Why didn't basilisk kill?

[Michael Perry]

No: HPFGUIDX 160450

Eddie:

> OK, I know that everybody in Book 2: CoS who encountered the basilisk
> was petrified for one reason or another (basilisk gave deadly glare
> via mirror, camera, ghost, etc).  But why didn't the basilisk then go
> ahead and kill/eat the victims _AFTER_ petrifying them?  Surely this
> must be an ongoing problem for basilisks, that their intended dinners
> keep getting petrified instead of killed?

Excellent! I *think* that this is because a basilisk can't kill inanimate
objects. Once petrified, they aren't really alive.

Michael Perry