Both Uses of
perpetrator
in
Harry Potter (#6) and the Half-Blood Prince
- You can imagine the kind of thing… so-called protective potions that are really gravy with a bit of bubotuber pus added, or instructions for defensive jinxes that actually make your ears fall off… Well, in the main the perpetrators are just people like Mundungus Hotelier, who've never done an honest day's work in their lives and are taking advantage of how frightened everybody is, but every now and then something really nasty turns up.†
Chpt 5
- You are quite right — they can detect magic, but not the perpetrator:
Chpt 17 *perpetrator = someone who did something wrong or illegal
Definition:
-
(perpetrator) someone who has does something wrong -- usually something illegal