> What would an auror say in his professional capacity? Or an adult to an older adult?
"Mr so-and-so" if they were being frostily polite. Or they, as adults in a superior position, might well say "sir" - a policeman might say "Move along now, sir" - but in that case it's a gesture of superiority rather than respect. Or it's nominally respectful, but it signals "I'm being polite because it's my professional duty to be, but if it wasn't my duty I *wouldn't* be polite," so it's very nearly an insult.
"Say" would always be a bit out of place, even for the 1950s - it's a straightforward Americanism. But it didn't bother me because a Muggle-born child of David's generation will have watched a lot of American shows on TV and probably picked it up there.
no subject
"Mr so-and-so" if they were being frostily polite. Or they, as adults in a superior position, might well say "sir" - a policeman might say "Move along now, sir" - but in that case it's a gesture of superiority rather than respect. Or it's nominally respectful, but it signals "I'm being polite because it's my professional duty to be, but if it wasn't my duty I *wouldn't* be polite," so it's very nearly an insult.
"Say" would always be a bit out of place, even for the 1950s - it's a straightforward Americanism. But it didn't bother me because a Muggle-born child of David's generation will have watched a lot of American shows on TV and probably picked it up there.