What about the Door(that wasn't at the end of the tunnel)?

[quigonginger]

No: HPFGUIDX 99570

> Carolyn:
> No, there is no door, all Lupin says is that 'Snape glimpsed me..at 
> the end of the tunnel'
snip speculation on the size of the tunnel

... there are further unexplained aspects to 
> this part of the story. If it was possible for the Marauders to 
> somehow get in to the Shack in their gigantic transformed states 
and 
> lead a large werewolf out, what was to prevent Lupin getting out 
> anytime he was confined to the Shack? Was there not a danger he 
would 
> inevitably find the tunnel exit and rush out? There seems to have 
> been nothing to stop him. Surely all-powerful Dumbledore could 
manage 
> a blocking spell or two ? If he didn't why not? More 
forgetfulness ? 
> If he had put such a spell on the Shack, then the Marauders could 
> never have got Lupin out, in their transformed states or not. 
> 
> Making an effort to be charitable to DD, perhaps the simple 
> explanation is that a werewolf *is* too big to get down that 
tunnel, 
> and DD knew that Snape was never in any danger, and that's why no 
one 
> was ever punished for the Prank. In which case, how did Lupin get 
out 
> to play each month.
> 
> The only other logical explanations are that there is another way 
out 
> of the Shack, or animagi can also shrink if they need to, or the 
> tunnel expands and contracts to suit the size of the people trying 
to 
> get down it (4) - again, not particularly safe for caging a 
werewolf, 
> don't you think? 
> 
> Whichever way you look at this, all the explanations are 
> unsatisfactory. We have no canon to support another exit from the 
> Shack. It is beyond credibility that the transformed Lupin, 
thrashing 
> around regularly once a month might not discover the exit to the 
> tunnel. The simplicity of the spells needed to prevent this are 
> obvious. 
snip more 

Ginger replies:  When I first read this (and in subsequent readings) 
I imagined that Poppy was taking him down and then shutting him in-
say a bar across the door, or a spell, either of which James and 
Sirius could have undone to release Remus, and then shut him in again 
afterwards.

In post 99502, b-boy (Steve) explains, from canon, how there was no 
door, but rather an opening into the shack.  I had not managed to get 
that into my mental picture as I had never put the Remus entrance and 
the HH entrance into my head at the same time.  (Good post, Steve)

In picturing it now, I am left to believe that there wasn't a barrier 
between the house and the tunnel, and that one could go straight out 
through the Willow unhindered.  

As Carolyn pointed out, this would have been too risky, as Remus 
could have easily escaped.  

So I put this out for debunking and/or comment:
Suppose that a barrier, either magical or physical, was in place to 
prevent Remus from escaping.  Sirius could have sent Snape safely 
down the tunnel, knowing that Snape would have been properly 
terrified, but that no damage would have come to him.  He would have 
figured (and correctly so) that DD would have told Snape to keep the 
info to himself, so there would be no problems for Remus either.

Suppose James rushed in, knowing that the barrier was in place, not 
to save Snape, but rather to save Remus' secret.  When he got there, 
he could see no barrier (assuming that a magical one would be 
visible).  

All Snape sees is a werewolf at the end of the tunnel.  The barrier 
is gone.  He sees no one else.  Sirius could not be there, in either 
form.  As a human, he would have been unsafe, and as a dog he would 
have been big enough for Snape to see.  James was behind him, so he 
wasn't there.  Remus, we assume, can't undo the barrier.  

Who does that leave?  One who knows his way down there, and can make 
himself safe as he was no longer human, but small enough not to be 
seen.  Wormtail anyone?

Motive:  Unknown, but I am sure we can come up with one.  I'll try 
this:  Perhaps he thought that if he got Snape and good, that he'd be 
rid of all those who bothered him.  Snape would be dead or worse, 
Sirius, James and possibly Remus would be expelled.  He would no 
longer be a toady for the popular guys to belittle, nor would he have 
that nasty Slyth on his case by association.

But it didn't work.  James came out the hero and Sirius didn't get 
into big trouble.  So he stewed about it, joined the DE's and the 
rest is history.  

So, limited canon, some reasonable deduction (that there should have 
been a barrier), and a lot of speculation.   Thoughts?

Ginger,  tired, achy, and going to bed