"Regardless of modern sensibilities on the issue," the Slytherin began with a degree of smugness that was almost Elijah's trademark at this point, "executions have been, throughout history, a much-used form of punishment for the gravest of ills one can perform upon society. Though muggles have proved fond of methods such as hanging or beheading—and our own Nearly-Headless Nick serves as testament to the barbarity of the latter—we wizards had a greater tool at our disposal: the Killing Curse."

"The goal of execution, of course, is not to cause the victim pain but to remove them once and for all from a society in which they have no place. The use of the Killing Curse, though frowned upon in civil society, and rightly so, is a far more genteel, fool-proof, and efficient means to that end. As such, while it does not have a place in our day-to-day lives, it is certainly understandable why it might have been developed, and why it might even make a comeback some day—though of course, only as a part of our legal system."