TBAY: Washing dishes and powders

[Melody <Malady579@hotmail.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51925

The back door to the safe house creaked open and a trickle of snow
blew over the kitchen tiles.  Pip swept in and hurriedly shut it fast
behind her.

"I'm home," she called as she hung her coat and scarf on the peg and
kicked off her shoes.

"Hey, Pip.  We're in here, and you're just in time for tea," Melody
called from the living room.  Sneaky was currently shifting the tray
around with its many different teapots and plates of English biscuits.
 Fussing a bit with the flower arrangement, she turned, curtsied to
Pip, and scampered back into the kitchen.

"Oh good," Pip smiled, settled herself in her usual chair, and took up
the teapot for Assam tea to fill her cup.  Grey Wolf was sitting back
in his rather large chair reading a book by David Eddings called "The
Hidden City".  Sitting down on the rug, Melody was deep in decision
over which crayon to use to color Belle's eyes in her coloring book.
The glow from a large fire in the hearth filled the room.

Pip poured Melody the same tea as she did herself, but shifted teapots
to the Earl Grey for Mr. Wolf's tea.  As Pip settled back into her
chair, Melody looked over at the Wolf and giggled.  Even the biggest
teacup nested in Grey's hand like a thimble.

"Looks like it is going to snow all night," Pip commented looking out
into the darkness.

Choosing a dark green crayon, Melody smiled, "One can only hope."

"How was the bay today, Pip?" Grey Wolf asked as he gently blew on his
tea to cool it.

"Oh busy as normal.  All the comings and goings," Pip said with a wave
of disinterest with her hand.  "And you two?"

"Nothing.  Just been here all day," Melody said finishing off Belle's
blouse in a soft periwinkle.

"Well if that is all..." Pip trailed as she reached down to get a
biscuit.  "I have some news.  Some news that everyone is buzzing about
around the bay."

Grey Wolf and Melody looked up at Pip.  Pip let the pregnant pause
drag on with just a hint of a smile on her face.  Finally Grey Wolf
prodded, "And?"

Pip looked at both of them over her raised teacup.  "It seems Lupin
has been declared an agent of Dumbledore's for the shrieking shack
scene," she presented and took a sip of her tea still looking at
Melody and Grey Wolf.

Both of them sat a moment letting the idea hit the back of their mind
and then looked at each other.  They cut their eyes back at Pip with a
very distinct look of interest.

"You want the details?" Pip asked gleefully.

"Give us a quick run down Pip," Melody said sheathing her crayon and
putting them aside.

Pip put down her teacup and leaned forward to tell a tale.  "The word
on the street is that Lupin was the person Dumbledore chose to cause
Harry to have a life debt to Peter.  Lupin was the calm and rational
side of the SS, so he must have been the one doing 'business'.  Lupin
was trying to show Harry why it is that Peter needs to be pitied and
saved once Black and Lupin join together and 'try' to kill Peter."

"But--but..." Melody started to interrupt but Pip raised her hand to
stop her.

"Please Mel, let me finish," she smiled and continued the news, "Of
course, Lupin was just acting that killing, so he was stalling to get
Harry to make his decision.  Once the decision is made, then Lupin
becomes business like again and stretchered Snape, chained himself and
Ron to Peter, and led them all out of the SS.  Now once he got outside
he would transform into a werewolf so Peter can escape."

Grey Wolf raised an eyebrow, being the expert on werewolves in the
Safe House that he is, but nodded Pip to continue.

"So, that way Peter can escape.  And the life debt is made.   And all
is ready for GG," Pip finished picking up her teacup again.

Melody sat playing with a biscuit in her hand and asked, "What about
Snape?"

"Oh yeah.  Him," Pip remembered.  "Seems Snape was not supposed to
know about the SS, and he was not in anyway involved in the planning
of it.  His anger in the SS was genuine and his reason for going there
was because he saw Lupin on the map."

"So is Snape still an agent too?" Grey Wolf asked.

"I am not too sure," Pip said.  "We can look at that from both angles
I think.  See which works best."

"What would a second agent be doing there anyway?" grey Wolf asked
stirring his tea gingerly.  "By what you say, Agent Lupin has already
got everything in hand, while Snape only manages to disturb everything
- In that new theory, Agent Snape doesn't really fit."

"Does it have a name?" Melody asked.

"No official name as yet - for now it is referred to as Lupin!MD" Pip
said sipping her tea.

Grey Wolf and Melody frowned.

"Besides, it should get its own acronym," Melody concluded.  "Everyone
is due their own acronym.  It comes with theory creating."

