Responsibility for the prank (was the Veritaserum theory)

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 34921

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Porphyria <porphyria at m...> wrote:
> On Thursday, February 7, 2002, at 08:27 PM, Liz Sager wrote:
> 
> I'm wondering why all this speculation about whether Snape somehow 
> provoked Sirius into sending him into the passageway with Lupin. I 
> thought the book was pretty clear that it was Sirius's idea. Lupin 
is 
> actually the one who tells the story, in Sirius's presence (ch.18, 
PoA):
> 
> "Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick 
> which involved me--"
> 
> To which Sirius replies that it served Snape right for sneaking 
around 
> always trying to get them expelled.
> Lupin continues, adding "Sirius thought it would be -- er -- 
amusing, to 
> tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot..."
> 
> Lupin clearly lays the blame for this on Sirius' peculiar sense of 
> humor. He sounds annoyed here, as well he should be since he was an 
> unwilling participant.

Why do you think Remus sounds annoyed?  There is nothing in canon to 
indicate that his tone of voice, actions or expression show any 
indication of annoyance or anger as he tells this story.  I read it 
somewhat differently - that "-- er-- amusing" seemed to me to 
indicate that Lupin was struggling for a word to use to slide this 
whole thing by without revealing any more than he had to.  I always 
felt that he wanted to keep everyone's focus on Pettigrew in the 
Shrieking Shack and that discussion of this incident would have taken 
a lot more time to fully explain to the Trio.


 But if there were extenuating circumstances, 
> wouldn't Sirius admit to them, if only to excuse himself in Lupin's 
> eyes? 

He must have found some way to explain or excuse himself in Remus' 
eyes, as the prank did not seem to destroy their friendship. 

Furthermore, Sirius seems to jump at any chance to 
> portray Snape as creepy and slimy, so wouldn't it support his 
argument 
> if he could also accuse Snape of literally forcing the prank into 
> existence through cunning or a dirty trick of his own? I think the 
fact 
> that Sirius never contradicts Lupin's account and can only counter 
that 
> Snape deserved it for being annoying and meddling proves that 
Sirius 
> does consider the prank to have been his idea in the first place.


I agree that Sirius does consider the prank to have been his idea. I 
don't think that Sirius cares enough about it in the Shrieking Shack 
to want to spend any time rehashing it.  He wants to get Pettigrew.  
Whatever happened between him and Snape is of no importance to Sirius 
at this moment. 

I do think there is more background to this incident.  I dont' think 
Sirius was tricked, potioned, charmed, imperioused, or somehow forced 
into this because he was the victim of some sort of magic.  I'm of 
the opinion, and I have no canon basis for saying so, that Sirius did 
this of his own free will, but the reason he did it was because he 
had some sort of provocation, some sort of incident involving Snape 
that set him off at this particular time.  

And, yes, Sirius can't get past the slimy Snape figure, just as Snape 
can't get past the arrogant, strutting James figure. These two are so 
much alike in some respects...

Marianne