TBAY: Prank and the (Second) Pensieve Four

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 77912

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jwcpgh" <jwcpgh at y...> wrote:
> "Well...much as I'd love for Sirius to get off the hook here, I 
> couldn't help recalling DD's words about Neville at the end of 
> PS/SS.  " 'It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our 
> enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends'. (p 306 US)  
I 
> just can't see Wormtail standing up to Sirius, even if it meant 
going 
> behind his back."  Laura contemplated the physical dexterity this 
> might require for a moment.  "Wormtail had to know that he was in 
the 
> Marauders only because the others enjoyed his hero-worship of 
them.  
> Would he really do anything do endanger his status as a member of 
the 
> coolest group in the school?  Not to mention risking Sirius's 
wrath." 

Marina contemplated Laura's words with some confusion.

"I'm not sure what the difficulty here is," she said  "The 
whole 'premeditated Prank' theory is based around the claim that 
Peter did go behind Sirius' back.  If you don't believe Peter would 
do that, then all this premeditation business falls apart.  You 
should be happy!"

> "Surely, 
> Marina, you can come up with another theory?  Please?"  Tears 
filled 
> her eyes as she turned and disappeared as suddenly as she had come.
> 

"Prank! Fetch!"  Marina ordered.  Prank gave a loud, gleeful bark 
and ran off down the beach.  He returned a few minutes later, 
dragging a startled-looking Laura behind him, a corner of the skirt 
clutched firmly in between his teeth.  "There you are!" Marina said 
happily.  "What do you mean by asking me if I have a theory and then 
disappearing on me?  Of course I have a theory!  Do you want to 
actually hear it or not?"

"Uhm... yeah."  Laura bent down to wring the dog drool from the 
skirt, while Prank frolicked and wagged his tail.  "But the way 
you've been going on, I figured I could hear you from a distance."

"I won't yell this time," Marina promised.  Laura looked skeptical, 
but stayed where she was.

"Okay, so what's your theory?"

"My theory," said Marina, "is that Peter had nothing whatsoever to 
do with either the Prank or with James' interference, until after 
the whole thing was over.  There was no middle man. Sirius, spurred 
on by some event we don't yet know about, sent Snape to the Whomping 
Willow -- an impulsive, unplanned act of the sort we know Sirius is 
prone to.  Having done it, he goes off to brag to James -- James his 
best buddy, James his parner in crime, James who hates Snivellus 
too.  Except that James hadn't been around for whatever event got 
Sirius so riled up at Snape.  James is able to think rationally.  
James realizes that Sirius had just done something monumentally 
stupid.  He rushes off to the rescue, and gets to Snape just in time.

"There.  Isn't it lovely and clean?"  Marina gave a pleased 
smile.  "No timing problems.  No need to come up with  explanations 
as to why Peter didn't go to Remus, or why Lily failed to act until 
the last moment.  Sometimes the simplest explanations really are 
best."

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com