"Grey, care to do the honors?" Pip smiled.  "You are quite good at them. "

Grey Wolf looked at infinity for a moment, entering in contact with
his inner Wolf, and suddenly produced a paper, out of what seemed like
thin air.  "There you go, Mel," he said, handing her the paper."

Melody looked down and read, "PERSIL AUTOMATIC -- Possibility Exists:
Real Shack Interpretation: Lupin Agent Uses Temerarious Orders,
Managing to Abscond Terrorist Informant Coward."

"Oh very nicely done, Grey," Pip praised.

Grey Wolf smiled and tipped his head.

All three sat a minute sipping their tea and pondering on the idea.
The fire crackled ever so subtly as Sneaky snuck in, placed a cake
stand filled with...well...cakes on the coffee table, and slid back
out on the hardwood floors.  Grey Wolf leaned over, took a cake
carefully between his claws, and started to nibble on it.

"Isn't Lupin only in one book?" Melody asked.

Grey Wolf and Pip looked at the girl a bit startled.  "Mel, you *know*
that to be true," Grey Wolf said looking at her curiously.

"Yes I do, so why is it that such an important agent, and the agent
whose job is to bring the crucial flaw in the potion, just now
surfacing?  Seems Dumbledore could use Lupin earlier to bring Harry up
to snuff and all.  If that is what Lupin is there for.  If Lupin has
been loyal all this time to Dumbledore," she said.

"The reason there is that Lupin is part of the 'old crowd', so
Dumbledore trusts him," Pip explained but shifted to her own opinion.
 "As if being part of the old crowd means anything.  Black, an accused
murderer, is also a part of the 'old crowd' so I am sure the 'old
crowd' has their problems.  After all, Mundungus Fletcher tried to
curse Arthur Weasley of all people.  A MoM official.  Who can say
Dumbledore really trusted Lupin?  We know he does now, but before, I
think he might have harbored a slight suspicion still.  Or at least,
*we* say he does."

"Well there are bigger fish to fry here.  What *I* want to know is why
Lupin would not have taken his wolfsbane potion.  Why do such a thing?
 It seems very irresponsible."

"The reason there is so Lupin can transform and distract everyone
while Peter escapes," Pip said with a twinkle.

Melody and Grey Wolf blinked a bit and spoke.

"Distracts everyone?"
"Is that before or after he's eaten the kids?"

"This is a werewolf we are talking about.  A *werewolf*.  Who cannot
choose what to do like a rational person once he is in werewolf form.
 He cannot decide to distract and *not* eat the children.  That is a
*big* risk," Grey Wolf said gravely wringing his hands.  "A big risk
indeed.  Dumbledore would never authorize that."

"So what if he forgot to take it then?  What if he got excited and
left before drinking his goblet?" Melody asked finally sipping her tea.

"How good an agent is that?" Pip asked reaching for a cake for
herself.  "Forgets the one thing that would keep the kids safe.  His
goal that night was to cause a life debt, but that life debt can only
matter if Harry Potter is still alive, which he has a good chance no,
an extremely likely 99% chance of not being so if Lupin is allowed to
transform."

"Well, I would buy this bit if Lupin *did* take the wolfsbane.  I mean
he would still transform, and he could 'fake' the needed chaos of the
moment to let Peter go 'accidentally,' but with this reading, there is
no reason for Lupin to not drink it," Melody concluded.

"Actually Mel, I do not think he could fake a werewolf properly.  Even
if he had remembered to take the potion, the situation would be weird.
 There is no way he could fake the werewolf madness without
endangering the children - it wouldn't be believable to have Lupin
chasing his own tail or baying at the moon when there were all those
tasty humans around.  So we have an agent of Dumbledore that is very
irresponsible, and very, very dangerous," Grey Wolf concluded over his
teacup.

"Lupin is a ticking time bomb," Pip stated.

"Don't forget the map," Melody added.  "Lupin left the map out by
mistake.  He never intended Snape to go down there."

"Irresponsibility number two," Grey counted off.

"So Lupin leaves the map on his desk and Snape finds it there," Pip
explained.  "A non-agent Snape would then notice that Lupin was first
a werewolf without his potion, and second Lupin was running currently
outside to the whomping willow.  So this Snape then goes after him?
Risks his life for what?  All he sees is a loose cannon werewolf
running *outside* on full moon night.  Who in their right *mind* would
go after him?  That is suicidal."

Melody and Grey Wolf nodded in agreement.

