Case for Marauders (was Re: Marauders, Voldemort and the Map)

[romulusmmcdougal]

No: HPFGUIDX 109861

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "halli" <hallisallimalli at y...> 
> 
> Halli:
>  I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that Harry's father, or his 
> fathers' friends (besides Peter) were death eaters. James hated the 
> dark arts, we've heard that before. All the maurauders hated Snape, 
> the little freak that was up to his eyeballs in the dark arts. If 
> they were fellow death eaters, why would they have such a loathing 
> for each other? Also, if James had been a death eater, then there 
> would've been no reason to worry about a secret keeper, and if 
there 
> was, he would've known not to trust Peter with that job. That, and 
> why would Voldemort want to kill James when he came in? As his 
> master, he could say 'stand aside' and all that. I just think that 
> if anyone asked JKR if James was a death eater, they would get the 
> same reaction they got when they asked about Lily. "How dare you?"

RMM:
You bring up several things here, and I would like to discuss some of 
them.
First regarding "James hated the Dark Arts".
I absolutely 100% agree!  The books scream that out loud and clear.
However, the books and JKR have never stated that he NEVER PERFORMED 
THE DARK ARTS.  He may have hated them, but I aver that he performed 
them as Voldemort's right hand man, or close to it.
Why do I say that James is part of the inner circle of the DEs?
Well, canon says loud and clear that Voldemort only pays personal 
attention to those that are close to him.  In other words, Voldemort 
went to the Potters for two reasons that night -- 1) to kill James 
Potter, and 2) to kill Harry Potter.  And those reasons had no 
relation to each other.  James was part of Voldemort's high command 
and he turned on Voldemort at some point.  He would not compromise 
himself any more.  And I believe Lily helped him see the error of his 
ways.  Her LOVE saved him, just as it saved Harry.

Second, your question "If they were fellow death eaters, why would 
they have such a loathing for each other?"
The DEs are personally loyal only to one individual.  Canon shows 
that many DEs did not know the existence of other DEs.  In the DEs 
Voldemort did not want trust between the DEs, he wanted only their 
trust in him.

I will add here that, yes, I speculate that the Marauders, maybe not 
all of them at first, but most of them went into the DEs under the 
guidance and leadership of Remus Lupin.  Lupin the prefect led them 
into an association with Voldemort.
That is heavily implied in canon.  See the following from PoA:

<<I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust, of 
course... he had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster 
would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he 
had set down for my own and others' safety. He never knew I had led 
three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always 
managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan 
our next month's adventure. And I haven't changed..."
Lupin's face had hardened, and there was self-disgust in his 
voice. "All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering 
whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I 
didn't do it. Why?
Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd
betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led 
others along with me... and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything 
to me.>>

Note what he states in the first paragraph: "He never knew I had led 
three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally" and then in 
the second paragraph he states: "admitting that I'd led others along 
with me... "
There is a big difference here.  In the first, he is leading others 
only, and in the second he is leading others AND HIMSELF!
In other words, he can't be referring to the illegal animagi thing, 
for he is not an animagus, nor did he lead himself into it.

So, Lupin led himself and others into SOMETHING ELSE.
Remus Lupin  the Prefect and the Leader of the Marauders led James 
Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and himself Remus Lupin into the DEs.
Sirius Black did not go along with it, until later.  How much later?
About a year later Sirius entered the DEs.

Of course the objection will be....but Remus Lupin is only a 
halfblood....what would Voldemort want with a halfblood?
I answer, to get to those under Remus Lupin's influence.  I further 
speculate that Remus only advanced a short way into the secret 
society.  James Potter was the true prize that Voldemort was 
seeking.  And James rose much further.

Yes, by all means, BITE MY HEAD OFF.

RMM
www.hermionegranger.us