I walk into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and see Professor Lupin standing at the front of the class, waiting for us. [i]Hm... He looks quite old... Age almost seems to be getting to him... And the state of his robes - why couldnt he at least make himself look respectable?[/i] I glare at him, and choose a spot at the far back, sitting down.
I dont have to wait long before the rest of the students file in, and the Professor starts off. He looks almost reminescent when he looks at us, but he obviously able to hold it back. He starts us off with the same old 'Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts' routine, but I find it curious how he says 'Welcome Back.' [i]But we've never been here in the first place... So how can he welcome us back? This is the first many of us have met you...[/i] I frown, but keep my thoughts to myself, knowing that it would be rude to voice them.
The Professor then goes on to give us the same old speach of how if we ever need help, he is there for us, which I yawn quite widely through. [i]Cant he be any more original...?[/i] Closing my mouth, all the yawn exhausted from me, I listen as the Professor quickly moves on to today's lesson. [i]Well, shorter than it could have been...[/i]
He says he is going to start us off with a very brief history of Dark Arts to educate us all on exactly what the Dark Arts are. He explains that it will be brief because the entire history would bore us to death, which would obviously be bad. [i]No kidding... Thank god...[/i]
He plunges right into it, saying first off that the common ground between all Dark Wizards - [i]What about witches?[/i] - is their quest for power. [i]Thats probably true... But what if these 'Dark' Wizards have a reason for getting the power? Or what if it was unavoidable? Does it still make them dark?[/i]
He continues on, explaining how it is true that it is a very powerful branch of magic, but that we should look at the costs first. [i]But is it more powerful than 'light' magic? It probably would be for dueling...[/i] The Professor immediately starts to explain how the power of Dark Magic is created. He explains how the magic is formed through pain and suffering, most often at the costs of others. He explains how because some wizards feel that the power is available, that they have it for their own use, be it selfish or otherwise.
[i]And what would be another way of looking at this? If you have power, why not use it? It would otherwise be a waste... Theres no reason to be afraid of power.[/i] I snap out of my thoughts as the Professor continues to explain, how in the same line of thinking, that even someone who doesnt practice the dark arts can be evil. He explains how its the intent and use of the spell that determines that. [i]So, then could someone use the Dark Arts and still be classified as good? If their intentions were good enough, wouldnt that make sense...?[/i]
Lupin, as if reading my mind, answers this question by giving a suggestion that even if using the Dark Arts, using the Imperius Curse as an example, with good enough intentions is still a bad thing. It would take away the person's own Will. [i]But what if that person was bad in the first place? Forcing someone to do something good seems like a good thing to do, especially if the person would otherwise be doing something bad...[/i]
Professor Lupin pauses, to let us think on this, before talking again. He starts to explain how he is telling us this
