[HPforGrownups] Fidelius swap was Re: The Sorting Hat

[Kathryn Cawte]

No: HPFGUIDX 87472


> Mandy here:
> Very romantic and something that might come from Dumbledore but I
> don't believe that was Sirius idea at all.  If he truly believed he
> was a match for LV he would have taken on the job of secret keeper
> and led the DE's on a chase.
>
K

and if he was quite as arrogant as you think he would have. However while he
muight be willing to risk his own life on that plan he wouldn't risk James,
Lily and harry's so this way he was the one in danger from the DEs but if he
failed to evade them then he didn't have the information to betray anyone
and *couldn't* give the secret away. He says in the Shack that he was afraid
he would break and therefore refused the job - how much *more* irresponsible
it would have been to take the job of Secret Keeper when he believed that he
would not be able to withstand Voldemort.
>

Mandy here:
If that is true, it's another example of how naive Sirius was.  The
statement that he would rather die than betray his friends are words
that come from the mouth of someone who has nothing to loose.  No
family: no wife, no children, no parents.  It's easy to take that
stand when the only person who may be threatened by your bravery, is
the very person you are trying to protect, in Sirius' case James
Potter.  Given the choice between James Potter and Peter or Remus,
Sirius would choose James with out thinking twice.  Lupin and I
believe Peter (except we have no canon to support this yet) had
families.   If I was being tortured for the where abouts  of my
friend and my loved ones were threatened; I'd choose my family.

K

I don't understand your point. Peter didn't betray them because of some
loyalty to his family - he'd already been spying on them for a year. And
even if Peter had been a good guy he would have already had to make the
choice between James and this potential family of his *when he took the
job*. If Peter wasn't willing to take the risks the job involved *then he
shouldn't take it*. The job of secret keeper was to keep the secret at all
costs - not to keep it right up until the cost became to high and then give
in. If you don't think you can keep the secret you shouldn't take the job,
oh but *wait* that's exactly what Sirius did - decline the job because he
tdidn't think he couls have done it. So if Lupin or Pettigrew had refused
the job because they were afraid Voldemort would find something (ie their
families) to use aginst them that would have been perfectly sensible, but
when Sirius does the same that's cowardly or stupid?
>
> Mandy wrote:
> The only crime Sirius was innocent of was the murder of 13 people.
> He died because he was guilty of betraying his best friend and
> responsible for James and Lily's murder.  Sirius knew this.  It's why
> he was so desperately trying to make up to Harry all the time.  It's
> why he resigned in the end.  Guilt hung around Sirius neck like a
> millstone.

>
K

Feeling guilt does not necessarily mean that one is actually guilty of
anything. Harry feels guilty over Cedric's death when it wasn't his fault.
Where does this ridiculous belief that James and Lily were bound and gagged
and therefore unable to stop Sirius switching with Peter come from. They
were perfectly capable of saying 'no, we don't think this is a good plan',
but they didn't. So they must have believed it would have worked - but
that's alright because they were totally innocent and had no reason to think
it wouldn't whereas Sirius should have known? The only thing the three of
them are guilty of is misjudging their friend (Peter). If Sirius is guilty
of betraying James and Lily then James is just as guilty of betraying Lily
and Harry and vice versa for Lily because they agreed to it. Sirius feels
guilty because he feels that if he hadn't suggested they use Peter then he
would be dead and James and Lily alive, but he is not responsible for
Peter's actions. Only Peter is. The only people responsible for James and
Lily's deaths are Peter and Voldemort.

K