"So Snape, who doesn't have a clue of what is going on since he is not
an agent of Dumbledore, reaches the shack and does what exactly?
Completely freaks out?  Throws a tantrum?  He never does that in canon
except in PoA.  He is almost always calm and deadpan in his words.
This is the only time he looses it, and almost ruins everything from
this read.  What we have here is a raving loony suicidal out of
character and messing everything up Snape," Pip said.

All was silent a moment.  "I think we need to go through this page by
page myself," Grey Wolf said leaning over to put his teacup down and
pick up his copy of PoA.  Melody and Pip did the same.

"Ok first the part when Lupin enters the SS in Ch 17," Grey Wolf began
as the flipped to it.  "Not really late.  Not really early.  But he
did burst in."

"It says he came in 'hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his
wand raised and ready'.  Ready for what exactly?  Agent Lupin is
supposed to know what to do," Melody read and asked.

"Possibly ready to subdue Black if necessary," Pip offered.

"But Lupin just saw that Peter was on the map.  He would not be ready
to bust down Black then because he *know* Black is innocent.  He might
be ready for Peter though.  Well, if he is ready for Peter, why would
he?  He would also know Peter was the rat and rather passive right
now.  Small point though, so lets move on," Grey Wolf nodded and
continued reading.

"The 'bloodless' part is interesting though," Melody added.  "Wouldn't
a Mr. Calm and Cool agent Lupin be ready for this?  This is what is he
is trained and ready to do.  He should of entered calmly but decidedly
to bring the situation to a calm hand.  He bursted into the room with
sparks flying.  Seems he is a bit too excited or a bit too afraid."

"Point noted," Grey Wolf smiled.  "So this excited Lupin burst in.  To
do what exactly?  What is his and Dumbledore?s *big* plan?  Dumbledore
cannot know Black is innocent and thus planned for that little twist."

"Dumbledore is worried about Black's incursions in the school.  He
makes students from the four houses go to the main hall and sets up
guards.  Everyone is extremely worried," Pip said paraphrasing canon.

Grey Wolf jumped in, "Thus, Dumbledore doesn't believe Black is
innocent.  In fact he thinks he is dangerous and a threat to his
students."

"And this agent Lupin still does not tell Dumbledore that Black is a
dog?" Melody asked taking a cake and breaking it in two.

"It is possible that, even innocent, Black is out of his mind," Pip
added.  "Dumbledore could be fearing that also."

"That's my point, Pip," Grey Wolf smiled.  "If Lupin thinks Black is
innocent, there is no guilt in giving information about the full truth
of Black to Dumbledore.  My feeling is that if Dumbledore and Lupin
had frequent meetings (as spymaster and agent should), Lupin wouldn't
have kept the info.  It is too vital.  But, as I said, Dumbledore
doesn't believe Black innocent - he might believe he's a dangerous
madman (slashing at the picture and at Ron's bed) or they might
believe him to be downright evil (i.e. the traitor, or at least a DE)
so..."

"Agent Lupin has no plan in the SS," Melody concluded with a smile.
"How could he and Dumbledore planned *this*?"

Pip stirred her tea quietly and spoke up, "My problem is that Sirius
innocence is NOT obvious just because Peter survived.  Not for a
spymaster."

"You're right, Pip," Grey Wolf nodded.  "Lupin should have been more
careful."

"He has much evidence against Black," Melody chimed in.  "But he goes
in and hugs him."

"Exactly," Grey Wolf said, "That is no *good* spy.  This is
MadMan!Black we are talking about.  Goes around slashing pictures.
Has spent 12 years in a madhouse, where *everyone* looses their minds."

"So Lupin cannot know that he is still sane," Pip concluded.

"Nope and all evidence says otherwise, and from this theory's read,
Lupin knew Black's innocence when he saw the map.  Lupin cannot at the
time makes the judgment that Black *is* sane?  So he goes there still
not sure of what he is about to do.  In fact, how could he of even
prepared for such a situation?  Two seconds earlier, he thought Sirius
guilt," Grey Wolf said working through the facts.

"So Lupin has *no* plan," Melody concluded.  "He has not pre-plan to
scrap.  He has no option plans to choose from.  All he has is that he
is to get a life debt?"

"He cannot have a plan," Pip stated flatly.

"Nope," Grey Wolf agreed.  "Agent Snape's can, since he's expecting
three (possible) traitors.  Agent Lupin arrives and hugs the madman
and believes his story immediately."

