Sirius Laughing

[mhbobbin]

No: HPFGUIDX 113084

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, macfotuk at y... wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kiricat2001" 
<Zarleycat at a...> 
> wrote:
> >  Lissa:snip snip
> > > > 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.
> > 
> > Nora replied:
> > 
>> > Marianne
> 
> Aha! I have just thought of a MUCH more satisfying answer to my 
own 
> question than ALL of these except perhaps the cheering charm 
(which 
> however requires Pettigrew to do a lot of fancy simultaneous 
magic - 
> cause explosion, cheer Sirius, sever his own finger, prevent 
Sirius 
> killing him and transform to rat - and everyone knows he's not a 
> very capable wizard):
> 
> [6] Pettigrew somehow fools Sirius into thinking that he has blown 
> himself up (through ineptitude) either just as Sirius was about to 
> kill him, or worse as a feigned attack on Sirius just as Sirius is 
> asking him to explain himself. Sirius would laugh for three 
reasons 
> (a) the bad guy's attack has backfired (b) the traitor is dead and 
> James is avenged, and (c) it would be a typically stupid thing for 
> the weakest of the MPW&P axis to do to himself. Sirius never 
> explains the laughter, suggesting it wasn't a (malicious) spell, 
> otherwise it would be yet another thing for him to list in 
accusing 
> Wormtail in the shrieking shack. The only thing Sirius might need 
to 
> explain might be why he'd laughed when 13 muggles were dead (is 
the 
> number 13 significant btw?).
> 
> It strikes me that Sirius goes off with the ministry men not so 
much 
> willingly because he feels guilty but because the good guys have 
> turned up and he can now explain himself. Of course, he is never 
> given the opportunity. Also, he considers himself guilty of 
> Pettigrew's murder (but in his mind entirely justifiably) and to 
> take the rap. He also considers himself innocent we *know*, but I 
> would read it as meaning innocent of being a death eater (why the 
> ministry wants him locked up) and innocent of betraying the 
Potter's 
> secret whereabouts to LV (why even the good guys/OotP want him 
> locked up). Why else does he not escape (nor anyone help him) 
until 
> he learns of evidence that Pettigrew is not, after all, dead and 
so 
> the one crime he *IS* guilty of didn't in fact happen and, 
moreover, 
> there's a way to prove his innocence in all three respects. So, 
he's 
> compliant in Azkhaban because while he thinks they got it wrong on 
> this and that he has his hands up on Wormtail - " Fair cop! (but 
the 
> rat deserved to die). I'd do it again." And of course this is what 
> he attempts to do.

mhbobbin: 

Lissa--ARe you saying that Sirius did not know that Peter got the 
better of him. In the Shrieking Shack exposition, it certainly 
sounds like  Sirius knew all along that Peter escaped.

As for the Cheering Charm--I believe that it was a cheering charm. 
One of the most suspicious factors is that the Cheering Charm is in 
PoA--and is never seen again. Yet.  And JKR wants us to notice it. 
Not only does the cheering charm on Ron go overboard, but Ron and 
Harry worry about Hermione's stress, thinking a cheering charm would 
be very useful to her.

Mhbobbin