Lupin the brave, Sirius the terrorist?

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 41945

Amy  gamely responds:

>>>....we do sometimes wring our hands
about Harry's tendency to take on risks alone.  In any
case, I think my point stands:  a failure to summon
backup doesn't imply a lack of bravery.  If anything,
it's evidence of a bravery that borders on
overconfidence.<<<

Or sheer idiocy bordering on incompetence. But don't take my 
word for it. Here's Fudge, responding to Hagrid's assertion that 
he'd have torn Sirius limb from limb:

"Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law 
Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black 
once he was cornered." PoA ch. 10.

Now, I don't think Lupin's an idiot. And he's an expert on Dark 
Magic, so he's not incompetent either. Either the situation was 
terrifying and  he knew he should get  help--or it wasn't terrifying, 
and no bravery was required. But even Harry had the sense to 
realize that he couldn't face Snape alone at the end of PS/SS and 
sent Hermione to owl Dumbledore.

Amy:
>> Lupin, who holds himself partially
responsible for James and Lily's deaths and has a
lurking guilt about withholding information and
therefore, he knows in his heart of hearts,
endangering Harry, is seeing his worst nightmare come
true:  Harry too is about to be killed by Sirius. 
Lupin is probably close to panic.  He just *goes,* not
thinking terribly clearly along the way.  I can see a
lack of wisdom there (and an authorial need for the
direct confrontation and unfolding of the tale <g>),
but again, not a lack of courage.<<

Oh, the plotmonster has to get Lupin to the Shack alone, no 
question. But it didn't have to tell us that it would be foolish for
a wizard to try to capture Black on his own, or that Lupin didn't 
feel compelled to intervene *until he saw Pettigrew. * It didn't 
make   Lupin seem so strangely unconcerned about the Trio's 
welfare. It's Sirius who cautions Ron about his leg, and chides 
the Trio for attacking Snape.

  If Lupin is irrational with fear for Harry, there's no sign of it
once he reaches the Shack. He's pale and tense, but  quite in 
control of himself. The first thing he does is confiscate the Trio's 
wands; an odd way of trying to protect them, it seems to me. The 
next  thing he does is ask about Pettigrew. In fact, it's Pettigrew 
that seems to concern him the whole time.

 The only time we  see Lupin in anything like a panic is when 
Sirius is about to kill Peter before he can give an account of 
himself.  Then he yells, "NO!" in All Caps, mind you, and flings 
himself bodily on Sirius, further injuring Ron. And when Ron tries 
to leave, it's Lupin who stops him, at wand point. Strange, since 
he supposedly ran out to the Shack to save Ron's life.

Amy tries to prove that  Lupin had no reason to regard 
Sirius Black as a terrorist:

>>I get the IRA parallel with the blowing up of the
street, but I think it's weak, and I certainly don't
think the parallel carries to the rest of Sirius's
actions.  Sirius has been free for ten months without
a smidgen of terrorist activity.  Almost everything he
has done is consistent instead with the behavior of a
singleminded assassin:  he wants to kill Harry Potter,
not wreak terror on anyone else.  (Harry and Ron even
wonder why he didn't kill Ron and move on to Harry. 
We know after the fact that it's because he didn't
want to kill anyone but Pettigrew; even at the time,
the most sensible explanation is that he didn't want
to kill anyone but Harry.  Not exactly the modus
operandi of a terrorist.)  The one exception is the
slashing of the Fat Lady, best explained as a fit of
temper at being kept from his quarry (whether Harry or
Peter, it makes no difference).<<

Dementors are guarding the school and patrolling Hogsmeade, 
there are security Trolls defending the Fat Lady, and the students 
and  villagers are prevented from moving around at night. 
Parents are keeping their children indoors. It's obvious everyone 
feels that Harry isn't the only person in danger. Even the 
*Muggle* authorities have been notified. Those sure sound like 
counter-terrorist measures to me. 

 Sirius is supposed to be Voldemort's chief lieutenant. Why on 
earth would anyone think he *wouldn't * try to harm innocent 
people? The fact that they weren't on Voldemort 's hit list wasn't 
exactly protection for Cedric, Frank Bryce or Bertha Jorkins, was 
it?

Pippin