How did Sirius lure Severus into the Willow? (was: James the Berk?)

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 106063

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "aggiepaddy" <aggie at r...> wrote:
> 
> The thing is (and you SO remind me of my Dad!) is that we LOVE coming 
> up with wild guesses, even if they are based on the residue vapour of 
> a rumour from Aunt Marge's neighbour's cousin's cat. . .who happens 
> to be Mrs Norris!!  It's fun!!  I'm not saying that your way isn't 
> fun for you, I'm sure it is, like I said it's how I would expect my 
> Dad to behave on here! I do apologise if you're younger than me (I'm 
> 31 in a couple of weeks!) and hope you don't take offence at this.  
> I'm not trying to offend you!  
> 

Well - I  am old enough to be your dad, but I don't think I am.

I don't mind wild theories; with HP you can come up with beauties - and
if you search long enough find tatters of canon to support them.

The list of my theories is long and disreputable (yippee!), though I think
it's likely that most if not all have been offered before in the dim and
distant past of the site. There's little that's truly new. Hell, this current
thread about Florence - kissing Snape? Huh. I had 'em married with a 
kid - that's the "crying child" memory of Snape's. There's very little
in the way of consensus that I won't pervert given a chance, but I  do
like at least a toe-hold in canon to start the theory off. When posters
speculate about the use of spells that have never been mentioned in 
the books, just to clear up an awkward point, or invent 'past events' to
explain relationships or situations, then I start to shift uneasily in my
chair. 

JKR says that there are clues. Fine. So find 'em. Making things up should
be un-necessary and is quite possibly counter-productive. It reduces the
whole thing to a guessing game - and it's not, it's a collection of puzzles.
We just(!) have to fit the pieces together the right way.

So I'm a grumpy old curmudgeon despairing of the younger generation;
so  what? It's no handicap. I used to throw quotations about freely, not
so often now, but here's a couple that cover at least part of my views
on canon, posts and theories:
Age and mendacity beats youth and enthusiasm (Trad.), and
"Give me six sentences written by the most innocent man and I will find
something in them to hang him..." (Cardinal Richelieu)
Though sometimes it takes more than six; must be getting old...

Kneasy