Killing and murdering in the UK WW

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 129862

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "deborahhbbrd" <hubbada at u...> 
wrote:
> Once again I have to apologise for my ongoing inability to snip like a
> civilised person.
> 
> But, on the subject of why LV is said to have 'murdered' rather than
> 'killed' the senior Potters, I would say as a speaker of British
> English that you murder people in cold blood, in accordance with a
> plan. It is your specific intention to murder them and only them. If
> you kill, it might be accidental or random, or it might be in battle -
> Sirius was veiled in a fair fight, and the right word there would be
> 'kill', regardless of the personal issues that were also involved.
> 
> So interesting, sometimes, how the language of books can raise these
> issues that we (on opposite sides of the English language divide!)
> would never otherwise think about.
> 
> Deborah, in her language-sorting hat

Geoff:
Speaking as a native English person, to me "kill" would also include 
the "murder" option.

However, regarding Sirius, I hardly think it was a fair fight.

The Order members had arrived to rescue Harry and were involved in 
exchanging spells to disable the Death Eaters as were the DA members 
present. Look at the tally of spells used:

DA and Order members: Protego, Reducto, Colloportus, Stupefy, 
Expelliarmus, Accio, Silencio, Petrificus Totalis, Diffindo, Finite, 
Crucio

Death Eaters: Alohomora, Avada Kedavra, Impedimanta, unspecified (used 
to attack Hermione), Stupefy, Tantallegra, Accio. Protego

An interesting and interesting tally. The Crucio is, of course, Harry's 
directed at Bellatrix otherwsie the spells used by this group were to 
protect or disarm. There are two AKs noted by name from the opponents 
but there are others using green lights plus whatever was used on 
people such as Luna and Ron which are not specified in the text.

So, I believe that the Death Eaters were quite cold-bloodedly aiming to 
kill. Sirius is hit by something which is instrumental or partly 
instrumental in his death (depnding on how you see the function of the 
veil) whereas he is merely trying to assist in the rescue and 
apprehnding of Voldemort's gang. I think that it is quite in order to 
say that the Death Eaters present and Voldemort himself were attempting 
to "murder" the students and Phoenix members who were in the Ministry.