Selina raised her hand and said, "They all were brilliant and gifted. Some of them were some of the best Wizards and Witches of their times. The only problem is they all abused their knowledge. They all found they were powerful and could manipulate others. So what they did with their ability was to benefit themselves and their motives. Not use their knowledge to benefit the whole community."

Belle heard Jania's voice. She looked around and waved and smiled to her to let her know she was in the desk next to hers.

Belle raised her and for the professor. "Some charactersitics is that they all want structure and want a pureblood society, they don't think muggles belong anywhere in the world. The used their powers for the wrong reasons based on how they were raised anf how they saw the outlook on the world."

Notes, notes, notes. The girl quickly scribbled down the names as the appeared on the board. Only a few of the names were recognized by the girl, so she didn't know much about what they had in common. Well, it couldn't hurt to take a guess, she though as she raised her hand. "They each used their magical abilities for personal gain, intentionally harming people in the process."

Vashti scanned the list before jotting it down in her notes, disagreeing a little with Snape one of the ones listed on there. But she supposed it was still alright since even though one or two of them had stopped being Dark Wizards at some point, they had still been a Dark Wizard at one point as well.

But what was something they had in common? Hmm...

Finally she raised her hand. "I think most, if not all of them, probably used at least one of the Unforgivable Curses at some point, or they were probably at least capable or willing to use them if it got them what they wanted."

"They all chased power, and let it distort their personalities until they could not be recognized as the people they once were. After they were corrupted they pushed away people that should have mattered until they were alone, maybe not in their beliefs since some of them had followers, but I would say that they would have been lonely," Sakura somewhat questioned as she answered the professors query. She hated discussions about dark wizards. It always made her remember her past and her parents. Something she'd rather forget.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA!!!

He was aware of the fact that he was in a class but Josh could not help but laugh out loudly while he sat comfortably when he saw the names Professor Tate listed with the help of the other students. What was funnier was that everybody was pointing out their common characteristics one by one. They were right! But they forgot something. Raising his hand the Gryffindor boy spoke with a confident air ''Well...Professor...they are all cowards who feared anything that is out their control. You know what i mean''

Hehe...

Every class had started off with muggles. Questions about the interaction between muggles and wizards in some manner or another. It had him, admittedly and rather guilty, distracted with his own thoughts until the topic diverged to dark wizards and intentions.

Lowering his hand from his chin, he frowned a little at the board and the listing. "They have no respect for the sanctity of life." Some muggles were that way too, but they didn't use magic so they couldn't well be called Dark Wizards, but the concept was the same, the method was simply different.

Simon was about to answer his own thoughts when a familiar hit of laughter sounded and he spotted his best friend creating it. Only Josh would laugh like that in class. he mused to himself with a slight shake of the head. He did have a point about them though...most seemed to fear what was different. at least to them.

"Weren't a good number of those listed believed to be in favor of imposing wizardry's power over all?" he offered after raising his own hand and lowering it when he was done speaking.

Caroline wrote the names that were on the board. She scanned her notes. She kind of laughed a bit and held in a snort. The ones that had attended Hogwarts were all in her house, topical. She rasied her hand."Looking at my list most in not all were in my house, Slytherin and anti-muggle/magic folk mixing types." Just like her family, argh more like her parents.

"Well all of them had a facination for the dark arts at some time in their lives if not throughout heir lives", Chloe said with her hand raised into the air.

Not sure who she meant? Was there more than one author with the last name of Bullock?

Frowning for a moment, it turned more into a scowl when she heard not just someone, but Marie's boyfriend say who the author was. PFFT! She would have totally remembered in a moment. "Yea, Owle Bullock."

Glancing towads Josh (JOSH! SQUEE!), Evelyn let the frown disappear before letting a small smile replace it. Not because of his answer but mostly because he was there. Now, for her own answer... "Like others said, most of them, if not all, had a fascination with power or the dark arts."

Mmhmm, short answer. Too much Josh staring.

"So we have some consensus here that Dark Wizards dislike Muggles and Muggleborn wizards," Tate summarized. He waited a moment for that to sink in before continuing. "Do you think that's always true? Why would those two features be linked? What is it about someone who dabbles in Dark magic would have them also hate Muggles and that which comes from Muggles? Are they actually linked, or is there a more common uniting feature that we're missing?"

