Fidelius Charm

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 90870

Carol:
  
> >I also wonder why they didn't use Priori Incantatem< <snip>
> 
> KathyK:
> 
> Maybe they did.  But with the damning evidence of a street full of 
> witnesses and Dumbledore's confirmation that Sirius was Secret-
> Keeper, I imagine it would have been very easy to ignore a little 
> thing like what Prior Incantato would have revealed.  Or it's quite 
> possible they never bothered with the spell because Sirius appeared 
> so guilty.  Besides, it's not like he had a trial or anything.  When 
> and where did Dumbledore give this evidence?  We don't know.  He 
> could have just told the Minister or Crouch what he knew in a 
> conversation or it could have been some sort of hearing.  Either 
> way, Crouch didn't give Sirius a chance to defend himself, and the 
> only people who could have helped him died because of him.  I'll bet 
> Sirius didn't even try to explain what happened, he was so guilty 
> for what he'd done.    

Carol:
I think, given his mad laughter after Peter blew up the Muggles and
framed him for the murder, that he wasn't in his right. Guilt for the
deaths of Lily and James because switching Secret Keepers had been his
idea, fury at Peter for his betrayal, rage at being framed for murders
he didn't commit conflicting with what he must have considered the
ironic justice of being sent to Azkaban--I think it was all too much
for his sanity, which we've seen to be pretty precarious on other
occasions (e.g., slashing up the Fat Lady's portrait). Even if he had
himself under better control during a hearing (which they must have
held to send him to Azkaban and take awsy his wand), I agree that he
would not have defended himself. His best friend and his wife were
dead, his godson was in someone else's care, another good friend had
betrayed him, his family had long since rejected him--what did he have
to live for? There was only Remus Lupin left, and he had suspected
Lupin of being the traitor. So he would have simply stood there
without protesting Dumbledore's words if he heard them.

Another thought. If he'd had a trial, would the chains on that chair
have bound him as they did the Lestranges and Barty Crouch, Jr.? The
seems to sense magically whether a person is guilty or not, rather
like the Sorting Hat seeing into students' minds to determine which
house they belong in based on their thoughts or feelings and memories.
Maybe that's why Crouch, Sr. was so certain that his son was
guilty--because he really was and the behavior of the chair proved it.
If Sirius had sat in that chair and it hadn't bound him, the
Wizengamot might not have needed Priori Incantatem or witnesses or
anything else. The chair would have known that he was innocent and
Crouch would have had to drop the charges--or at least conduct an
investigation, including a cross-examination using good old
veritaserum. Given all the magical methods of accessing a person's
memory magically, from legilmency to Pensieves, there's really no
excuse for sending an innocent witch or wizard to prison.

Carol