Sirius without trial - a perspective

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 158794

Alla wrote:
> 
> I thought I said enough on this subject, but I suppose I want to say
> some more with **Sirius did not defend himself** argument. Please
> refer me to any canon, that Sirius was given a chance to do so. <snip>

Carol responds:
Possibly if he hadn't been temporarily unhinged, laughing like a
maniac, he might have been given a chance to at least say something.
And if we take Stan Shunpike's word for it (yes, I know that's asking
a lot as he was too young at the time even to read about it in the
papers and must be basing his statements on what the Daily Prophet is
saying after Black's escape), Black went with the Aurors quietly,
without a struggle or a word, once he stopped laughing. so he passed
up that opportunity, at least.

Also, we know that Karkaroff was somehow able to persuade the
Dementors to approach Crouch to let him testify against his fellow DEs
in exchange for his freedom. If he can do that, then Black could have
asked them to let him speak to Crouch--or even Dumbledore. But, IMO,
he lost his chance to prove that he wasn't the SK through his own
rashness in going after Peter instead of going to DD to tell him the
truth. Dumbledore believed him in PoA and would have believed him at
that time as well, doing the same thing for him that he did for
Severus Snape. *He* didn't get the chance to defend Black because he
didn't know that Black needed to be defended.
> 
Carol earlier:
> > And BTW, AFAIK, he didn't go after Pettigrew in PoA because 
> Pettigrew presented a danger to Harry, as someone recently stated.
He went there to commit the murder he'd been arrested for--a reckless
and dangerous act of vengeance that would not have helped Harry and
would have led to his having his soul sucked by the Dementors. If
Black hadn't come after Pettigrew with the intent to murder him,
Pettigrew would have had no motivation to escape his comfortable role
as Weasley family pet and escape to the Dark Lord.
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> I think he did come after Pettigrew precisely because Harry was in 
> danger as I think this quote says, unless of course you argue that 
> he is lying again.
> 
> Of course he was eager to kill Peter, but he left Azkaban because he 
> was afraid that Peter will deliver Harry to Voldemort. Those two 
> motivations are not mutually exclusive, but "danger to Harry" is 
> what seems to motivate him first and foremost. 
> 
> 
> "But then I saw Peter in that picture... I realized he was at 
> Hogwarts with Harry... perfectly positioned to act, if one hint 
> reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength
again...." <snip the rest>

Carol responds:
Thanks, Alla. I'd forgotten that. However, it must have seemed
unlikely that any word would reach Pettigrew's/Scabbers' ears
about the Dark side gaining strength. The events at the TWT hadn't
happened yet, and the only reason the Dark Side gained strength is
because Black went after Pettigrew and motivated him to want to escape
his lazy life as a rat. Black himself states that he wasn't worried
about Pettigrew taking action on his own to harm Harry without backup.
He's too lazy and cowardly and has no reason to do so.

Also, until that point, all of Black's actions, including going after
Pettigrew in the first place, seem to be primarily motivated by
revenge. So I don't think that Black is lying, but I doubt that
concern for Harry was the reason for his obsession. He wasn't even
concerned about clearing his own name or the consequences of murdering
Pettigrew (fed to the Dementors for sure). The same thing, BTW, would
have happened to Lupin if he'd joined in the murder of Pettigrew,
taking vengeance into their own hands.

Carol, with apologies for blaming the victim, but it really is Black's
own fault that he went after Pettigrew (but of course he didn't
deserve twelve years in Azkaban for his rashness)