"Perhaps that's it. Many of the wizards we've listed hated Muggles... they were passionate about it. Perhaps the common thread has more to do with a passion or a mission than it does with what that specific cause might be. Pursuit of a goal at any cost always has victims."

"You're suggesting they believed they were better than other people? Above the masses and their laws? That's a good insight, Miss Bott."

"Interesting observation. While others see power and pride in common, Miss Lovegoods sees fear," Tate gave her a nod. Very interesting indeed.

"Three very literal observations, but also very true," Tate agreed. It was easy to overlook the obvious - that these witches and wizards harmed people, that they used Dark spells. Those were, after all, the hallmarks of a Dark Wizard.

"Good catch, Mr. Wilkes," Tate gave him a short bow. Bullock! Of course! Frightening that the boy was so well-versed in dark texts, but still. "And a good observation. Do you suppose that the wand made the wizard Dark, or simply the want of it? Why does that connection exist?"

"Are you using your own words or someone else's? I believe the greatest strength of the human race is compassion, which amounts to something of the same thing."

"I would argue that they weren't all brilliant. Peter Pettigrew made it onto our list, and he was a hanger-on. But he abused the trust others placed in him, and he willingly chose Dark magic. There does seem to be a draw of the Dark for those who are brilliant. Why do you suppose that may be?"

"An interesting observation. Certainly of the wizards in more recent history, we know this is certainly true. Do you suppose it was impossible to be a Dark wizard and have a relationship based in love or trust?"

Tate's eyes rose at the boy's boisterous laughter. WHAT was so funny? "I'm glad you're so amused, boy, but try to stay on task. What makes you believe the witches and wizards were cowards? Give me some supporting evidence."

Ah, Mr. Dakest. Tate was suprised by the rather subdued answer, and he made a small involuntary gesture with one hand. "Yes? Can you elaborate on that?"

"You might be right. I wouldn't make the leap that being Slytherin makes one prone to Dark magic... but there may be a simpler connection. Any thoughts on why there is a history of Slytherin heritage among Dark wizards and witches?"

He'd just asked a whole LOT of questions, and he waited for the room to consider the ideas that had been shared, as well as his responses. Finally, he added, "Let's open this up to discussion... I'm not sure even I know the answers to all these questions, or that I can draw all the same parallels between these witches and wizards. Responses? Clarifications? Answer my questions, or answer a peer."



OOC: This is my last post for the night, but I encourage everyone to discuss at will. We will resume tomorrow at 6 pm EST. There is more discussion and an activity, so I encourage you to come back.

Lexi shook her head a bit and spoke up, "I can't pretend to know what every one of those witches or wizards thought or believed. But it has been documented that the Death Eaters operated on a platform of Pureblood mania if you will. That is not to say that every Dark wizard thinks that way. I do believe that, possibly, the reason that this tends to be a trend is that they indeed view those of pure wizarding blood to be the superior race. Maybe. Again, I am not an expert on the matter so who knows without taking a census of Dark people to find out."

She COULD ask her rotten family members what their views were... if they ever popped up again. She knew that they were no fans of Muggles though. For sure.

After copying down the notes from the board Emily considered the questions.... There was so much to think about, so many aspects to consider...
Why are brilliant witches and wizards drawn to the dark arts? she asked herself....
"I suppose brilliant minds are drawn to the dark arts because regardless of how dark it is, it is powerful magic. Brilliant minds could appreciate it in a way because it is stronger and more difficult that other forms of magic so it may be viewed as a challange. Also most would not have the courage or the ... well they wouldn't posses the characteristics required to perform such dark magic." Emily thought about what she said for a moment... "Does that make sense?"
.........."Good people don't do dark magic... but brilliant minds may be swayed to do so because it shows strength and power?"

There were so many questions and Nika was so unsure which one to try and answer. She went for the one that she thought she could explain the best. "Well, Professor maybe brilliant people end up doing dark magic because they feel that they have already done everything else." Nika thought about her answer for a moment and decided she better clarify. "What I mean is maybe since they have already done everything else they might feel they are too smart and have mastered everything already. So maybe they feel that in order to face something challenging they have to use dark magic." This was Nika's first time speaking up during this class and so she was a bit worried she would be terrible at it. As long as you try your best you will be fine.

