and curses at the top. The further one ascended up this hierarchy, the more wicked, the stronger, the longer-lasting and the less reversible the Dark spell's effects appeared to be. The Unforgivable Curses were the strongest known Dark spells in existence, as their effects were very powerful and their use required skill.
The Unforgivable Curses were shown to Hogwarts students in Defence Against the Dark Arts class in the sixth year, but Bartemius Crouch Junior (disguised as Alastor Moody using Polyjuice Potion) in the 1994–1995 school year showed these curses to fourth-years instead.
Other dark spells could be used not physically on their intended targets, but could cause great harm to them nonetheless. The Taboo was a jinx that allowed the caster to track anyone who said a certain word or name. This gave the caster a great deal of power over people's speech, which spread great fear. It was notably used by Death Eaters to track their enemies during the Second Wizarding War, when they made name "Voldemort" taboo. Lord Voldemort himself placed a powerful jinx on the position of the Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in revenge after he was refused the position himself, which resulted in every hired teacher of this subject being forced out of their job at the end of each school year, in various unfortunate circumstances.
The following are examples of dark spells and what hierarchy they belonged to:
Type	Spell 	Incantation
Jinx
Minor dark magic, small inconvenience to the target.	Knockback Jinx 	Flipendo
Jinx
Minor dark magic, small inconvenience to the target.	Oppugno Jinx 	Oppugno
Jinx
Minor dark magic, small inconvenience to the target.	Revulsion Jinx 	Relashio
Hex
Moderate dark magic, causing major inconvenience to the target.	Bat-Bogey Hex 	Unknown
Hex
Moderate dark magic, causing major inconvenience to the target.	Knee-reversal hex 	Unknown
Hex
Moderate dark magic, causing major inconvenience to the target.	Toenail-growing hex	Unknown
Curse
The worst kind of dark magic, intended to affect the target in a strongly negative manner.	Cruciatus Curse 	Crucio
Curse
The worst kind of dark magic, intended to affect the target in a strongly negative manner.	Imperius Curse 	Imperio
Curse
The worst kind of dark magic, intended to affect the target in a strongly negative manner.	Killing Curse 	Avada Kedavra
===Dark potions===
These potions caused negative effects on those who drank them, or caused harm in some way or another. Dark potions may have also included ingredients that were not common in regular potions, or possessed usual properties. Some Dark potions included the following:
Potion 	Notes
Rudimentary body potion	A potion used to or used in combination with other magic to create a rudimentary body that can be inhabited by a non-corporeal wizard. Its ingredients consisted of unicorn blood and potent snake venom.
Regeneration potion 	A potion noted by Lord Voldemort to be "an old piece of Dark Magic". Its ingredients included a bone from the father unknowingly given, flesh from the servant willingly given, and blood from an enemy of the one for whom it was intended. It created a new body for a Dark witch or wizard who has used Horcruxes and lost their original body, as Voldemort did. This new body was a replica of the old one and had its former powers too. It apparently required that the Dark wizard existed within a rudimentary body that could be placed within the cauldron after all the ingredients were added. If the blood of the enemy contained protections or infections, like a love sacrifice, it would also affect or protect the wizard or witch reborn with it.
===Dark items===
Some items could be bewitched with Dark Magic for various purposes. They then became known as Dark Magic artefacts (or simply Dark items). The following items were associated with Dark Magic:Harry Potter Lexicon: Dark Magic Items
Object 	Notes
Bewitched books	Books could be bewitched with dark charms to cause harm to anyone who attempted to read them. Examples included Sonnets of a Sorcerer, which caused the reader to forever speak in limericks, an unnamed book that a person could never stop reading it, as well as one that would burn the reader's eyes out. Tom Riddle's Diary was both a bewitched book and a Horcrux.
Horcrux 	An object (or living being) that contained a fragment of a Dark wizard's divided soul. It was used to provide protection against death, thus providing immortality, and was considered to be the darkest of all objects.
===Dark creatures===
Many magical creatures were considered Dark, all of which were deeply feared and/or despised by numerous wizards and witches as a result of the danger these creatures posed to all living things. Some of those creatures included the following:
Creature 	Notes
Acromantula	
Acromantulas were a species of giant spider with a taste for human flesh. There was a large colony of them living in the Forbidden Forest on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was implied that most wizards stayed clear of them, due to how dangerous they were. Breeding Acromantulas had been made illegal by the Ministry of Magic and were included in the Ban on Experimental Breeding.
Basilisk 	
A Basilisk was a giant serpent, and was also known as the King of Serpents. Looking a Basilisk directly in the eye would immediately kill the victim, but indirect contact would merely render them petrified. It was known as one of the foulest beasts on Earth, and was also the mortal enemy of all spiders. Breeding Basilisks had been made illegal by the Ministry of Magic and were included in the Ban on Experimental Breeding. The punishment for breeding this monstrous creature depended on the ruling of the Wizengamot.
