Death chamber

[Ali]

No: HPFGUIDX 81810

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "paulanurse2003" 
<paula.russell at l...> wrote:

>>>> Does the presence of the chamber with the Veil inside suggest 
that the wizarding world had the death penalty at some time? This 
room is referred to in OoTP as like the courtroom that Harry 
was 'tried' in with an ampitheatre design which suggests that an 
execution was  public. However the stone archway is also 'old and 
crumbling' which could imply that this form of death penalty not 
used nowadays.<<<<

I certainly don't think that the death penalty has been used in 
current times. I believe that the death penalty has remained taboo 
in the WW. Otherwise, Sirius would probably have been convicted and 
executed after his show-down with Pettigrew, rather than be 
imprisoned in Azkaban. It seems that the WW didn't reinstigate the 
death penalty at the same time as the Ministry allowed the Aurors to 
use unforgiveable curses, which would have been an obvious time as 
fear and need for Ministry action and accountability were high.

As to whether the Death chamber was used as a place of Execution, it 
would certainly seem possible, if not probable. the fact that it is 
within the same building as the courtrooms and the fact that it has 
seating all suggest that crowds were once allowed to watch deaths. I 
cannot think why wizards would have watched people walking over to 
the "Other Side" for events other than executions. Unless, wizards 
once freely went over, when they were ready for their next great 
adventure.

I think that the archway is an ancient link between our life and the 
next. I imagine that it existed before the Ministry, the Courts and 
even the WW. I think that it has been used to kill, but it wasn't 
set up to kill, if that makes sense?
 
Paula again:

>>> Aurors were (are?) able to use mortal force in the course of 
their work and we know from PoA that dementors are empowered to 
give 'kiss of death' although the subject is renedered soul-less not 
actually dead. Will the defection of the death eaters and the now 
apparent  lack of security at Azkaban mean this method of execution 
is revived?>>>

It's interesting isn't it, that the WW appear to view the idea of 
being kissed as worse than death. But, even when public opinion was 
firmly against prisoners, as in the case of Sirius and also the 
convicted Longbottom torturers, the Kiss wasn't initially suggested. 
It was only when Sirius escaped and evaded re-capture that the Kiss 
was permitted. This would suggest to me, that the Kiss was an 
extremely rare penalty, and one that the death penalty couldn't 
readily replace.

I'm convinced that the arch and the death chamber will be important 
later. What I'm not sure about is whether it will become a judicial 
execution, or something that Voldemort manages to take over.

Ali