For a moment Sabel was quite, pressing his lips together, his brow scrunching as he considered Tate and then Arya. When he spoke it was slowly, considering the implications carefully. "Perhaps, going off what Arya said about them being afraid, and off the link between many Dark Wizard's disliking muggles, there is some connection between their fear and the vulnerability and survival displayed by muggles. Without magic, muggles seem very vulnerable, they seem 'inferior' to some." Though he would never believe it. "But they, keep finding ways to survive, to improvise and to find ways through imagination and ingenuity to continue living."

He turned his eyes back to the Headmaster with a slight frown. "I'm not saying that magic isn't without it's problems, but like Kellen pointed out, muggles have come a long way with only the aid of their hands. And perhaps, that is what makes some wizards fearful. Makes them feel like they have to control, and remain in control."

A slight shrug rolled off his shoulders as he folded his hands in his lap. "Maybe that's all bonkers. But whether it is fear, anger, hate or something much more simple than that, it drives them to forget that those they view in such negative light are still human. If they don't fit in their puzzle, muggle or not, half-blood or pureblood or muggle-born, if they don't rise to their level, they are nothing more than objects. Toys and pieces in a chess game. They forget each breath we take is precious, sacred and at any moment could be our last. And no matter what our beliefs, bloodline or magical status, that is what makes us equal. That is what makes us truly living. It means nothing to them." He fell silent, his eyes on his hands. It was hard to appreciate that single act of breathing until you saw with your own eyes, another's last.

Hand up again. "Muggles put blood purity at risk, Boss. Its like race horses you know? Good sire, good dam, good runner." Jim considered this a bit more. "Purity was often -but not always since not all dark wizards are pureblooded- a matter of pride and sometimes it kinda still is. Its not just about being better than someone, even if some people think thats what it is, its about heritage. Lots of people are proud of their heritage, racially or whatever, of connections to ancestors who have done great things and junk. Muggles are a threat to that. To pure wizarding heritage. Problem is now, because of associations with fanatical dark wizards who were anti-blood dilution and all, people look at you bad if you say you're proud to be pureblooded."

Right?

Jim glanced over at Evelyn. As usual she was probably hating on him for expanding on her answer on the book thing or even making it clear that her answer was a good one. Horcruxes were a THING after all, and that book, and that author? Yeah.

He felt like pointing at her or gesturing at her or something just to irritate her.

Grin.

Well yeah. The wand thing was a big thing.

"The want of it is that power thing. And that power thing is a fear thing. For motives and all. You can have one without the other but usually they work like a circle, one motivating the other and all that, giving drive and pushing a person on to reach their goals. For most people anyway. Not me. I'm not afraid of anything." Grin.

"I think the idea of the wand preys on the dark side of human nature. If someone was already inclined toward dark magic and dark uses, then probably the seeds the Elder Wand planted, the idea of its supposed capabilities, would totally make all that desire for power to grow, while at the same time the roots would get deeper and deeper, and more gnarled and terrible, until uprooting the darkness would be impossible."

He chewed the end of his quill for a moment.

"And as for them being above the law, I think history shows that anyone who feels like the law doesn't apply to them feels that way either because they weren't part of creating the law, or because the laws in question persecuted them in some way too. If the law doesn't work for the people, you gotta ask who its working for."

"Well, Judith Henderson originally said those words, but they are words that I believe in," Kurumi said to clarify. Kurumi swallowed hard and felt her palms get a bit sweaty as she pondered whether or not to say the next part of her thought process aloud. "Mr. Gevrik also agrees with those words," she said in a low whispered to hopefully avoid any tension that the mention of the man's name could cause. Kurumi wasn't sure if she totally agreed with Professor Tate about the greatest strength of humanity being compassion, but it was love that had saved Harry Potter in the end, so there was some value to it.

"A great wizard once said that ones ability to love makes it so that one cannot be fully seduced by the Dark Arts," Kurumi said addressing more the entire class than just the Professor. "Severus Snape was mention before, for being a Dark Wizard, but I think we can all agree that he wasn't at the very end. Perhaps, in a way, he had stronger magic than other Dark Wizards?"

Kurumi realized that her response was a bit sugary, but her brain was tired from over thinking the earlier discussion.

