Sirius Laughing

[Lissa Hess]

No: HPFGUIDX 112982

macfotuk


>What I've never really seen any discussion on is why Sirius is
>laughing madly when arrested. This, presumably, meant that he was
>taken to be mad and carted off as quickly as possible and without
>too many probing questions asked.
>
>Are there any theories out there I haven't seen about why Sirius
>laughed? It certainly seems to have been what damned him, in the
>mind'seye of the WW, to all those years in Azkhaban (see Ernie Prang
>and Stan Shunpike's convo on the Knight Bus).
>
>Could Pettigrew have hexed Sirius just before blasting a hole into
>the sewer by which he escaped as scabbers? (I don't recall a mad
>laughter spell), but there is a mad/uncontrollable dancing
>(tarantallegra) spell after all.

Lissa:

There was a little discussion on this a while ago.  I have three theories:

1.) Sirius's mind just broke with grief at that point- he knew he was 
framed, he was done for, and James and Lily were dead (and for all he might 
guess at that point, Peter could be on his way to kill Remus as well).  He 
laughed because it was an impossible reaction to an impossible situation.
2.) Relief- Absolute proof that Remus wasn't the traitor, and laughing at 
the sheer implausibility that little Peter had pulled this off.
3.) (I wish I could claim credit for this, but I can't) Peter tossed a 
Cheering Charm at Sirius- an overdone Cheering Charm made Ron laugh like 
crazy in fourth year.  Nice, simple spell that gets Sirius laughing 
uncontrollably... and unable to protest his own innocence because he's 
laughing too hard to speak.

Lissa