Clearing Sirius's Name

[bboy_mn]

No: HPFGUIDX 41811

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Tammy Olson <chelseyo at y...> wrote:
> Clearing Sirius's Name....
>  
> First, and most obvious, EVERYONE who was a death
> eater at some point, Even the traitors such as snape,
> what happend to them? They all got a dark mark that
> appeared on their left arm. So, if Sirius didn't get
> one it should be clear that he was not ever a death
> eater or a supporter of Voldemort. 
> 
> The other thing is All the death eaters now know that
> pettigrew lived! Surely everyone else could possibly
> find out he's alive, and that would bring the chance
> to clear Sirius's name. 
> 
> Anyone else have any thoughts on this?
> 

I think we need to make a distiction between Death Eaters and
Voldemort supporters, the same way we make a distinction between
Generals in the Army and common foot soldiers.

Death Eaters were Voldemorts elite; they were his closest inner
circle, and as such were branded with the Dark Mark. But you could be
a very high level supporter and not be good enough or close enough to
be in Voldemorts inner circle. 

With certain individuals like Wormtail, Voldemort may have branded
them as a way of maintaining power over them, and keeping track and
control of them. Wormtail/Pettigrew may not have had what it took to
be a general, but he did have something that Voldemort wanted, so
Voldemort made him a honorary general (of sorts).

The Dark Mark - my feeling is that there is always some trace of the
Dark Mark on a person's arm, but with Voldemort gone and his powers
lost, the Dark Mark was not very noticable. As he gained power, it
became more noticable, and when he called the Death Eaters, it turned
black.

As far as Sirius, not having the Dark Mark. This would not necesarily
be an indicator. Snape has the Dark Mark, and everyone accepted the he
was on our side. So Sirius not having it, neither confirmed nor denied
any potential association with Voldemort.

All the rumors about Sirius being in Voldemort's inner circle and
believing he (Sirius) was the heir to Voldemorts position of power,
were just that; rumors. When people assumed he was the Sercret Keeper,
and that the Potter's were betrayed, naturally speculation and rumors
ran wild. 

How will Sirius' name be cleared? First, having Dumbledore support
carries a lot of weight especially when people begin to realize that
Voldemort is back. Also, there are four eye witnesses to Wormtail
being alive and to his confession of his betraying the Potter's.

No one has more to lose, and more reason to hate Sirius than Harry,
and Harry is absolutely 100% sure of his innocents. That has to carry
a lot of weight. Ron and Hermione have every reason to protect Harry,
and  to want revenge for what has happened to their friend, so their
support of Sirius carries a lot of weight. Certainly, they can
convince the rest of the Weasley family. Next, while Remus' word as a
werewolf might not be worth much, he has the full trust of Dumbledore
and Harry, and they will certainly vouch for his character.

Then finally, if they capture Wormtail, you know he will crack like a
cheap vase falling to a stone floor. If they capture him, that will
certainly clear Sirius name. Also, the thought occurred to me that if
Dumbledore could get one of the Wormtail rat hairs that are probably
lurking all over the Weasley house, He may be able to use some kind of
spell to show that this rat hair belong to a human. Never
underestimate the power of magic.

So I can see lots of ways that Sirius can get an assumed amnesty or
even a real amnesty. 

bboy_mn