There were just so many views and perspectives. He couldn't decide on what to say, a hand was raised even before he could think it any further, "I think it's simpler, I mean, I agree on the power thing...," after all, wasn't Aaron supposed to rule the world? Except, Aaron was not evil, "But, knowledge is where it's at," yes, he was going to explain Headmaster, just wait, "I mean, we're all drawn to the unknown somehow, curiosity, you know? And once the unknown is no longer hidden for us, then, well, knowledge gives you power, so, they're connected." And his head was starting to hurt. So, he said nothing more.

Except.

"I don't agree on the brilliant minds fully, some Dark wizards weren't precisely too bright," see, Jake could be an awesome Dark wizard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

"So we have some consensus here that Dark Wizards dislike Muggles and Muggleborn wizards," Tate summarized. He waited a moment for that to sink in before continuing. "Do you think that's always true? Why would those two features be linked? What is it about someone who dabbles in Dark magic would have them also hate Muggles and that which comes from Muggles? Are they actually linked, or is there a more common uniting feature that we're missing?"



----------

"You're suggesting they believed they were better than other people? Above the masses and their laws? That's a good insight, Miss Bott."

Pretty much, Professor Tate said Neptune was one, right, and two, brilliant. "Thank you, Headmaster." Giggle. She tucked her chin and made a show of being... humble.

Obviously. She nudged Jake. Just cause. HI JAKE. Giggle. Did he see how good she was doing? Yes, right?

"I think hate is the wrong word though, for the relationship between Dark and Muggle kind. Sure, that probably applies, but as that girl said," Neptune vaguely waved at an older Ravenclaw girl, "it's more about... power. Or I think, at least. It's," Neptune turned and grinned at Mr. Chatty Wilkes once again, "to borrow an analogy, a horse and master. Masters are superior to their horses, Dark wizards fancy themselves superior to muggles."

And let's be real - they're not totally off base. Dark wizards and evil didn't ring synonymous in Neptune's mind.

"How they used the power made the difference."

"I wanted to answer the one about Do you suppose it was impossible to be a Dark wizard and have a relationship based in love or trust?

I say yes, it may seem like love and trust but in the end that relationship would end. It wouldn't be love and trust, only lust and need for the other."
*Matty said as he thought about it. At least from all the books he had read that was how relationships would end if they were not built on love and trust.*

Lexi turned her head and gave Jim a LOOK. The look clearly said she was impressed with him at the moment. Good job, old boy!

Lexi quirked an eyebrow and turned to find Kurumi's face in the classroom. She gave the girl a small smile and a nod of the head. Another Gevrik supporter? Was that the right word? Nah probably not. Anywho.

"I think the excuse of being seduced by the Dark Arts is just some cockamamy excuse that someone came up with to try to explain their dabbling in it. You either choose to or choose not to. In my opinion it is simple as that. The line between wrong and right is not blurred for me, at least. Dark arts equal WRONG," she said in true Gryffindor fashion. "Not to mention... someone has to have that hate.. that pure unadulterated evil inside of them already to perform such hideous magic."

"And Treyen brings up a good point, not everyone that performs Dark deeds is intelligent," she said with a snort.

Was she even forming coherent sentences anymore? Making any sense at all? Meh. Perhaps she needed to stop talking.

Helena has been quiet since the class started, but she finally raised her hand. "Sir, I think they might have in common, besides the... darkness," she hesitated, not sure how to continue. "I think that most of them are intelligent as well. Most of them, or just the leader."

Vashti was silent again for several seconds, thinking over the various questions the Headmaster had brought up and wondering which ones she could answer and how. But then Kurumi said something that caught her interest.

"I definitely agree," she answered with a nod. "Though...maybe it wasn't necessarily 'stronger magic' that he possessed, just...I don't think he was as deep into the Dark Arts like other Death Eaters were, so when something - or, I guess, someone - came up that the Death Eaters wanted to destroy, he was able to realize that he didn't agree with them, and he decided not to just go along with what all the other Dark Wizards wanted and instead chose to side with the good side - even if he actually did it all secretly."

You give us looks then we shall rise to them.

Jim turned to Lexi.

"Just for the sake of argument, what makes the dark arts wrong? How do you know they're wrong?"

No really. He didn't believe it was good stuff but it was always interesting to know why someone was so vehement against it. Jim just didn't care, it wasn't that he hated it. Devils advocate.

Unavoidably, almost shyly, he looked the other way and Jim returned Neptune's grin.