Conspiracies and re-assessments

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 112419

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> > 
Pippin:
> 
> Well, I'm not sure I can convince you if you don't see it already, 
> but  if it was all noble and above board, why  did they need to 
> keep it secret? Why didn't they go to Professor McGonagall or 
> Dumbledore and say, "We'd like permission to study the 
> animagus transformation so we can help poor Remus?" 
> 
>  Why did James have to keep his continued private war with 
> Snape secret from Lily after they became friends? Sirius makes 
> it pretty clear that she wouldn't have approved. And James was 
> an *adult* by that time, too. 
> 
> I guess Lily had some misquided Muggleborn idea that people 
> ought to be considered innocent until proven guilty--oh, wait, 
> Dumbledore believes that too, doesn't he? I suppose he 
> wouldn't have authorized James to form an inquisitorial squad. 
> He would think that's a bad thing, you know, evil. It wouldn't 
> happen if he had anything to say about it, would it?
> 


Alla:

I think you mixed in several issues here, Pippin.
The original argument from you was (correct me if I am wrong) that 
James should be considered evil because of ONE scene of his ongoing 
war with Snape, where undoubtedly to me James was the bully and 
Snape was the victim.

Several people (myself included) responded something to the effect 
that even though James' actions in the Pensieve scene were 
undoubtedly CRUEL, it is hard to condemn the person as evil based on 
such scene, especially since we can infere or speculate that James 
and Snape had  an ongoing feud AND there are could be reasons why 
James disliked Snape. Mitigating circunstances so to speak.

I don't remember anybody, especially myself justifying James' 
actions per se.

Of course he was wrong to continue war with Snape. Just as Snape was 
wrong to do so.

If James genuinely considered Snape to be evil (sepculation, of 
course) and there is some objective evidence that JKR considers Dark 
Arts to be evil, it is especially hard for me to call James evil.

I think I am confusing myself again.

Now, Animagi. Secrecy does not necessarily prove that such studies 
are considered Dark Arts.

Otherwise animagi would be mentioned during DADA lessons, I think. 
McGonagall talks about them during transfiguration lessons.
The fact that Marauders did not talk to Dumbledore about it. True, 
but how does it show that they were practicing Dark Magic?

Very complicated, yes, dangerous TO THEM in a sense that something 
with transformation can go wrong, yes.

I picture Maraduers wanting to prove to themselves that they are 
able to achieve transformation without help of the teacher . They 
did it indeed.
As Dumbledore says "extraordinary achievement- not least, keeping it 
quiet from me. (PoA, p.428)
He praises them for both - for achieving the task and for keeping it 
a secret.