My own take on the Prank

[ericoppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 152612

I have said before, and think it is time to repeat, that my own 
belief is that Sirius was guilty, not of attempted murder, but of 
familiarity---in this case, with a werewolf---breeding contempt for 
the danger involved.  Sirius had been hangin' with a werewolf for 
years, and with his Animagism, _he_ was in no danger.  Being sixteen 
or so, he didn't think to remember that Snape (AFAWK) was/is _NOT_ a 
Animagus, and would be in terrible danger from a werewolf.

An analogy I'm fond of runs as follows:  Let us say that I, at age 
sixteen, was an absolutely superb horseman---there was nothing at 
all on four hooves I couldn't ride; I had shelves-full of trophies 
from rodeos and equestrian events, and was on the short-list for the 
Olympic equestrian team.  And let us also say that I had someone in 
my life who was an utter, total PITA---who'd been a stone in my shoe 
from Day One.  (Unlike the horsemanship, this is something I _did_ 
have.)  

Had I been the superb rider I describe above, I could see my sixteen-
year-old self inducing the PITA to ride a dangerous buckin' 
bronco..."of course it isn't dangerous---I do it all the time! 
_Anybody_ can do that!  But he'll get a nasty scare, and won't it 
just serve him right?"  The idea that the PITA is _not_ a horseman 
on that level, and might well be injured or killed, might not occur 
to me.  

And we know Snape's not really rational on the subject of Sirius 
Black.  For all we know, Black and Potter, Sr. _were_ punished, but 
I think anything short of being shot at dawn by a firing squad 
wouldn't have made Snape happy.  I should also point out that one 
reason DD may not have come down as hard on the Marauders as Snape 
would have wanted was because Snape, whatever his motivations, _was_ 
miles out of line, sneaking into the Shrieking Shack.