Sirius and Snape Going It Alone (was: (unknown))

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 39351

Dicentra:
> Well, besides the fact that it would have made an Awfully Short Novel 
> (WARPDRIVE!), Sirius didn't contact anyone because that's not how 
> Sirius operates.  
> 
> Other examples of Sirius Going It Alone: trying to assume the sole 
> care of Harry after the Potters were murdered, breaking into the 
> castle to get Peter (he *did* try to include someone else in his 
> plans, but that didn't work, did it?), trying to finish Peter off by 
> himself, and taking on Werewolf!Remus after he transformed (but he 
> didn't have much choice in that case). He's Lone Protector, and he 
> 

Eloise:

Well, isn't that interesting, because as you might remember, this is exactly 
the same argument that I have made about Snape.

He goes alone after Quirrell, apparently not sharing his worries at all 
(except possible with Filch).

He takes it upon himself to protect Harry from Quirrell during Quidditch 
matches

He goes after Sirius alone (I am assuming for the purposes of argument that 
this was why he followed Remus to the Shreiking Shack, since he was convinced 
that Remus was aiding Sirius), rather than informing Dumbledore and going 
with reinforccemnets to confront not only the dangerous magician that the 
Ministry needed trained hit-wizards to contain, but a possibly transformed 
werewolf.

He doesn't share with Dumbledore his knowledge of the Marauder's Map.

I have argued that part of his hatred of Harry originates in a jeaolousy of 
the child who keeps thwarting Voldemort when he wishes to be the one who does 
it, hence his attempts to thwart Harry in turn. We tend to assume that it was 
*he* who alerted the Potters to the fact that Voldemort was after them and I 
interpolate from this that he wanted to be the one who saved them. Possibly 
his going alone on this one also contributed towards their deaths.


> 
> Or at least, that *was* his modus operandi.  The next time Harry is 
> in trouble (GoF), we don't see Sirius trying to Go It Alone: he's 
> been corresponding with Dumbledore, and he's been taking Dumbledore's 
> insructions (where to find a cave to hide, etc.). No striking out on 
> his own.  No heroics.  And no screw-ups.  Let's hope he's recognized 
> that he can't Protect The Pack on his own, and that we don't see him 
> reverting to Lone Protector in OoP and the rest.
> 
> 
And likewise, at the end of GoF, we see Snape quietly acquiescing to his part 
in Dumbledore's plan. And that hard to interpret look at the banquet which 
could mean that he's reconsidering his rivalry with Harry. It's going to be 
essential that Sirius and Snape do become team players; the difficult thing 
is that they have to be on the same team (and I can't wait to see how they 
manage!)

> 
> Now, *why* did think he had to Go It Alone?  Dicentra stands and 
> swats the sand off her legs as she heads back to the Big Bang.  That 
> 

Well, my argument is that Snape needs to Go It Alone to prove himself and to 
atone for the past and possibly just because That's the Way He Is. Some of us 
are a bit like that ;-) I think it's quite possible that Sirius' motivation 
is similar.
> 
> --Dicentra, who's glad *one* of the Potterverse heartthrobs is 
> getting his act together 
> 
Err, make that two, will you? (No, I didn't really think that you would, but 
it was worth a try!)

Eloise



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