Who was responsible for Sirius' death? ...

[Dana]

No: HPFGUIDX 167605

 
Alla:

> Now, that is an interesting point. I agree with you in a sense that 
> this **is** Snape blaming Harry for what he should not have blamed 
> Harry. But I am not sure that it has anything to do with 
> practicalities of the situation. Snape putting blame on Harry 
> shoulders here is disgusting, but it is so typical Snape to me, you 
> know?
<big snip> 

I am not arguing Snape being responsible for Sirius death just to 
make that clear, well not in this context. What I am arguing is that 
Snape as an Order Member should have been more concerned with Harry 
safety and letting Umbridge take Harry into the Forest without an 
apparent reason still falls within that category and if he had taken 
this a little more seriously instead of just waiting to see if they 
ever come out of it, then yes he could have prevented a lot of the 
things that happened that night. This is not an attempt to dedicate 
Snape under what ever tag you want to put before his name. 

If you have the specific care of a person and he is in the presence 
of someone that has tried to destroy him all year even if she is 
supposed to be one of the good guys, then would you leave that person 
out of your sight long enough to let that someone take him to a 
location that is known to contain some pretty dangerous creatures? 
No, you wouldn't, at least I wouldn't. I see a lot of but Snape 
couldn't have done this or that or couldn't have known this or that, 
but it was his job to find out one way or the other and the 
resourceful mind will find a way to do it even if it seems 
impossible.  

The Order don't let Harry out of their sight, not even if he goes to 
Hogsmeade with a large group of friends so why does Snape let this 
happen without trying to find him because according to DD Snape never 
went looking for him but just intended to search the forest at the 
moment he already suspects him to be off to the DoM and yes, I do 
agree with Neri, the time it takes the Order to arrive is suspicious 
especially because DD wants us to believe Snape alerted them 
immediately after he found out Harry's gone missing. So when did 
Snape start worrying after half an hour, an hour or just when it 
started to turn dark and the 4 others that have gone missing too, 
that were not in the care of Umbridge did not arouse Snape to go look 
for them sooner either? 

I did look at the scene again and Hermione never tells Umbridge were 
the weapon is hidden, Ron tells Harry he saw them enter the Forest 
and they followed. So if we assume DD is correct that Snape waited 
for Harry to return from his trip with Umbridge, there is still 
something not quite right. 

This is what DD says and unless we should assume DD is lying then 
this information is a correct account of what Snape did. 

Pg 732 UKed Paperback

`When, however you did not return from your trip into the Forest with 
Dolorus Umbridge, Professor Snape grew worried that you still 
believed Sirius to be a captive of Lord Voldemort's. He alerted 
certain Order Members at once.'

End Quote from Canon. 

If this is truly Snape's account of events then how does he know they 
went into the Forest? He could not have known unless he watched 
either Harry himself enter the Forest or the other 4 kids. If so then 
he should have followed and not just sit back and wait. It took him 
an awful long time to start getting worried because as we see on how 
long it takes the Order to arrive at the DoM and Snape's supposed 
immediate alert and the immediate departure of the Order to the DoM 
indicates Snape waited a very long time for Harry's return that never 
came. 

He should have made it his business to see to it, Harry remained safe 
and if he had, then Harry would not have ended up at the DoM. 

So in that sense Snape's actions, to me, still makes him responsible 
for the whole event to take place but not for the individual actions 
of other people in these same events. Well at least not at this 
moment. We could find out in DH Snape's timing was deliberate because 
he knew the time DD was about to arrive at HQ from his previous 
contact with Sirius and why he choose that moment because he knew if 
DD was not there, it would make Sirius rush out to go to Harry's aid 
and no one but DD could stop him and waiting would have given the DEs 
enough time to finish the job (although we see they failed miserably 
at it). Snape could not have foreseen Bellatrix killing Sirius off 
but the chance that Sirius would have been caught by the MoM was ever 
so great as we have seen with other Order Members on watch duty, 
especially if the DEs would have left before the Order arrived. 

I am not saying this will ever be but canon does not dispute Snape's 
own claim in HBP that he was responsible for Sirius death and to 
answer your question would Snape feel bad Sirius died? No, he 
wouldn't he would consider it justice being served finally, just as 
we see him actively trying to get Sirius soul sucked in PoA, I do not 
believe his feelings changed about it one bit and why he is happily 
boosting about it in HBP. (he is still claiming it lying or not so 
either he did actively participate or is just so happy about it that 
he just wished he did, there was no need for him to even claim it) 

JMHO

Dana