The two adversaries. Opposites of one another, destined to fight forever. Yin and Yang, the Dragon and the Tiger. Good and evil. Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.
In writing, it is best to remain balanced. When creating a new person and a new world, weighing strengths and weaknesses the same is best. And here in J.K. Rowling's world we have the scale: Harry on one side, Voldemort on the other. Even, both leading the conflict between good and evil. Perfectly balanced.
But...
Harry has the capacity for cruelty. He has disobeyed, gone against orders, even sometimes acted to bring another harm. Delighted in a fellow student's punishment. Chinese Dragons, wise and kind, can be destroyers if needed.
So what is lurking inside of Voldemort...?
-
Oblivious to the debate happening somewhere else, it was another night in Hogwarts. Calm. Peaceful. If you didn't count Harry sneaking around, invisible, in the many halls.
Creeping into the library, he paused. No one there - good. He just needed to study a bit more, that was all... right? Yes, it was, he assured himself. He needed a perfect grade on the Defence Against The Dark Arts test that was upcoming.
Only a small thing, he thought, mentally chanting his mantra. Merely going beyond the textbook. Can't hurt.
He walked into the restricted section, searched the shelves. It was here, he knew it was! Ah - there it was. Quickly, he pulled the black leatherbound book of the shelves. 'The Complete Dark Arts.'
It was midnight.
He opened the book and began reading.
Then the first spell. Out went his wand, one of the bugs he had caught earlier that day. This is only to understand, to make it clear, to make me a better scholar... He feebly embraced his thought and continued slowly.
Only for this one night...
He didn't truly understand that the Dark Arts was like a narcotic, one spell, you were hooked. To go back would have to be to brave Hades' fire. He didn't know. He was naiive, blinded by his thinking.
Like his sworn enemy so many years before, he took that one step down the wrong path and was doomed forever.
-
In a scale, when you take a weight off one side, you must take a weight off the other for it to remain balanced.
Harry Potter lost some of his innocence that night. But what could Lord Voldemort cast off to make it even?
...Some of his cruelty?
The negative of white is black, and of black, it is white. But if you reverse a gray, do you not get another gray in turn?
Think of this, fanfiction writers of the realm of Harry Potter.
- =Skade=,
Otherwise Known as
Sharon Covington