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

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 106510

Neri wrote:
>>> James did run after Severus and saved his life.
Snape belittles this in the Shack (in PoA), but we know that as late
as SS/PS Snape had still considered himself in debt to James. So the
shaken 16 yrs old Severus, who had just saw Death in the form of a
full-blown werewolf and was dragged back by James, is likely to see
it this way even more. Or perhaps it was DD who gently but surely
pointed this to him, in the best of DD's style. <<<

Carol replied:
>> I think Neri is on the right track here, but I would add that 
Severus' fear of humiliation is probably the crucial factor. I think 
Dumbledore probably pointed out to Severus that if he revealed what 
he knew, not only would the whole school (and probably the WW) know 
that he had been tricked by Sirius Black, they would know that his 
life had been saved by the even-more-hated James Potter, to whom he 
now owed a life debt. <<

HunterGreen (who is surprised that no one else responded to this 
post):
I think this theory makes the most sense out of all the others. I 
really can't see Snape being the type to respond to a threat, and I 
don't see Dumbledore as the type to make one. I imagine that after 
hearing the whole story, and finding out that Snape found out about 
Lupin being a werewolf, Dumbledore took Snape aside, and spoke to him 
alone, and asked him not to tell. Yes, I know he was 'forbidden' not 
to tell according to Lupin, I believe, but they may have only heard 
that secondhand. Again, I just can't see Snape being intimidated 
enough to keep his mouth shut, especially about something like this. 
Humiliation, on the other hand, particularily in his teens, when he's 
already not all that popular, that would keep him quiet, and what 
makes it easy to swallow is that Dumbledore wouldn't be involved at 
all. If Snape took off and told everyone about Werewolf!Lupin, then 
Sirius or James would immediately spread the WHOLE story of that 
night around to get revenge. (I know, I know, speculatation, but all 
within their character).

>>So whatever Sirius's punishment would have been, probably
expulsion,<<

HunterGreen:
So, do you think Dumbledore only didn't expell Sirius because he was 
trying to keep the situation quiet? I don't know if I agree or not. I 
think he might have found a punishment short of expulsion for Sirius, 
since expulsion at this point would be rather dangerous for him 
(considering at this point Sirius may have already run away from 
home, and he'd just proven himself as a person who doesn't think 
things through). OTOH, if Sirius *hadn't* run away from home yet, I 
wonder how his parents would react if he were expelled? Yes, they 
don't like him, but does that mean they've disassociated themselves 
with him already? I'm thinking in terms of what would happen if 
Dumbledore expelled Draco, there would be SOME backlash, I'm sure. So 
perhaps it did having something to do with keeping the whole matter 
quiet.

Carol:
>>Nevertheless, I think Snape is still trying to pay off that life 
debt (which he didn't succeed in doing in SS/PS because of Hermione's
interference), as well as trying to keep Harry from endangering his
life needlessly because he's the key to destroying Voldemort.<<

HunterGreen:
I'm not sure I agree. I know *Dumbledore* has stated that Snape has a 
life-debt to James, but, as others on this thread have pointed out, 
Snape has never confirmed that. The whole situation is a little 
sketchy to me, its not a clear-cut case of 'saving someone's life' 
like with Harry and Peter, its sort of gray area-ish (because we 
don't know for *sure* that Lupin would have killed Snape), even 
moreso because Snape felt that James was in on the prank in the first 
place. Does it count as saving someone's life if you're the one who 
endangered it in the first place?

Carol:
>> Snape is not trying to keep Harry out of Hogsmeade to be nasty, 
for example. He's trying to prevent him from being murdered by his 
own old enemy, Sirius Black, whom he has every reason to believe is 
capable of murder. His efforts to prevent Harry from going to the MoM 
are even stronger evidence that his desire to save Harry's life (and 
end the life debt) did not end with SS/PS. <<

HunterGreen:
I saw that more as him doing his duty as either a teacher or an order 
member. It appears to be an unwritten part of the job description at 
Hogwarts to protect children from certain, er, 'dangers'. Snape is 
not the type to standby and let *anyone* be killed if he can help it 
(example being his sarcastic comment to Crabbe or Goyle in OotP for 
them not to squeeze Neville so hard...not some sweeping act of 
heroicy, but it worked).