Who trusted Sirius? (was: Sirius V's #2?)

[Bente13 at peoplepc.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 24330

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., joym999 at a... wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., monzaba at p... wrote:
> > Actually, I think it's quite shocking that James and Lily seem to 
> be 
> > the *only* people who trusted Sirius. Everybody else, even those 
> who 
> > knew him really well: Remus, Hagrid, McGonagall - were certain he 
> > betrayed his best friends and slaughtered the muggles. 
> > 
> > Still worse, it seems that Dumbledore shared their belief
> 
> It is possible that Dumbledore did not believe that Sirius was 
> guilty, or at least had some doubts, and the MoM ignored his 
> protests.  Dumbledore is clearly not universally popular; Fudge has 
> shown his unwillingness to believe Dumbledore, and the Board of 
> Governors of Hogwarts managed to fire him in CoS.  There are 
clearly 
> a lot of behind-the-scenes political struggles going on in the MoM, 
> so Dumbledore may have only a very limited ability to affect the 
day 
> to day workings of the MoM.
> 
> It is also possible that everyone, including Dumbledore, assumed 
that 
> Sirius was yet another victim of the Imperius Curse, and did not 
> voluntarily go over to Voldys side, but was coerced because of the 
> curse.  Remember, we dont really know all that much about Voldys 
> Reign of Terror, but it sounds as if one of the horrors of it was 
> that he was so powerful that he could put curses on seemingly 
> powerful wizards.
> 
> --Joywitch, just speculating



I think Dumbledore and everyone else probably did believe that Sirius 
did it. Look at the facts: Someone close to the Potters was a 
traitor. James insisted on having Sirius as his Secret Keeper against 
Dumbledore's better judgment. The Potters died. Poor, stupid Peter 
Pettigrew, overcome with grief, accused Sirius of betraying the 
Potters and was killed for his trouble (or so it seemed). All very 
nice and neat. I'd believe it, too. It's all circumstantial, of 
course, but Sirius never had the chance to tell his side of the story 
(not that anyone would have believed him if he did). Yes, it's 
horrible that no one believed him to be innocent, but under such 
circumstances you suspect everyone. Sirius himself suspected Lupin, 
which is why he didn't tell him that Peter was to be the Potters' 
Secret Keeper instead of himself. Lupin obviously didn't hold it 
against Sirius, no more than Sirius held it against Lupin that *he* 
had doubted. 

Bente