A couple of Harry Potter questions

[kerravonsen]

Oh hivemind, I have questions for you.

1) If someone has broken an Unbreakable Vow through circumstances beyond their control (e.g. vow to keep Person X safe, and Person X died) then (a) will they die? (b) if they will die, do they die at the moment the vow is broken, or do they die when they find out the vow is broken? (e.g. when someone tells them that Person X is dead)

2) In my story, Draco decides to use a Pensieve to remind himself of what he knows about Harry Potter. Can anyone suggest a few good incidents to use as examples? Especially if they're incidents where Draco would notice things in a Pensieve which he didn't notice the first time around.

Comments

[vilakins]

I'd say the person doesn't die if the vow can't be carried out due to no action nor inaction of their own.

As for a memory, what about the one where Moaning Myrtle was being sympathetic to Draco and Harry walked in? I don't remember it that well, but maybe he could see a momentary compassion in Harry before it turned to custard?

[kerravonsen]

I'd say the person doesn't die if the vow can't be carried out due to no action nor inaction of their own.

Ah, but the person could have saved Person X if they'd paid more attention; it was something within their power to do if they'd figured out what was going on; thus in this case, I think it's more of a grey area.

I don't remember it that well, but maybe he could see a momentary compassion in Harry before it turned to custard?
I'd have to look at that bit again. If Draco had been conscious, his Pensieve memory might have seen how horrified Harry was.

[fred_mouse]

1. I'm in two minds about this one. If Person X was there when the Vow was cast, then it would potentially be linked to their life force, and thus when they die, it rebounds on the caster. However, if they are not, I don't like the idea of magic that doesn't have a limited radius of effect, so I would think that it would be linked to either the person who made the Vow, or the caster. Which would mean that it would be when either the caster or the person who made the vow hear of the death.

2. Either of the two first times that Draco meets Harry - probably more so Madam Malkin's. I think it probably depends on what you are trying to get Draco to see though, and how late in the story arc it is set - did Draco see Harry in Dumbledore's death scene?

[kerravonsen]

1. I think it makes sense that it's the person who made the Vow, rather than the binder, since the magic affects the person who made the Vow.

did Draco see Harry in Dumbledore's death scene?
If I recall correctly, no - in the book he was Petrified and invisible. In the movie, he was neither, which was out of character, but I guess they had to do it that way or the audience wouldn't have been able to see his reactions. (Which I didn't realize until this minute, that they actually had a good reason for going against the book in this instance).