gwern comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 15, chapter 84 - Less Wrong

3 Post author: FAWS 11 April 2012 03:39AM

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Comment author: pedanterrific 12 April 2012 12:58:01AM 0 points [-]

an Unforgivable which the teacher has to fight to demonstrate or teach.

Are you mixing up canon and MoR? There's no mention I can recall that Crouch-Moody needed any particular permission to demonstrate all three Unforgivables on the first day of class, and he never taught how to cast any of them.

Comment author: gwern 12 April 2012 01:44:53AM 0 points [-]

Entirely possible! I thought Moody needed Ministry approval, but I no longer have the books to check.

Comment author: pedanterrific 12 April 2012 01:58:39AM *  3 points [-]

Whoops, you're right, actually- but it seems to be standard procedure, it's not like he had to fight to have it done.

Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves, he reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better.

Comment author: gwern 12 April 2012 02:00:17AM 1 point [-]

So he did violate normal operating procedure - I claim this as a moral victory!

Comment author: pedanterrific 12 April 2012 02:05:05AM 3 points [-]

Is that more satisfying than the normal kind?

Comment author: gwern 12 April 2012 02:10:10AM 2 points [-]

As long as I don't try to eat it or make use of it in any way.

Comment author: Alsadius 13 April 2012 02:59:24AM 0 points [-]

No, but it's a lot easier to accomplish.

Comment author: TimS 12 April 2012 01:53:49AM 0 points [-]

In canon, Hermione (I think) notes that it is weird that illegal curses are being cast, but no one follows up - at all.

I'm not sure if Dumbledore realized at the time that it occurred.