Thread by @JSFalkner

I'm going to tweet a little about #HarryPotter and the rule of law, so hold onto your butts, everyone...

Isn't it interesting that Rowling chooses to let Harry, her star protagonist, commit two out of the three #UnforgivableCurses during the course of the story, while still a teenager, and face no punishment?

Wasn't one of the huge red flags about #Voldemort that he tortured others with no remorse, just to satisfy his own curiosity or emotional desires?

Harry Potter, our hero, clearly has a whole lesson about #Crucio, #Imperio and #AvadaKedavra in Goblet of Fire, in which he learns, aged 14, that each curse carries a life sentence. In the same class, he witnesses the cruel impact of each curse used on an animal.

Nonetheless, the very next year is the first time Harry tries to cast #Crucio, the torture curse, on another human. At the age of 15.

We know from the great detail that the lesson goes into that the sole purpose of Crucio is to cause pain. Harry does not use Crucio to try and obtain information. He uses it to hurt a woman who he dislikes (albeit for valid reasons)

The very next year, Harry again uses Crucio against an adult he dislikes, deliberately in order to inflict pain. Yes, it's during combat. But he is knowingly breaking the law of his land. Is he banking on his celebrity status to be above the law? #ClassInHarryPotter

Finally, in his seventh year, Harry uses Crucio against an adult for the third time. This time, he hurts the adult so much that they become unconscious from the pain. #AmycusCarrow had insulted a woman Harry liked in front of him.

In case anyone has forgotten, immediately after finishing school, Harry Potter takes a career in law enforcement. There's no suggestion he faces any punishment whatsoever for what are essentially #WarCrimes

Is this what #JKRowling intended? I wonder what Neville thinks about his friend's actions, given his personal history with Crucio?

Isn't a central theme of Harry Potter "do the ends justify the means?" What does the rule of law mean if members of law enforcement are given carte blanche to commit war crimes with no punishment?

Doesn't that retroactively excuse #DoloresUmbridge's actions when she herself, representing the law, attempts to bait Harry into committing a crime and threatens him with torture?

Shall we even get into the issues of #Hermione committing kidnap and blackmail, Ron stealing, the Weasley twins underage gambling?

Maybe Harry Potter isn't the Good series it makes itself out to be when such morally grey characters are the central protagonists and the legal system rewards them.

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