Sirius don't need no stinkin' remorse

[Audra1976 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 47724

In a message dated 12/3/02 10:04:47 PM, dicentra at xmission.com writes:
<< When Snape entered Hogwarts, he knew more curses than most 7th years.
 He was *not* someone you messed with; Sirius would know that.  Sirius
would have assumed that Snape would go into the tunnel armed--if he
went at all--and therefore could have defended himself against
Wolf!Lupin. >>

If this was truly Sirius's belief, then the situation parallels Snape and the 
other professors daring Lockheart to go into the Chamber of Secrets.   They 
at least doubted, if not totally disbelieved, Lockheart's claims to 
greatness, and were basically saying, "Go ahead, put your money where your 
mouth is."  

Snape probably talked a good game about The Dark Arts in his school days.  
How else would someone know that he knew more curses than a seventh year 
unless Snape told them?  Sirius might have thought it would shut Snape up if 
everyone knew that he pissed himself when he was confronted with a real 
werewolf.

I'm not much of a Sirius Apologist when it comes to The Prank because I like 
Snape to much, but if we were to give Sirius the benefit of the doubt...

Sirius would have had to have made two assumptions:

1. Werewolf!Lupin was "tamed" enough by the other Marauders interventions 
that he wouldn't have actually killed Snape (IIRC, Lupin says something about 
being able to keep control more and more in his werewolf form after the 
Animagi!Marauders started keeping him company).

AND

2. Snape did not know enough about DADA to actually hurt or kill Lupin.

It's pretty much of a gamble, but otherwise, Sirius just didn't comprehend 
(was he that stupid?) or care (was he that callous?) what happened to Snape, 
or his friend, Lupin.

Audra