Qiaochu_Yuan comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 20, chapter 90 - Less Wrong

9 Post author: palladias 02 July 2013 02:13AM

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Comment author: Qiaochu_Yuan 02 July 2013 03:31:29AM *  28 points [-]

Doubtful. That's not a lie Quirrell can sustain: Harry can ask anyone else what the status of memory charms is in the Hogwarts curriculum.

Wizards in general need memory charms to deal with muggles, so that's a plausible reason they aren't seen as Dark by the wizarding community. There are probably strong cultural taboos against using them on other wizards (as opposed to muggles), in the same way there are strong cultural taboos against using cars to run over pedestrians even though that's a power that many teenagers acquire here in the real world.

Comment author: loserthree 02 July 2013 03:56:13AM 0 points [-]

Harry can ask anyone else what the status of memory charms is in the Hogwarts curriculum.

I would guess that either

  • A) They will be evasive in answering any precocious questions because Quirrell asked them to be evasive about some precocious questions or
  • B) Quirrell wasn't telling Harry that wizards are stupid and keep dangerous things in plain sight. He was telling Harry that he'd "pass it to [him] beneath a disguised cover." in the guise of telling him how to learn more about memory charms.
Comment author: Alsadius 02 July 2013 04:15:04AM 14 points [-]

A) He doesn't need to ask a professor, he can just ask a seventh-year.

Comment author: loserthree 02 July 2013 04:17:01AM 1 point [-]

Good point. I'm sticking to B, Quirrell was telling Harry he'd pass it to him on the downlow. Note that he didn't say that the book would be labeled "Memory Charms," just that it would be filed under M.

Comment author: JTHM 02 July 2013 04:27:18AM *  6 points [-]

Magick Moste Evile? (This is an in-universe book from canon, in case anyone forgot.)

Comment author: hairyfigment 02 July 2013 08:18:50AM 0 points [-]

B was my thought - or at least I'd definitely check if I were Harry. But checking every book in the section seems time-consuming and suspicious. I think we should assume there is in fact a standard book on Memory Charms there. Doesn't mean it contains a single truthful word.

Comment author: ikrase 02 July 2013 08:33:12AM 0 points [-]

Even if truthful, it may not actually say how to cast.

Comment author: Fermatastheorem 02 July 2013 05:33:48PM 2 points [-]

In canon, Hermione casts Obliviate in her 7th year (presumably without consulting a restricted text from the Department of Mysteries), so the widely available book may actually have enough information for an intelligent reader to learn how to cast it.

Comment author: Decius 02 July 2013 09:00:32PM 0 points [-]

Well, Draco's taboo against memory charms against half-bloods was roughly as strong as his taboo against violent rape of half-bloods. I'm not sure we should accept his initial taboos as either consistent or typical, though.

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