Dark Arts

"When a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to 'em anymore..."

- Rubeus Hagrid

The Dark Arts, also known as Dark magic, refers to any type of magic that is mainly used to cause harm. The Dark Arts encompass many spells and actions ranging from the Unforgivable Curses to hatching Basilisks. Practitioners are referred to as Dark wizards or witches, the most prominent of whom is Lord Voldemort. His followers, known as Death Eaters, also practice the Dark Arts.

The Dark Arts and the Law
This type of magic is generally illegal to practice in the wizarding world, but this is not universal; for example, while Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry teaches only Defence Against the Dark Arts, Durmstrang Institute teaches the Dark Arts itself. Also, in times of war, the British Ministry of Magic has been known to permit Aurors to use Dark magic. When Lord Voldemort was in control of wizarding Britain in late 1997 to mid-1998, the Dark Arts were legalized and taught at Hogwarts by Death Eater professor Amycus Carrow.

In addition, there is a matter of degree. The three Unforgivable Curses are punishable by an automatic life sentence in Azkaban Prison, except when permitted in wartime, whereas some types of magic can have Dark as well as more benign uses and, thus, are presumably not always illegal.

Dark Spells
The following spells are identified as being Dark. Where possible, an explanation for this classification is given.

Dark Potions
The following potions are identified as Dark:
 * Voldemort's rebirth potion: This potion is said by Voldemort to be "an old piece of Dark Magic" .  Its ingredients include a bone from the father, flesh from the servant, and blood from an enemy of the one for whom it is intended.  It creates a new body for a Dark witch or wizard who has used Horcruxes and lost their original body, as Voldemort did. This new body is replica of the old one and has its former powers too. It apparently requires that the Dark wizard exist within a rudimentary body that can be placed within the cauldron after all the ingredients are added.
 * Polyjuice Potion: allows the drinker to take on the physical form of another person. Though it has good uses, it is Dark and probably illegal.
 * Voldemort's Horcrux Potion: Potion used in the basin where the locket Horcrux was hidden.

Dark Items
The following items are associated with Dark Magic:


 * Cursed books: Books can be bewitched to cause harm to anyone who attempts to read them.  Examples include Sonnets of a Sorcerer, which causes the reader to speak in rhymes, and an unnamed book that a person can never stop reading.  Tom Riddle's diary is both a cursed book and a Horcrux.
 * Hand of Glory: A severed human hand with a candle placed within it.  It provides light only to the holder. It is able to penetrate Peruvian instant Darkness Powder.
 * Horcrux: Thought to be the Darkest of all objects, a Horcrux is an object (or living being) that contains a fragment of a Dark wizard's divided soul.  It is used to provide protection against death.
 * Opal necklace: This item turned up in Borgin and Burkes, was apparently purchased by Draco Malfoy, and almost killed Katie Bell.  It is cursed very heavily, to the extent that merely touching it causes nearly instant death.  It has killed at least nineteen Muggles.
 * Objects in the Black house: Some of the objects in 12 Grimmauld Place, are probably dark, such as a music box, purple robes, and a locket Horcrux.

Other
Some other actions that would be considered Dark include:


 * Breaking the Ban on Experimental Breeding by, for example, hatching a basilisk
 * Consuming the blood of a unicorn
 * Petrification is considered “Dark magic of the most advanced kind” ; its only known cause is the reflected gaze of a basilisk.



Known Practitioners
The following wizards and witches are known to have practiced the Dark Arts:


 * Herpo the Foul
 * Morgan le Fay
 * Gellert Grindelwald
 * Salazar Slytherin
 * Lord Voldemort
 * Voldemort's Death Eaters
 * Students of Durmstrang Institute

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Notes and references
Тёмные Искусства