[HPforGrownups] Re: Sirius without trial - a perspective

[Sherry Gomes]

No: HPFGUIDX 158812

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.


Sherry:

Wormtail placed himself in a wizarding family, one with a member in the
Ministry at that.  Seems that he was most definitely in a position to hear
things, even before Ron and Harry met.  After that, he was with them
everywhere and certainly knew about Quirrel and the Chamber of secrets.

Carol
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.


Sherry:

Really?  If that's the case, if Sirius' motive wasn't to save Harry, then
why did he let Harry talk him out of killing Pettigrew when he had the
chance?  Surely, he could have forced the issue, or even done it and then
truly confunded or modified the memories of the three kids.  I'm sure that
revenge was in Sirius' mind, but I do not believe that was his prime motive
for his escape.  To me, everything Sirius did from the time he was able to
tell his story, and through GOF and into OOTP, was all done out of love for
Harry as the prime driving motivation.  I even cut him slack for the
negativity he showed at times in OOTP, because I am firmly convinced that
something else was going on there, and we will find out in book seven what
that was.

Sherry