Dumbledore's bad descisions?

[suehpfan]

No: HPFGUIDX 94149

Snip of Carol's first post
> Sue responded:
> > IIRC (and of course, I have been known to be horribly wrong), 
Sirius 
> > went to FIND and CONFRONT Peter. Not to murder him.  In the 
> > Shrieking Shack he tells Lupin to hurry up because he wants to
> commit the murder he was convicted of. He never says he intended to
> kill Peter when he found him the day after the Potters were 
murdered.
> > 
> > Sue, who cannot find her copy of PoA anywhere since her 7 year 
old 
> > decided to read it. :(
> 
> Carol again:
> Wish I'd responded to this before anyone else did--too tired to 
think
> straight last night. Note the "apparently" in my first sentence
> above--I should have done something similar in the last sentence as
> well. I do know that I'm just assuming, but given Sirius's violent
> temper and general rashness, his attempt to murder Severus when they
> were both sixteen, his later determination to commit the murder he 
was
> imprisoned for, his statement at Godric's Hollow (recalled by Hagrid
> in PoA) that he wouldn't be needing his motorcycle any more, and his
> mad laugh as he's hauled away from the scene of Peter's crime, I'm
> convinced that he intended not only to confront Peter but to get
> revenge, either by killing him or by seriously and permanently
> injuring him. No proof, of course, just canon evidence of his
> temperament and behavior on other occasions.  Then again, I'm not a
> Sirius fan and maybe I tend to judge him a bit harshly (as others
> judge Snape).
> 
> Precocious seven-year-old you've got there!
> 
> Carol

More precocious than you can imagine...I wish my brain worked like 
that.  Tomorrow I think I'll ask her about Snape and see what she 
thinks...but I digress.

You mention another thing that gets my dander up.  As my book is 
still MIA, bear with me if I misquote.  Sirius simply told Snape how 
to get into the tunnel under the tree.  He did *not* offer him candy 
and tell him there was a great treat waiting for him there.  He said 
something like "If you want to see what we are up to, just prod the 
knot and you can find out."  It was Snape, of his own free will, who 
went into the tunnel.  The *only* person who *ever* refers to what 
Sirius did as attempted murder is Snape himself.  I cannot imagine DD 
allowing a student to stay in school whom he believed capable of 
murder for pleasure, much less trusting him enough to make him a part 
of a secret organization with the sole purpose of defeating evil.

There is no question Sirius behaved rashly at times; he's had a hell 
of a life.  Eons ago I posted that I believed his mad laughter when 
arrested was not insanity (or indicative of wanting to commit murder) 
but incredulity.  In other words he laughed because he was 
thinking, "how could I have been so stupid?!"  He was the one who 
suggested they change to Peter thinking he would be killed and they 
would still be safe because Peter would never betray them.  Imagine 
his shock when he discovers that not only has Peter betrayed the 
Potters, but he is also capable of killing 12 innocent people without 
batting an eye.  As many of us have stated, he lost everything 
(except Lupin, but he didn't even get to tell him the truth about 
what happened until 12 years later) and he simply couldn't believe 
it.  

Just to throw this out, why cry (I'm talking JKR here) over a 
character that would attempt murder as a teenager, trying to kill 
someone who will, in the end, turn out to be basically benevolent?  
No.  Sirius may be rash but he is no murderer and he never was.  If 
Snape was stupid enough to go into that tunnel with the hope of 
getting a few of his enemies expelled, he took his own chances.  It 
certainly wasn't noble, but IMHO neither is much (or any) of what 
Snape does.  They were both 16, they were both stupid and fortunately 
for everyone involved, James had more than air between the ears.

I have way more trouble defending the things Snape does than the 
things Sirius has done.  JKR has said we will learn more about "the 
prank" in later books.  I hope it clears up what led up to that 
point.  Imagine the shock of many on the list if it turns out that 
Snape and his good friends Bellatrix Black and the Lestrange brothers 
had spent some time in the home of Sirius and Regulus Black 
recruiting Regulus to join a certain organization bent on eliminating 
all of the "Mudbloods and Muggles".  And despite a certain older 
brother begging and pleading, Regulus's best friend Severus convinced 
him to jinx his brother, expose his friend Lupin to the Black family 
and cause Sirius to never be able to return home again.  Just one way 
out speculation but the possibilities are endless.

I'm not willing to commit myself to ESE!Snape, but I don't buy any 
version of FallenAngel!Snape or Benevolent!Snape either.

Sue, who is absolutely not on the fence when it comes to Sirius or 
Lupin