Exorcizing the Prank

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 38778

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., ladjables <ladjables at y...> wrote:
> Hi all,
> It seems to me that the Prank haunts the list,
> rattling its chains around like Marley.  I was
> wondering if I could help lay it to rest, until the
> Grand High Medium Jo does the job properly, that is.
> 
> A common complaint seems to be that Sirius thought
> nothing of Remus when he set about tricking Snape. 
> Well, what if he WAS thinking of Remus?  

[snipped some figuration about only scaring Snape]

I think that he *was* thinking of Remus - but not that Sirius ever 
meant to do *anything* to Snape - not even scaring him. And Snape 
probably was more being curious than trying to get a Gryffindor 
expelled or into trouble. But the night changed a lot. To me - it's 
not a prank, but a misunderstanding.

First a bit of background: We know *something* about what Sirius, 
James, Snape and Lupin did that night. The canon facts are that

1) Lupin went to Shrieking Shack to transform
2) Sirius told Snape how to get past the whomping willow
3) Snape went to the Shrieking Shack
4) James went after Snape and saved him from transformed Lupin.
5) James, Sirius and Peter used to accompany Lupin in their animagi 
forms.
6) Sirius was 16 when it happened (and the others, too).
7) It took them 3 years to learn to master animagi
8) McGonagall introduces animagi to 3rd years.

They *could* have been in 5th year or 6th when the event took place - 
Sirius could have turned 16 during his 5th year. (6)
They begun to learn animagi during their 3rd year (8)
and were finished at the end of their 6th year (7).

So - it's likely they weren't animagi *yet* when the event took 
place, but only working on it, almost there, but not quite. However, 
they could have done something to help their friend as soon as they 
found out.

James lent the invisibility cloak for Lupin to be able to get into 
the tunnel unnoticed easier. (Madam Pomfrey may have shrunk him or 
used an invisibility spell before that and *taken* him there).

Second, they escort Lupin who gets to go by himself after getting 
invisibility cloak.

Snape gets extremely curious what they mean with comments like "We've 
nearly done it" flying around troughout the year, with Lupin 
(modestly) responding they really shouldn't do it just for him, but 
being *very* pleased none the less.

Just to keep things being too obvious, the three take turns. Peter 
went with Lupin that night. Him being more scared than the others, he 
went earlier than needed. Snape noticed and learned of the secret 
passage from Peter. He goes in, wondering why Lupin is leaving school 
grounds, but can't get past the whomping willow so he goes back. 

Meanwhile, Peter has told Sirius that Snape knows about the passage 
(James was with Lily at the time). Sirius draws erratic conclusion 
that Snape *also* knows about the Whomping Willow.

Peter tells James later and *James* knows that Snape knew nothing 
about the Willow. Meanwhile, Snape talks to Sirius in a way that 
makes Sirius doubt that Snape *knows* Remus' secret, and is 
suggesting that Sirius doesn't know. Sirius needs to make sure *for* 
Remus, because if Snape knows or doubts... but he must do it without 
giving out the secret.

So, he asks one question: "Why don't you put a stick trough and... go 
past the Whomping Willow now?" To Sirius, this is an honest, general 
question, with 'you' in passive. If Snape didn't know about Remus' 
being a werewolf, Sirius expected him to say 'because it's out of 
bounds'.

Snape, however, interprets the 'you' differently and goes to do just 
that. Sirius is baffled and goes to tell James - who goes after 
Snape, telling Sirius and Peter to go inform Dumbledore - just in 
case. They do so and Dumbledore heads to the corridor, meeting James 
and Snape - and finds out how James had rescued Snape. James is 
awarded for extraordinary courage for his action. Snape gets a talk 
with Dumbledore, who a) scolds him for being out of bounds and b) 
gets him to keep Lupin's secret.

Snape would reply to a) with "Potter was also out of bounds".
To which AD would say that: "Only to save your life, Mr. Snape. That 
is legitimate reason or would you have rather died?".
(Which explains why Snape says James broke rules and got away with it)
Snape then complained about Sirius' prompting him to go... (hopeless 
effort to get a Gryffindor into trouble, too). "He was merely asking 
a question. He did not force you to break the rules"-- or some such 
would have been the reply.
(thus the 'Black got away with nothing'-comment. Nothing because he 
wasn't really guilty of anything).

-- Finwitch