There are a lot of aspects ofHarry Potter’s wizarding world that are pretty messed up, but the darkest truth hides beneath the surface. The fantasy universe described in J.K. Rowling’s books is undoubtedly quirky, between somewhat disturbing magical practices, risky school rules, and neglectful parents. It’s a wonder that Harry and his friends survived Hogwarts, even without the threat of the Dark Lord. However, the monsters in the Forbidden Forest or Potions assignments that have gone wrong are far from the worst of it. The magic of the wizarding world itself hidesHarry Potter’s most disturbing truth.
Over the years, the moredisturbing aspects ofHarryPotterhave become all the clearer. Love potions are a prime example—they seemed innocent initially, but it’s now clear just how problematic such a thing could be. Additionally, from a child’s perspective, the cluelessadults of the wizarding worldseemed rather typical, but now it’s evident that the danger Harry and his friends were constantly placed in was downright neglectful. Still,Harry Potteris, at its core, meant for children and teens, so these quirky tropes are to be expected. However,magic’s dark sense of justice is far more mature a concept.
Magic Has Its Own Dark Sense Of Justice In Harry Potter’s Wizarding World
Magic & Destiny Keep The Balance
TheHarry Potterseries begins innocently enough, but by the end, there are countless signs that the magic of the wizarding world comes with a disturbing built-in justice system. Dumbledore alluded to this fact endlessly, telling Harry that those who commit dark deeds would eventually get their comeuppance. This goes far beyond the “what goes around, comes around” of the real world. InHarry Potter, magic and destiny are the same thing, andwhen a witch or wizard cheats death or commits a magic crime, they are doomed to face a dark and twisted fate.
Peter Pettigrew, Severus Snape, & Lord Voldemort Are The Best Examples Of Magical Justice
They Paid For Life With Life
The most obvious example of magic’s dark justice system inHarry Potteris Peter Pettigrew. Harry saved Pettigrew’s life inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanand Dumbledore explained that this meant that the man owed Harry a life debt, which would be paid one way or another. InHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pettigrew attempted to kill Harry despite owing him this debt. As punishment, his own hand turned to his throat.Peter Pettigrew choked himself to death all because the magical justice system saw fit to punish himfor not honoring the debt he owed Harry.
Later, Severus Snape gave Voldemort the information that ultimately led to the Potters' murder, which means he himself caused the death of the man to whom he owed his life.
Severus Snape is another example. He and James Potter had been enemies, but Harry’s father still saved Snape’s life while they were in school together. Similarly to Harry and Pettigrew, this meant that Snape owed James a life debt. Later, Severus Snape gave Voldemort the information that ultimately led to the Potters' murder, which means he himself caused the death of the man to whom he owed his life. In this case, destiny kept Snape alive long enough to protect James' son and aid in the boy’s own destiny. Still, the price for this crime had to be paid—Snape’s life was doomed from the start inHarry Potter.
Finally, Lord Voldemort is another prime example ofHarry Potter’smagical justice system. The villain committed the worst crime of all and paid the greatest price for it.Voldemort committed murderand used this terrible deed to split his soul into pieces, ensuring his own immortality. He believed that this made him invincible, butmagical destiny ensured otherwise. When Voldemort heard the prophecy about a boy who could destroy him, he tried to kill that boy—but only secured his own downfall. Voldemort’s severed soul was then trapped in torment for all eternity, unable ever to find peace.
It’s revealed inHarry Potterthat severed souls can’t travel to the afterlife, which meant Voldemort was trapped in his flayed form in purgatory (which Harry saw in “King’s Cross” after his sacrifice).
It May Be Hard For The Harry Potter Remake To Get Magic’s Poetic Balance Right
Harry Potter’s Magical Justice System Comes Across Better On The Page
TheHarry Potterseries is full of these disturbing checks and balances—Pettigrew, Snape, and Voldemort are only the beginning. Life is sacred in the wizarding world, and the gift of giving life and the crime of taking it will always be rewarded or punished in turn. This isn’t an overt system, but it’s impactful all the same. Though somewhat present in theHarry Pottermovies, Dumbledore’s hints about the unavoidability of magical fate were mainly absent, and the punishment faced by Pettigrew, especially, was left out in the end. Hopefully, this is something theHarry Potterremake can restore.
Life is sacred in the wizarding world, and the gift of giving life and the crime of taking it will always be rewarded or punished in turn.
HBO’sHarry PotterTV showwill dedicate entire seasons to each of Rowling’s books, which means a lot more time to capture the more nuanced moments of the series. Still, the delicate balance of magical justice won’t be easy to adapt to the screen. TheHarry Potterbooks subtly approached this topic and hid the rules of the wizarding world within the characters' stories. The upcoming TV show would need to do the same,resisting the urge to overtly draw attention to this disturbing truth of the magical world. Hopefully, the somewhat terrifying poetry of theHarry Potterseries can be carefully restored.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students' time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
