Man the canons Re: Snape vs. Sirius (was: Snape's Stubbornness)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 127289


Alla wrote:
> > Again, sorry for repeating myself , but surely Sirius and Snape
did  not like each other way before Prank happened, right? JKR did say
that they loathed each other, so why stop and have a chat with each
other? Why, why, why?


Carol responds:
As I understand it, there was no chat involved. It was more like
Sirius daring Severus, saying in a sneering undertone something like,
"If you're so damned curious about what's going on here, *Snivellus*,
just prod the Whomping Willow with a stick after moonrise tonight."
That might have given Severus the idea that Sirius was trying to scare
him into thinking Remus was a werewolf, but it would also have aroused
his curiosity. And, not wanting to be considered a coward, he would
not have turned down the opportunity in any case.

No friendly chat involved, just two boys who hate each other coming to
an agreement--rather like agreeing to have a wizard's duel but with
potentially deadly consequences. (BTW, I'm pretty sure that the
so-called Prank occurred in sixth year, probably early in the first
term, and not immediately after the OWLs incident. Snape referring to
Sirius as being sixteen seems to me like shorthand for sixth year.)

For me the only question (aside from how much James and Peter knew) is
how James could have saved Severus's life without betraying his own
secret and turning into a stag. He seems to have remained in human
form. Could he have used a stunning spell and wafted him along the
tunnel in a precursor of the PoA scene? And did he just slam a door on
werewolf!Remus to keep him out of the tunnel? It's the *how* of the
scene (the mechanics) rather than the why (the motives) that has *me*
confused.

Carol