Who stuns Sirius? (was Re: The Veil)

[iamvine]

No: HPFGUIDX 111089

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cdayr" <cdayr at y...> wrote:
> I'm convinced Bellatrix did not kill Sirius. Unlike you, I 
> do think he is dead, and I think he may have been killed by a 
> member of the Order. Here's why:

Sorry, I don't believe you.  I think Bellatrix DID shoot that Stunner
at Sirius.  Here's why:

> 1) The moment of death
> "Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was 
> laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he 
> yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room. 
> The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.
> The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes 
> widened in shock." (OotP, 35)
> 
> We do not see Bella send this second jet of light, neither does 
> Harry or Sirius. It comes out of nowhere. She was no longer on 
> the attack, his defenses were lowered, and someone else 
> stunned him with that second jet. He is surprised and shocked- 
> perhaps he saw who did it?

He is surprised and shocked because he has been Stunned.  In good
writing, you don't have to specify where everything comes from.  You
imply.  It saves a lot of words and makes the whole thing nicer to
read.  That sentence about the second jet of light is implying that
Bellatrix shot it.  If JKR had wanted to imply otherwise, she would
have made it more obvious, maybe like this:

"Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing
at her.  'Come on, you can do better than that!' he yelled, his voice
echoing around the cavernous room.

"Suddenly, Harry heard a shriek from behind him; he whirled around,
but it was only Luna slipping on a banana peel that had appeared out
of nowhere.  Harry looked back at Sirius...

"...just in time to see a second jet of light hit him in the chest
just under his left armpit.

"The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened
in shock.  As he fell backwards through the veil, his wand hand
twitched, sending a feeble jet of light towards Bellatrix, who was
standing too far to his right for it to hit her.  As the veil
fluttered and hid Sirius's body, only one thought, pitifully
irrelevant, coursed through Harry's mind: where had that banana peel
come from?"

Note:

a) The Stunner hit Sirius's left side, but Bellatrix was standing on
his right.

b) Someone conjured a banana peel at a crucial moment to distract all
the onlookers.

NOW you can start suspecting that Luna shot that Stunner...


> 2) Bella tells Harry she didn't do it
> "'Come out, come out, little Harry!' she called in her
> mock-baby 
> voice, which echoed off the polished wooden floors. `What did 
> you come after me for, then? I thought you were here to avenge 
> my dear cousin!'" (OotP, 36)
> 
> Bella implies that she did not kill Sirius- she doesn't
> understand 
> why Harry is chasing her when the real killer is still downstairs. 

No, she means, "If you want to avenge Sirius, why are you hiding?"

> Why wouldn't she be gloating about her victory?

Gloating in the middle of a battle situation is always a bad move. 
Ask any villain.  Bellatrix is too sensible - she's saving it for later.

> 3) Bella doesn't brag 
> Bella has the chance to tell LV that she killed Sirius, but she 
> doesn't:
> "'Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animagus 
> Black!' sobbed Bellatrix, flinging herself down at
> Voldemort's feet 
> as he paced slowly nearer."
> "Fighting", not "killing." Seeing as she is in serious peril, you 
> would think she would announce her latest success at defeating 
> one of LV's enemies to him, but she doesn't. 

Diplomacy.  She knows that Voldemort only wanted the prophecy at this
time; he didn't care who died.  She's trying to defend herself from
his wrath.  She gauges that bragging at this point would only annoy
him and possibly make him Crucio her.  And actually, when the prophecy
got smashed she really was fighting Sirius, she hadn't killed him yet.
 Killing him only took a moment.

Eleanor