Sirius's escape from Azkaban

[va32h]

No: HPFGUIDX 167713

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, laurie goudge <parisfan_ca at ...> 
wrote:
> parisfan writes:
> 
> Sirius didn't have any proof that peter was alive
> until he saw the newspaper photo.  
> 
> It is my understanding of cannon that everyone
> including Sirius saw Peter take out 12 people along
> with himself and there was no real 'proof' that Peter
> had lived. Peter had done a good job of hiding that it
> wasn't til the photo of the Weasley's in the daily
> profet that there was proof to the contrary.
> 
> Remember only a few people knew about Peter being able
> to transform into a rat and most assumed he was dead
> and gone. but when Sirius saw the photo that gave him
> cause to break out. Also keep in mind that Sirius also
> blamed himself for the fact he made Peter the secret
> keeper so maybe remaining in Azkaban (in his mind) was
> suitable pusnishment for what happened.

va32h:

No, Sirius saw Peter transform and escape down the sewer. From PoA - 
Scholastic pg 363:

"Then before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the 
wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself --
 and sped down the sewer with the other rats..."

and on page 371 Sirius says: "I was the only one who knew he was 
still alive."

When Sirius saw the photo in the paper, he realized that Peter was 
not just living life as a common garden rat, he was  *at Hogwart's - 
near Harry *. This is what motivated him to break out of his 
depressive state and finally escape. 

I do agree that Sirius was depressed over his role in his friends' 
death and saw Azkaban as his just punishment. But he never doubted 
Peter was alive - he just didn't realize the significance until he 
saw the photo. 

va32h