Is Harry a Murderer / Killer!! ?? !! Yeah or Nah??

[Laurel Lei]

No: HPFGUIDX 151051

I haven't posted much during the last year... and have absolutely 
enjoyed reading all the posts daily... 

But, over that last year or so, I have read many posts that have 
touched a nerve, so to speak. They mention that Harry is NOT a 
murderer or NOT a killer or that he is not capable of it or that they 
hope he doesn't have to succumb to the murder of Voldemort via the 
prophecy or even that they would throw their copies of the entire 
Harry Potter series away if J.K. turned Harry into a murderer in book 
7... i.e. someone in Harry's stead would carry out the murder (via the 
veil, another person does it for him, or by other freakish events he 
just dies...)

I may be mistaken in my interpretation of murder within those poster's 
meanings but... it would seem to me that, Harry is very capable of 
murder... What about Quirrelmort???? He's dead and no one else was 
there but Harry... and "two-faced" Vapormort.  Does everyone believe 
that it was Voldemort's possession or abandonment of Quirrel was what 
brought on his "death"? Or maybe it was the drinking of the unicorn 
blood? I thought it was Harry's touch... and continued touch.

What about Voldemort's soul bit in the diary horcrux??? Again, no one 
else was there except for an unconscious Ginny and a dead basilisk. 
The basilisk fang didn't stab the diary on its own... with the 
intention of destroying (killing/murdering) materializing Tom 
Riddle/Voldemort.

Wouldn't Harry's soul be torn by his involvement in the death of 
Quirrel or the "death" of Voldie's soul bit...???

This has bothered me for quite some time...

I also believe that Harry would have killed Sirius if Lupin hadn't 
arrived. Harry had stated as much. (Obviously Sirius dying at that 
time wasn't in J.K.'s plot-line). 

And I believe that Harry would have killed Bella in the MOM 
during/post battle.

And what about Draco in the bathroom and the sectasempra spell...? The 
spell for enemies... the spell that Snape "reversed"... had Snape not 
arrived and known what to do (because he was the "Prince" and possible 
author)...???? Would Harry then have become a murderer if Draco had 
died? Isn't what he did attempted murder?

Is it believed that he is not a murderer/killer because he was 
protecting the Sorcerer's Stone, himself or Ginny? Avenging Sirius? 
Does his anger at his victims somehow make him temporarily insane and 
not responsible for his actions? Don't get me wrong, I adore J.K. and 
Harry and the series of books... but I found it very difficult to 
explain to my sons that if he were to harm another like Harry did to 
Draco or the others that they wouldn't "just get detentions". Or to 
explain to them that it is not okay to state that you would like 
to "kill" someone. (Yes, J.K. opened a door for me for discussions 
that may not have been opened another way).

But, how could "we" believe that Harry is NOT capable of murder or 
bringing about another's death (per the prophecy or my understanding 
of it that one (Voldie or Harry) must "die"). Or are "we" 
rationalizing? Is it something that we as humans choose to define 
as "NOT murder or a killing" like we often do, because we are in times 
of war?

My opinion of course... I just had to ask this... and I look forward 
to your responses... especially Steve's (as I admire his level-head 
and thoughtful posts.)

-Laurel Lei