Why Did Sirius Play the Joke on Snape?

[magpie1112 at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 24850

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., cynthiaanncoe at h... wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., Amanda Lewanski <editor at t...> wrote:
> > cynthiaanncoe at h... wrote:

<snip>
> > > So why in the world would Sirius deliberately set up a 
> > > situation where Lupin, one of his best friends, kills someone 
> > > and would thereby be expelled or worse?
> > 
<snip/>

> I think it would work better if Sirius had done something careless 
> (rather than deliberate) that tipped Snape about Lupin and set up 
> the situation where Snape follows Lupin into the Shrieking Shack.  
> That would explain better why Lupin would forgive Lupin.  And most 
> importantly, it wouldn't give me such a powerful reason to dislike 
> Sirius when I desperately want to like everything about him.  Then 
> the blame for the whole incident would be more on Snape (where it 
> should be) than on Sirius (where most of it is now).


Well, according to Sirius, Snape did start it.  In PoA, Sirius says 
that Snape was always "Sneaking around, trying to find out what we 
were up to...hoping he could get us expelled...."  Sirius was 
probably fed up with Snape's Filch-like ways and decided to play a 
joke on him.  

I agree that the "joke" was way out of line, but Lupin said that 
during WMP&P's days at Hogwarts, there were "...alot of near misses, 
many of them.  We laughed about them afterwards."  

I'm guessing many of the adventures - including Sirius' "practical 
joke" on Snape - that were lightly brushed off when they were young, 
weighed heavy on Lupin, James AND Sirius as they got older.  And that 
Sirius spoke harshly about it because of his guilt over the episode 
(and residual dislike of Snape) rather than any weakness of character.


 
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]