Why the Veritaserum theory is all wet

[tex23236]

No: HPFGUIDX 34812

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "judyserenity" <judyshapiro at e...> wrote:
> Tex wrote:
> > >... AFAIKT, Cannon doesn't tell us Sirius' 
> > > motive for the prank, i.e. why Serius Told Snape about the
Shack.
> > > I think Snape spiked Serius' pumpkin juice with Veritaserum and
> > > caused him thus to babble. 
> 
> Sheesh, will people stop at nothing to malign my poor,
misunderstood 
> Severus? 

No, I don't mean to malign Snape. He's conflicted and complex, and
has a nasty outlook, tending to blame others for his problems; but
I know lots of (ultimately) nice people like that.
> 
> There's a much bigger problem with the "Veritaserum made Sirius
talk" 
> theory, though.  Think about it.  Ok, suppose 16 year old Snape got 
> his hands on carefully controlled Veritaserum, 

Or made it himself? If he knows more curses than his peers, he may
know more potions, too.

> managed to lure Sirius 
> away from his friends, and somehow arranged for Sirius to have
amnesia 
> about the whole thing.  

No amnesia needed. Sirius probaably wouldn't admit he'd been
had.

>(By the way, that kind of contradicts the 
> "Snape is incompetent" theory, doesn't it?)  

No way Snape is incompetent. I keep wondering why DumbDoor
doesn't give him the DADA classes

>So, Snape has Sirius 
> under the influence of veritaserum.  Snape asks "where does Lupin
go 
> each month?" Sirius replies "He goes into a tunnel under the
Whomping 
> Willow.  The tunnel leads to the Shrieking Shack." 

> I can pretty much guarantee that the next words out of Snape's
mouth 
> will be "*Why* does Lupin go to the Shrieking Shack?"  (Or
something 
> to that effect.)  And, of course veritaserumed Sirius will have to 
> reply "Because Lupin is a werewolf."  
> 
Snape would likely have that figured out, already, like Hermione 
did.  Snape is probably the smartest of all JKR's characters, 
including HP.  He doubtless would have followed the Marauders
to the Whomping Willow tree.  At this point, Young Snape knows
Lupin is a werewolf, but not that the others are animagi.  So, there 
is not a lot for Sirius to tell him beyond the fact that the tunnel 
under the tree goes to the Shack, which is Lupin's (and the 
Marauders' hideout) Snape mostly only needed confirmation of
what he has already figured out.

> Snape would have no reason to go to the Shack after that; the Prank 
> would never happen.

Snape _is_ rather full of himself.  My guess is Snape went to the 
Shack to confront and capture Lupin and bring him in 
single-handed, as he thought he was going to do in PoA.  After all,
if the Marauders could do it, it must be safe.  I suspect he had some
curses ready.

As for the varitaserum, I think this is but one possible explanation.
 
If Sirus had done it because the was an impulsive kid and Snape was 
a git, I think JKR would have said so. But Sirius doesn't explain his 
motives to Harry, even when he says he did it.  And Siruis' motives
are simply not explained in canon, so far.

Tex