Lupin visiting Sirius in Azkaban

[drliss at comcast.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 111596

sad1199 here:
  If one of my very best freinds supposedly betrayed one of my other 
very best friends and the other best friend ended up dying... I 
think I would find that former best friend and confront them. I 
would beg and cry and yell and plead to find out what had happened.
Now, it says in the books that Fudge visited Sirius in Azkaban and 
Crouch and his wife visited their son and did the big switcheroo. 
WHY DIDN'T LUPIN GO ASK SIRIUS WHAT HAPPENED? Yes, I am yelling. 
This is truly irritating me. In my fifth reread of PoA and have so 
many more questions now than before. I just can't belive that Lupin 
didn't go to Azkaban and confront Sirius.
  Also, how does the extreme personality change in Fudge get 
explained. In PoA he is SOOO concerned for Harry's safety; he blows 
off his underage wizarding and offers him refuge at the Leaky 
Cauldren, BUT! In OotP he is a complete horses behind to Harry. I 
know adults hate to admit they are wrong but the turn around is so 
totally 360, I can't buy that it's because Fudge does not want to 
admit he was wrong about the return of Voldemort.
  And! Crookshanks is part Kneazle and part what? Why is the cat so 
protective and friendly to Sirius? I'm thinking Crookshanks is 
someone that Sirius knows well. Anyone?


Lissa:

Well, first of all, do we know Lupin didn't try?

When Fudge is permitted to go to Azkaban, he's Minister of Magic.  In GoF, Sirius mentions that Barty Crouch Sr. was allowed a deathbed visit because he was such an important Ministry official.  That tells me one does not simply waltz into Mordor- oops, Azkaban, demanding to see relatives or friends.  Lupin has no "rank" whatsoever.  If he were permitted into Azkaban, it would probably be thanks to Dumbledore.  So maybe Lupin DID try, but simply wasn't allowed.  (Perhaps Dumbledore wouldn't pull strings for it.  If you had a student that you cared for deeply who had just undergone the loss that Lupin had, would you let him into a place swarming with Dementors?)

A popular version of fanfic is also that Lupin himself spent some time in Azkaban, accused of being an accomplice of Sirius.  No canon to support that, naturally, but no canon not to, either.  Regardless, given that Lupin is the last one left and his close friendship with Sirius is pretty well known, you'd think he'd be dragged in for questioning.  If it was Peter that had been "left alive" and Lupin that was dead, I'd think the questioners might be more sympathetic, but given Lupin's lycanthropy, I'm guessing those two things added together made him look pretty suspicious.  

Lastly, Lupin may have very well feared for his life.  (Or other people may have.)  By all accounts, Sirius killed three of his four friends.  I've always thought one of the reasons Dumbledore dragged Lupin to Hogwarts in PoA was because he was worried that Sirius was also after Lupin as well as Harry.  Granted, there probably isn't much Sirius could do in Azkaban, but....

I also wonder if there's more to Fudge's turn around than meets the eye.

As for Crookshanks, I think he's part Kneazle and part cat.  JKR has specifically said that Crookshanks is not an Animagus, so I'm thinking that's all there is to him, right there.  Sirius mentions it took time to win Crookshanks over, so it's not like the cat had an instant affinity for him.  

Anyway, that's my take!
Lissa

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