Boggart 	
Boggarts were amortal shapeshifting non-beings who had the ability to assume the form of an individual's worst fear. Their true appearance was unknown due to their shapeshifting ability, and they usually preferred to inhabit dark or confined spaces. Boggarts enjoyed feeding off the human emotion of fear and could sense the fear of anyone nearby to use to their advantage. They could be easily combated and restrained with the Boggart-Banishing Spell (Riddikulus), a simple charm which caused the Boggart to assume a humorous, non-threatening form, rendering it no longer frightening.
Inferius 	
An Inferius was a dead body, reanimated by a Dark wizard's spell. The spells used to reanimate the corpse were complex and difficult to perform. There was a large difference between an Inferius and a ghost. Voldemort was known to have an army of Inferi, mostly consisting of homeless Muggles that the Dark Lord had murdered.
===Dark practices===
Some other practices that would be considered dark included: breaking the Ban on Experimental Breeding by hatching a Basilisk, consuming the blood of a unicorn, and Necromancy, the Dark Art of raising the dead.
==Known practitioners==
The following wizards and witches were known to have heavily used and practised Dark Magic. Note that as above, the Dark Arts encompassed many different types of spells and practices, including many that seemed to be in everyday use by most wizards — this section was limited to those who had used strong dark magic at least once, with malicious and selish intent.
===Dark wizards===
Wizard(s) 	Notes
Salazar Slytherin	One of the four founders of Hogwarts School and most notorious champions of pure-blood supremacy, who secretly built the Chamber of Secrets for the purpose of housing his Basilisk until the time came for it to purge the school of all Muggle-born students; also regarded as one of the earliest known Parselmouths, accomplished Legilimens, and notable ancestor of the House of Gaunt.
Quirinus Quirrell	A timid child prodigy, who served as Muggle Studies Professor of Hogwarts from the 1980s to 1990, and later as Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor of Hogwarts during the 1991–1992 school year, aiding Lord Voldemort in his attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Died in vain trying to murder Harry Potter on his master's orders in the Skirmish in the Underground Chambers.
Lord Voldemort 	A former shop assistant at Borgin and Burkes, who became the most powerful and dangerous dark wizard of all time, ill-famed for initiating the two Magic is Might insurrections that terrorised Great Britain from 1970 to 1981, then again from 1995 to 1998; also regarded as a Parselmouth and the sole dark wizard to ever create several Horcruxes. Eventually defeated and killed by Harry Potter at the Battle of Hogwarts.
===Death Eaters===
Wizard(s) 	Status 	Notes
Draco Malfoy 	Defected 	Was made a Death Eater as a means to punish his father and given the task of assassinating Albus Dumbledore.
Lucius Malfoy 	Defected 	He joined the Death Eaters, who shared his views on blood purity, and participated in the First and Second Wizarding War.
Peter Pettigrew	Deceased 	Betrayed the Potter family to Voldemort during the First Wizarding War.
Severus Snape 	Defected, deceased	Became a spy for the Order and was instrumental in the defeat of Voldemort. Despite this, he invented and utilised several Dark charms in his lifetime.
===Non-Dark wizards===
Wizard(s) 	Status 	Notes
Alastor Moody 	Occasional user	Capable of performing the Unforgivable Curses and many other curses, hexes, and jinxes.
Albus Dumbledore 	Occasional user	Capable of performing many curses, hexes, and jinxes.
Bartemius Crouch Senior 	Occasional user	Capable of performing the Imperius Curse, despite his intense hatred and opposition to the Dark Arts, ironically.
Ginevra Weasley 	Occasional user	Capable of performing a highly powerful Bat-Bogey Hex and could perform other curses, hexes, and jinxes.
Harry Potter 	Occasional user	Capable of performing two of the three Unforgivable Curses and many other curses, hexes, and jinxes.
Hermione Granger 	Occasional user	Capable of performing many curses, hexes, and jinxes.
Isolt Sayre 	Occasional user	Capable of performing many curses, hexes, and jinxes.
Minerva McGonagall 	Occasional user	Capable of performing the Imperius Curse, along with other dark spells, such as the Deterioration Hex, Knockback Jinx and Oscausi.
Molly Weasley 	Occasional user	Capable of performing many curses, hexes, and jinxes. This includes a powerful and lethal curse that killed Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of Hogwarts.
Pius Thicknesse 	Imperiused 	While Imperiused, he performed numerous dark charms under the Death Eaters malign influence.
Viktor Krum 	Imperiused 	While Imperiused, he performed the Cruciatus Curse.
Hogwarts students (1997–1998 school year)	Threatened 	Forced to perform the Dark Arts, including the Unforgivable Curses. The members of the D.A. refused and were punished for it.
==In wizarding fiction==
The Warlock in the wizarding fairy tale The Warlock's Hairy Heart, found in , utilised a piece of Dark Magic to remove his heart from his body to ensure he would never fall in love, while keeping himself alive without this vital organ within his body.
==Behind the scenes==
*The Dark Arts are similar to magic known as maleficium, which is used in a similar manner.
==Appearances==
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*J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World: The Dark Arts: A Movie Scrapbook
*Harry Potter Official Site
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==Notes and references==
Category:Rare Dark Arts