Who is Thomas talking to?

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Lets see what Mirror Harry is up to in Mirror Mirror.

[morriswalters]

He's a Vampire and he eats Starborn's.

[g33k]

No, he read Kemmler's how to book, he has the talent to pull it off, as apparently most wizards do. That's why one of the Seven Laws is against it.  However raising Sue once doesn't make him a necromancer.  Since he didn't raise Mort from the dead, it wasn't necromancy.

I think there's a bit of a miscommunication, a differing definition, around the term "necromancer."

It seems to me that @Mira is using it as a functional/behavioral descriptor:  someone who summons/binds the dead (corpses and/or spirits), someone who regularly does so.  Is that correct, @Mira?

On the other hand, @ConspiracyTheorist seems to be working more on the basis of it being something inborn:  a natural proclivity or talent, regardless of whether said talent is actively pursued.  Is that correct, @CT?

Personally -- if my understanding is correct -- I think both are correct:  Harry DOES have an exceptional gift in this regard, substantially beyond most wizards' ability.  Harry does NOT routinely study or practice this, and only uses it rarely.

But Sue wasn't Harry's first act of necromancy; he had another stand-out instance:  defeating Bianca, by summoning a vast number of shades.  Notwithstanding the "weakened barriers" making that easier, we have to note that Harry:

• Did use necromancy
• Used it on an impressive scale
• Used it to defeat the student (Bianca) of a necromancer (Mavra)
• Failed to defeat Bianca using his own favored magical specialties (which usually are effective)
• Did all of that without formal necromantic specialization, just raw will & magic and... native talent

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I had forgotten about the shades in the Ramps mansion, there is so much in GP to pick apart, some things get overlooked. That would be his first shade summoning, Sue was his first zombie.

Kemmler would have been proud. Necromancer is both a proclivity and a vocation, the incompetent get their faces eaten off fairly quickly by a zombie they raised, and can’t control or get charged with necrophilia when they can’t raise the dead and have a freshly dug up  body in their basement they can’t explain, and no matter how much you explain the cops can’t parse the difference between Necrophiliac and Necromancer,

Given this natural ability plus Soulfire (which he had for neither event) it can only be a matter of time before Harry does a successful resurrection of his own Einenjharen. My moneys on Mister, for those who think he is just a cat. Plus he has the Shroud. You know he is going to resurrect some body.

[Mira]

But Sue wasn't Harry's first act of necromancy; he had another stand-out instance:  defeating Bianca, by summoning a vast number of shades.  Notwithstanding the "weakened barriers" making that easier, we have to note that Harry:

That isn't the definition of necromancy though, he called up ghosts, true, but did he reanimate their corpses, making them zombies? No.. Nor did he use them to foretell the future.

noun. a person who uses witchcraft or sorcery, especially to reanimate dead people or to foretell the future by communicating with them: In the story, the boy is killed by a serial killer and then revived as a zombie by a necromancer.

Nor was he brought up on charges before the Council for necromancy at the end of Grave Peril.. And since those shades were human unlike Sue he would have been brought up for breaking one of the Seven Laws of Magic.. So patently just calling up shades isn't considered necromancy. Or more to the point like he did in Changes, Harry reversed the vamp attack on him, it was perhaps the first indication the the Red Court in their lust for power or revenge don't really think things through.. 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Actually necromancy isn’t just raising zombies, it includes raising and manipulating shades.

When Donald Morgan went to harass Harry, he would always make a side trip to harass Mort because Ectomancy was considered too close to Necromancy. The big difference, the former works with the dead consensually, the latter against their free will. Mort was quite right to distressed by what Harry did with the Lecters, and that was out of Harry’s ignorance. That’s the third instance of Harry’ necromancy, and third time is the charm.

[Mira]

Actually necromancy isn’t just raising zombies, it includes raising and manipulating shades.

When Donald Morgan went to harass Harry, he would always make a side trip to harass Mort because Ectomancy was considered too close to Necromancy. The big difference, the former works with the dead consensually, the latter against their free will. Mort was quite right to distressed by what Harry did with the Lecters, and that was out of Harry’s ignorance. That’s the third instance of Harry’ necromancy, and third time is the charm.

Yet they never nailed Mort did they?

[Conspiracy Theorist]

For a long time Mort let his talent dwindle, and that was exactly what the White Council wanted. A powerful probably wizard level practitioner with an unfortunate talent for a field they despised. They didn’t want him inside and barely tolerated him outside unless he dwindled and cheapened himself.

After Dead Beat Harry was the local Warden, and far more of a Necromancer than Mort, so Mort learnt to stand up for himself and was given the space for his talent to flourish. In Ghost Story we see the final form of Mort as in Skin Game we see the final form of Butters. Mort stood up to in will and power Corpsetaker, in a way which would make most White Council members crap themselves. He has proven himself better than the White Council thto the two people who matter, Harry and himself. He has the respect of himself AND the local monster.



Professionally Harry respects Mort these days.

[Ed0517]

Yet they never nailed Mort did they?

I think as long as Mort TALKED, rather than controlled, he was OK. They watched him just in case.  Sue was OK as she was not human. Like Harry can toast a vampire, but not a human.

[Mira]

I think as long as Mort TALKED, rather than controlled, he was OK. They watched him just in case.  Sue was OK as she was not human. Like Harry can toast a vampire, but not a human.

Indeed, same is true of Harry, and Bianca opened the door, in desperation he called to her victims
as she was trying to kill him.  He asked them to remember, they did and did the rest.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Remember, yes we saw exactly how memories are used by ghosts.

As weapons.

[Mira]

Remember, yes we saw exactly how memories are used by ghosts.

As weapons.

In the case of Bianca it was the memory of being murdered by her that got her killed.  If there wasn't any connection like that, would they have killed her or orders?  They had a choice, what they wanted was vengeance.