Flaw Between Prisoner of Azkaban (POA) and Order of the Phoenix (OOP)

[meera_firana]

No: HPFGUIDX 88403

James E. Bennett wrote:
>>> In POA Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are both worried about Black 
trying to find and kill Harry.  But if they had been in the OOP 
any length of time they would have know about Black and who's 
side he was on.  I can find no reason why they wouldn't have known.  
Maybe I'm reading too much into it or I've over looked something in 
a later book that explained it but I'm looking for inputs into this. >>>


The answer is easy..

Everyone thought Black is a traitor, until the end of POA. Even 
then, only Dumbledore, Lupin and the trio knew he was innocent. 
Back in the time when Voldemort was in power, everyone trusted 
Sirius. They all thought he was on the good side. Well, he was, 
but after the blasted pipe incident they changed their minds. 
So, even if Mr and Mrs Weasley were in the OOP back then, 
they'd have believed Black was on the good side.

Nobody would've known, remember? As Black told the trio in 
GoF, when they met him in the cave near Hogsmeade, at that 
time you don't know whom to trust. As Black was in OOP, of 
course everyone trusted him.

Look at Pettigrew, he was with Voldemort for some time before 
the death of James and Lily. Did people trust him? Yes. Was he 
a traitor? Yes.

I'm sure Dumbledore would've told everyone about Black's 
innocence after he started the OOP again. But of course, we 
wouldn't know how and when, because the story is in Harry's 
point of view, and it's not too important to know when. We could 
assume it ourselves. Ron, Hermione and Lupin could testify with 
the absence of Harry that Black had never hurt Harry, always 
been there for him, and most importantly, how they believe his 
innocence.

As the members of OOP trusted Dumbledore, of course they'll 
believe (and they want to believe) that Black is innocent. 

I hope that explains it to you.

-Meera