Lupin is Ever So Evil, Part One -- The Prank (LONG)

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 130140

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> wrote:
> > SSSusan:
> > I know we'll never agree on this, so I shouldn't even try, but....
> ;-)
> > 
> > You see that scene as Lupin hiding BEHIND Neville in order to 
> > embarrass Snape.  I see it as Lupin helping Neville STEP UP to take 
> > on Snape and return a bit of the humiliation Snape's forced him to 
> > take over the years.  While I think Lupin has some concerns where 
> > cowardice is involved, this scene never struck me as cowardly at
> all.
> > 
> 
> Pippin:
> See, when Lupin wanted to help Harry to step up to the dementors, he
> didn't have Harry use riddikulus, because that would only have helped
> Harry cope with the boggart. It wouldn't have been any use against a 
> real dementor at all. Harry had to learn to take the worst a dementor
> could throw at him and still keep his happy thought in mind.
> 
> So, I don't think helping Neville cope with his fear of Snape was 
> Lupin's priority. It was about embarrassing Snape, and that wasn't
> likely to help Neville -- indeed it didn't, for we  soon learn that
> Snape was bullying Neville worse than ever.

Neri:
Like SSSusan, I realize this is all a matter of opinion, but I think
DD is of the same opinion as SSSusan, or he wouldn't have joined Lupin
in embarrassing Snape with that little joke with the stuffed vulture
hat that came out of the cracker in the Christmas feast. And in front
of Harry, Ron, Hermione and all the teachers too. I see this as DD
making his opinion known, in his typical good-natured manner, about
whom does he side with in this specific matter. Cheers, Albus. 

Regarding your scenario for the Prank, Pippin, I'm still not 100%
clear about how exactly it goes. In any case, I guess it could be made
to work, since we know so little about the Prank and we can invent
whatever we don't know. As you pointed out we can't even be sure if it
happened over one night or more. Still, I find it very difficult to
imagine super-evil Remus who at the age of 16 is capable of cold-blood
murder, knows how to use the Imperious or something equivalent, and
manages to hide it all from both DD and his friends, *but* can't even
device a simple and efficient plan to get rid of Severus, and instead
invents this complex plot that involves himself and his friends and
naturally fails, not to mention that it could have easily failed much
worse than it did. Remus could have been an evil mastermind like Tom,
or he could have been a rather stupid and coward kid, but I can't see
him being *both*.

Neri