"Next bit is Lupin talking to Sirius about the secret keeper switch,"
Pip read.  "He must be acting that bit then, because an agent Lupin
would have known all that already."
"Then Hermione gets hysterical about Lupin being a werewolf," Melody
added.  "What would he of done if she hadn't?  Had a fireside chat
about what he was?  Sit the kids down so that they could all talk?
Seems a jump that he could of expected that Hermione figured out the
werewolf thing."

"Well, if Snape did give the werewolf lesson for that purpose," Grey
Wolf commented.  "If he is still agent Snape here, then he could have
been on orders to plant that to make the SS easier."

"*If* Snape is another informed agent, which we proved he wasn't," Pip
pointed out.

"Well then, Lupin was lucky Hermione does pay attention," Melody smiled.

"Blah blah blah.  They all talk about their lost childhood and Lupin
about how much Dumbledore's trust means to him," Pip said flipping
through pages.  "To...Snape's entrance."  Pip laid the book down and
smiled.

Melody leaned back on her heels.  "Which Snape first?"

"Lets go with the non agent Snape view," Grey Wolf suggested.

"Yes, let's," Pip nodded, "Now we have a Snape that saw the map, saw
Lupin enter the tree, knew this was a very bad werewolf that did not
take his potion, does not know that HRH are there nor does he know
about Black.  All he knows is that Lupin is out there and a threat.
And we are to believe he went off on his own, and did not call anyone
else for help, and went after Lupin.  A Lupin that once Snape reaches
him may kill him.  Why would Snape go?  He has no reason except suicide."

"Why indeed Pip," Melody agreed.  Grey Wolf also nodded.

Pip continued though, "But we are to believe this non-agent Snape went
to the SS and then stood in the doorway and listened?  For what good?
 He knows Lupin is dangerous.  He believes three of his students are
in grave danger, and all he does when he come in and sees the five of
them sitting calmly talking is to stand there and *listen*?  He has no
reason there and, in fact, has more reason to barge in and take over
the situation.  Now he knows that forgetful werewolf Lupin is
endangering three children in his carelessness.  But he waits.  That
does not add up for me."

"Nor I," Grey Wolf smiled.  "Nor does the calm way Snape enters the
room.  If he's really enraged, he wouldn't have waited that long.  If
he doesn't know what's going on, he's getting free information he
probably might find useful - why not wait until the end, then?
In a nutshell, he enters too late from one point of view, and too
early from the other."

"He steps in and bounds Lupin, which covers goal number one for
non-agent Snape.  But he then taunts Black and the kids.  He starts
getting very shrill which is very unSnape to do.  In fact, he never
does it any other time in the series.  He is always calm, collected,
and quick witted.  Yet here he is a different Snape.  He has a wand
pointed at Black, has every reason to kill him, yet doesn't.  He does
not kill him.  Why?  Because Snape wants to turn him in?" Melody asked
but before Pip and Grey Wolf could answer, she found her answer.  "But
if that is true, then why did he not tie Black up also?  Those ropes
come freely.  Why was Black left unharnessed?  Non-agent Snape has not
reason there."

"And the agent Snape has more difficulties," Pip said repouring
herself some more tea.  "For if agent Snape knew what was going on,
why did he go down there?  Why did he even go to Lupin's office?
Dumbledore would not have told him his plans about the night, so Snape
would have been in the dark on that."

"Do you think an agent Snape would know if there was an agent Lupin?"
Grey Wolf asked.

"If he did, then he *definitely* would have left the SS alone.  And if
he went down there to warn Lupin and the others of his werewolf
accident, then he *really* failed in accomplishing that because
Dumbledore and Lupin *wanted* there to be an accident," Melody answered.

"So then, which form of Snape works here?" Pip asked.

"Well--none of them," Grey Wolf concluded.

"Hmmm," Pip said sipping her tea.

"Then we get to the knocking out bit," Melody said flipping ahead a
few pages.  "Something not caused by the trio of spells, but the fact
Snape slammed his head against the wall.  In our view, that *could* be
faked easily.  One can just hit their head on the way down.  It is all
in the angle of the projection."

Grey Wolf looked up and raised an eyebrow at Melody.  "Mel, you know
about things like that?"

"What projection angles and the rate of mass and force upon impact?"
she smiled.  "Why yes I do."

"Good thing," Grey Wolf nodded returning to the book.  "So we have
knocked out Snape.  A knocked out Snape that should not be there by
Lupin's viewpoint."

"Quite right," Pip jumped in.  "Lupin should have been worried then.
I mean an innocent professor was just injured and unconscious.  That
is not a good thing.  But does Lupin go over and check to see if Snape
is all right?  Does he even check a pulse?"

