Dark Arts

"*The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.*"
— Severus Snape's description of the Dark Arts[src]

The **Dark Arts**, also known as **Dark Magic**, 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.

## Contents

* 1Nature of the Dark Arts
	+ 1.1Protection
	+ 1.2Ethical considerations
	+ 1.3Wandlore
* 2The Dark Arts and the law
* 3Known dark magic
	+ 3.1Dark charms
	+ 3.2Dark potions
	+ 3.3Dark items
	+ 3.4Dark creatures
	+ 3.5Dark practices
* 4Known practitioners
	+ 4.1Dark Wizards
	+ 4.2Death Eaters
	+ 4.3Non-Dark Wizards
* 5Known texts
* 6In wizarding fiction
* 7Behind the scenes
* 8Appearances
* 9Notes and references

## Nature of the Dark Arts

**Tom Riddle**: "*I have experimented; I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have ever been pushed —*"
**Albus Dumbledore**: "*Of some kinds of magic. Of some. Of others, you remain... forgive me... woefully ignorant.*"
**Tom Riddle**: "*The old argument. But nothing I have seen in the world has supported your famous pronouncements that love is more powerful than my kind of magic, Dumbledore.*"
— A serious discussion regarding the nature of the Dark Arts[src]
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).

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

"*You are protected, in short, by your ability to love! The only protection that can possibly work against the lure of power like Voldemort's!*"
— Explanation of the best type of protection against the Dark Arts[src]

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 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

"*Now... those three curses — Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus — are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban.*"
— Bartemius Crouch Junior explaining the consequences of using the Unforgivable Curses[src]

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.

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.

Of course, the law may have differed from country to country. For example, Japan did not permit its citizens to practise the Dark Arts; to do so was a violation of the Japanese wizard's code, and anyone who did so would face trial in front of the Japanese Ministry of Magic. Furthermore, if the offender was a student at Mahoutokoro School of Magic, said offender would be immediately expelled, in addition to facing legal repercussions.