The Case for Lupin

[KathyK]

No: HPFGUIDX 85142

Olivier, who wrote an excellent post that I just snipped down to one 
point said:

>As for 1), I agree that it is not possible to prove that Lupin did 
not kill Sirius. But there is something I think is quite hard to 
understand if he did. Why did he held Harry ? For all we know, Harry 
was "sprint[ing] toward the dais." Without Lupin, he would have 
jumped right through it, wouldn't he ? And that would mean no more 
Harry. And nobody could have blamed Lupin, Harry was obviously very 
eager to go there ("Harry struggled hard and viciously" and 
later "still he thought Lupin with every bit of strength he had"). 
So why would an ESE!Lupin prevent Harry from committing suicide?<

KathyK: 

I will leave the discussion for ESE!Lupin to those posters better 
able than I to argue it's points.  But Killer!Lupin I can do. 

If Lupin did in fact kill Sirius, and is evil to boot, why not let 
Harry run after Sirius into the veil?  Well there's one very simple 
reason.  *Dumbledore was watching.*

OoP, US edition 806:

"Harry released Neville, though he was unaware of doing so.  He was 
jumping down the steps again, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore 
turned to the dais too."  

And later on that page:

"But as [Harry] reached the ground and sprinted toward the dais, 
Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back."

Dumbledore saw Sirius fall.  Now, we don't have canon on 
Dumbledore's exact positioning immediately after Sirius went through 
the archway but we do have Harry struggling to reach it and him 
yelling for Sirius after Lupin had hold of him, I'd say it's a 
pretty safe bet Dumbledore was aware Lupin was preventing him 
following Sirius.  

And Lupin may be evil, but he's not stupid by any stretch.  It was 
risky enough killing Sirius in a room full of people that included 
Dumbledore.  If he just let Harry zoom to his death, I don't know 
that he'd make it out of there.  Besides, if Lupin didn't catch him, 
Dumbledore would have, IMO, and it would have unnecessarily blown 
Lupin's cover.  At least at this point if anyone had seen him take a 
shot at Sirius, he could have claimed to be, as Kirstini put it, 
Assasin With Dodgy Aim!Lupin.  That he was just trying to help a 
friend out of a tight spot and regrettably missed.  

And if Killer!Lupin did it by accident, or killed Sirius for other 
reasons rather than his being Eversoevil, there's no reason to think 
he wouldn't have protected Harry from following Sirius through the 
archway.  

KathyK, who doesn't think Killer!Lupin did it by accident