"Um...no," Melody said flipping ahead.  "Not until after Peter and
Harry life debt deal."

"Exactly.  That is cold-hearted!Lupin then," Pip concluded.  "He has
regained control of the situation.  Seems he should check on poor
confused Professor Snape."

"Well, Snape did just tie him up," Grey Wolf offered.

"That is no excuse," Melody said shaking her head.  "Lupin should be
better than that."

"Ok, ok.  We are getting off track," Grey Wolf waved.  "What is next?"

"Blah blah blah.  Lupin forces Peter to show himself and they all talk
ever so civilized," Melody said flipping though the pages.  "Ah ha!"

"What?" Grey Wolf and Pip asked.

"The moment of truth for agent Lupin," Melody said with a bit of
forbearing in her voice.  "The moment he was waiting for.  To fake his
desire to kill Peter."

"And if he is faking it..." Pip sat up with a grin.

"Then the life debt is not real," Grey added.

"But we still have Black wanting to kill Peter," Melody added now
frowning at the text.

"But the agent Lupin theory says that Lupin stalled for time.  He
dragged it out a bit to give Harry time to make his decision.  How did
he get Black to do that too then if he did drag it out?" Pip asked.

"Plus the fact that *both* Black and Lupin looked 'staggered' in the
text seems to say that they both had the *exact* same response to
Harry.  I mean Lupin *may* be acting, but that is a damn good
performance.  Shouldn't Lupin look a little relieved?  I mean Harry
just did what it is that Lupin so desperately needed him to," Grey
Wolf pointed out.

"Then we have an agent Lupin that must get Peter to escape," Melody
said foraging onward.  "He ties himself and Ron, who has a broken
*leg,* to Peter.  That is rather odd, don't you think?"

"A bit yes," Pip said.  "Seems someone else should be tied so that
they have a good chance of getting away from such a dangerous,
wanting-to-transform Lupin.  Ron has the least chance out of the three
of them."

"And what about poor Snape," Grey Wolf added.  "He has no protection
from this werewolf.  He is just floating there, and could easily
succumb to werewolf teeth *especially* since Black already does not
mind that to happen.  That is very irresponsible of Lupin too."

Pip flipped on and paused.  "What was supposed to happen *after* Lupin
turned into a werewolf?  What were Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Black,
the people that were supposed to be there by design of the plan, to
do?  They are left in the woods with nothing to do.  Snape is there by
accident, so he doesn't count.  What was Lupin's and Dumbledore's big
plans on that lot of people?  Hope they all walk up to the hospital
wing or his office to tell all?"

"If we had an agent Snape too then we have someone that could pick up
where Lupin transforms," Melody offered.

"But we already proved that we can't have that Mel," Grey Wolf said
looking over at her.  "An agent Snape is on orders and would not have
meddled that early."

"Then we have another problem," Melody sighed.  "This new theory is
not holding water Pip."

"So I see Mel," she said placing PoA back down.

"Well at least we got to look at things in a possible new light," Grey
Wolf nodded and put his teacup back on the tray.

Melody sat up on the floor.  "Ok then the problems we see are..."

"That Lupin was a ticking time bomb.  Lupin is a werewolf who hasn't
taken his potion. He is dangerous and deadly.  Period," Grey Wolf nodded.

"Lupin takes control in the SS, instead of forcing Harry to do so.
Non agent and agent Snape with an agent Lupin are inconsistent with
canon," Pip said ticking them off on her hand.

"Lupin is faking his desire to kill Peter.  If that is true, then, how
is it that the life debt is invoked?  And how does he intend to *stop*
Sirius killing Peter?" Melody asked.

"Ok three main points with a lot of loose little ones," Pip finally
waved her hand.  "There are many problems here with canon.  Oh well.
It was fun to kick around though."

"Ooo, one more thing ladies," Grey Wolf said sitting up.  "Snape got
Lupin fired in the end.  Seems odd that the person that got the agent
of Dumbledore fired would still work there.  *Or* if Snape was an
agent too, then he would know the importance of having agent Lupin
around, therefore; Snape would have held his tongue."

"Good point Grey," Melody smiled.

"Yes, very good indeed," Pip agreed.

"Ok then, I think it is time for muffins," Grey Wolf smiled waving
Sneaky in with the tray.

-----
Composed together by the three members of MDDT for your perusal and
enjoyment.  One hopes that helps.  One offers you tea.  And one stayed
up all night with the quill pen.