Lupin visiting Sirius in Azkaban

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 112295

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kiricat2001" <Zarleycat at a...>
wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> 
> wrote:
> .
> > 
> >  Dumbledore could have interviewed Sirius, but I can think of a 
> > good reason  why he didn't.  We know that before the attack on 
> > the Potters, Dumbledore already suspected that Sirius might be 
> > the traitor. 
> 
> Marianne:
> 
> Granted I haven't reread any of the books in over a year, but I
don't recall Dumbledore saying that he suspected Sirius was the traitor.


Carol:
He did, however, offer to be the Secret Keeper, suggesting that he had
some doubts about Sirius (and presumably Lupin and Peter). He knew it
was one of them but didn't know which. (Yes, he's a Legilimens, but
presumably, a Legilimens doesn't just invade the mind of everyone he's
conversing with, and he may not have had much one-on-one contact with
any of James's and Lily's friends. Certainly he wouldn't just confront
them with his suspicions.) I think he simply didn't know who the
traitor was, but he did know that Sirius was capable of great rashness
and that he had once placed Severus Snape *and* Remus Lupin in great
danger.

We know that he testified that Sirius had been made Secret Keeper. He
must have believed that, and that Sirius had murdered Peter Pettigrew
and twelve Muggles, and he would have seen no reason to visit him. He
almost certainly would not have let him suffer in Azkaban for twelve
years without visiting him if he had any doubt whatever of Sirius's
guilt. He "knew" that Peter Pettigrew was dead and therefore Sirius,
who was also present, must have killed him.

But the strongest evidence that he believed Sirius guilty, IMO, is his
allowing the Dementors--whom we know he detested--to guard the
Hogwarts grounds. Surely if he'd had any doubt he would have stepped
forward with the suggestion that Sirius might not be guilty to prevent
the Dementors from sucking the soul of a possibly innocent man--and
endangering his own students as well. But he didn't. Like Lupin (who
nevertheless withheld useful information from Dumbledore), he believed
that Sirius was guilty. IMO, there can be no other explanation for his
reluctant decision to allow the Dementors to guard the school.

Carol