death to capslock

It’s amazing how many times I can re-read something and yet still miss the obvious. In my previous Dark Mark post, flyingskull said, "The DM is a magical tattoo, right?" And yes, I have consistently been picturing the Dark Mark as it appears in the movies: it’s your standard Little Black Tattoo. In GoF, Snape told us that an hour ago, it “burned black.” So it’s black, and when it’s used for summoning, it burns extra-dark black. Right?( Read more... )

It’s a common assumption that the Dark Mark is always visible on a Death Eater's arm, like a Muggle tattoo, and so Death Eaters must never, ever roll up their long sleeves. (I suppose this means they can never go swimming again, unless it’s at the Annual Death Eater Picnic.) Everyone knows about it, so characters might get suspicious if friends suddenly start taking unusual care about keeping their sleeves down. Romantic liaisons might end abruptly in shattering discoveries.

But does canon support this assumption?( Read more... )