Over Kill with Dementors

[scoutmom21113]

No: HPFGUIDX 98274

> Siriusly Snapey Susan:
> > > But would Sirius not have recognized that Lupin was mentally
> > > "with it" and just play-acting at attacking?
>
> Pippin:
> > Hmmm...that would be a stronger objection if Sirius had ever
> > seen a werewolf in its "natural" state. But he can't have.
> >
> > "Under [the animagi's] influence, I became less dangerous. My
> > body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so
> > while I was with them." --PoA ch 18

> Bookworm:
> Jumping in where SSS left off ---
> IIRC, the potion makes Lupin sleepy so that he just curls up for
a nap until he transforms back. That would be a different
reaction than being "less dangerous" with his friends. If he had
secretly taken the potion that night, I would think Sirius would
notice a difference.

Pippin:
who doesn't want Bookworm to think her post was ignored---

Bookworm:
Thank you kindly.

Pippin:
Fascinating! Are you suggesting that Lupin's constant tiredness
is an aftereffect of the potion rather than the werewolf
transformation itself? That would be highly realistic--many
powerful medicines have debilitating side effects--and it would
give Lupin a subconscious reason to avoid taking it.

Bookworm:
My impression is that tiredness is a side effect of the potion, but 
not necessarily debilitating. I think the transformation itself 
probably is debilitating - "It is very painful to turn into a 
werewolf." (POA p353, US) – which could also drain his
energy. That tiredness as a side effect of the potion may be welcome 
if it helps him recover. Think of the cold medicines that purposely 
make people sleepy so they can get better.

The point I was trying to make in my previous post is that I think 
Sirius would notice a difference between Lupin's
attitude/behavior when he changed without having taken the potion 
(feral, and the state Sirius would have been used to) and his 
attitude/behavior after having taken the potion (saner or calmer 
that Sirius had seen before). Sort of like the difference between a 
wild animal and a domesticated one. Prior to the Shrieking Shack, 
Sirius hadn't seen Lupin for 12 years – long before the
werewolf potion was developed so a difference in the result would be 
more obvious to him.

Pippin:
The slightly awkward phrasing "I am able to"--why not just say "I
can"? 

Bookworm:
It's the style of Lupin's speech. He has a slightly formal,
more old-fashioned style of speaking.

Just for the fun of it, here is a  detail I picked up on during this 
rereading:
"As long as I take it in the week preceding the full moon, I keep
my mind when I transform..." (p352-353)
"You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful 
along." (p358)

If you miss one dose does that negate the whole series? I'm not
sure if this supports or contradicts Pippin's POV, but there it
is.

Ravenclaw Bookworm