The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

Harry's use of Black Magic

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Yuillegan:
Yes, the Blackstaff doesn't protect Eb from his conscience. That has been explicitly stated by Jim. But in that same WOJ, he also says it DOES protect him from Black Magic corruption, which is a magical effect (think nuclear radiation). Every time you use black magic (that nebulous term), it warps and changes and transforms the caster into a monster, a warlock. However not Eb. Eb's staff protects him (although likely there is a terrible cost) from that magical effect. The effect on his conscience, that has nothing to do with magic and everything to do with vanilla mortal moral concerns, is unavoidable.

Eb might still become (or perhaps already is) a monster in the human sense, like a murderer or rapist. But not in the magical, supernatural sense like a vampire or liche or warlock.

As G33k says, those who employ the forces of magic are not like vanilla mortals and so the are affected by forces vanilla mortals have no contact with, i.e. magic. And there are special consequences for them beyond that which vanilla mortals have for morally repugnant actions.

I think it is clear that it might stain his soul, but not in the SAME way that black magic stains. Just in the normal horrible moral way the rest of us have to live with.

Mira:

--- Quote ---I think it is clear that it might stain his soul, but not in the SAME way that black magic stains. Just in the normal horrible moral way the rest of us have to live with.

--- End quote ---

  Yeah well, there are some pretty horrible vanilla monsters out there without the aid of any black magic.

Yuillegan:
Exactly. I might argue that in some ways they are even worse.

Darmani:
I realize the laws of magic exist as a story conceit in order to make it so things are not too easy and that we know who the good guys and the bad guys are. Plus Synod to the religions that actually value magic and as a result probably don't like the idea that it's a shortcut to murder while keeping your hands clean. But still the fact that there's no way to game the system just feels off especially when you consider how much of magical tradition either from fairy tales or so on get tossed off by it. You can't use enchantment or any sort of lethal force or even Transformations even if they would be beneficial or at least considerably less lethal
To be fair it seems as if some intention matters. As an example you're not supposed to invade the mind of the other but the Merlin was able to do that whole communication spell when Peabody attacked. In addition to the spell that Elaine and Carrie have used since their youth. It's just that any psychics chicanery has a tendency to both spiral and blow back on you

For instance if someone said I want to quit smoking they will probably allow you to walk into their mind figure out anything you could in order to make them stop smoking. I guess what bothers me most about that prescription is that I can think of many uses for being able to use mind control or enchanting magic to prevent or Aid the Wizards. Summer movie memories to just saying please go away I don't want to deal with this s***. With the extra Hammer coming down when you use it to actually violate proper laws

While I appreciate his whole you can't blow someone off a roof and then not paint yourself this makes you wonder about things like what's his name when he use body magic in order to make him move really fast but killed with an ordinary knife. Seems like just as much of a hotfix as the warden's swords that dispel magic but it's the edge that kills you. My personal consideration is shape-shifting. I shape-shift myself into a hippo and then I murder almost everybody I can with this top-tier murder Beast that was considered more mythical and dangerous than some dragons

I have directly use magic in order to kill someone that is to say the entire alternate form so am I tainted or not?

Considering the danger of using direct for spells surely there's got to be a class of medication that at the very least makes it so that you can fight mortal opponents and don't end up running the risk of going cray cray. As an example why doesn't president ever use that rope trick that set up a sex scene as the basis for Ward's or evocation fighting style for when he's outside his office but doesn't know if he's up against acceptable targets

Mira:

--- Quote ---For instance if someone said I want to quit smoking they will probably allow you to walk into their mind figure out anything you could in order to make them stop smoking. I guess what bothers me most about that prescription is that I can think of many uses for being able to use mind control or enchanting magic to prevent or Aid the Wizards. Summer movie memories to just saying please go away I don't want to deal with this s***. With the extra Hammer coming down when you use it to actually violate proper laws
--- End quote ---

The key here is "allow,"  the kid who's mind Molly invaded didn't give her permission.   Molly also in over her head as far as how to go about it so she did a lot of damage in the process.   While her intentions were good, the results wasn't.   Molly is the poster child for both sides of the argument about the slippery slope down into warlockhood.  Harry argued that since her intentions were good and that she had no clue and was basically a good kid she should be allowed to live.. He put his own life on the line for that gamble.. The Merlin argued the slippery slope and she should get the chop.  Both were kind of right, but also wrong..  Harry was right about her good intentions and that basically a good kid, but the Merlin was right because Molly never learned her lesson, even was willing to put Harry's life at risk under the Doom because she felt she knew best and to hell with the consequences or the slippery slope.

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