Prank and various responsibilities WAS: Re: Marietta

[lealess]

No: HPFGUIDX 169678

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Sherry Gomes" <sherriola at ...>
wrote:
>
> colebiancardi:
> 
> 
> colebiancardi
> I don't believe that Sirius forgot how dangerous a werewolf could be
- he
> didn't in PoA.
> 
> 
> Sherry now:
> It's a proven fact that children, even and especially teenagers, do 
> not really have a developed sense of danger or the judgment to 
> determine such things.  As I've said in the past, that's why there 
> are laws about the types of jobs teenagers can do or the equipment 
> they can work with, even some states here in the US making driving 
> laws tougher or upping the age at which a minor can get a license,
> drinking age laws and all the rest.  I don't say
> this to excuse Sirius exactly. We don't really know what happened 
> that night, and though I am a Sirius fan and not a Snape fan, I will 
> reserve judgment either way.  However, I can easily imagine that the 
> repeated safety of running with a werewolf kept all the boys from 
> really understanding how dangerous it would be for someone else.  
> That would be very typical of boys of their age.  In the muggle 
> world, they'd probably speed in their cars or drink and drive too.
> My guess is that they never really thought about the
> danger, not until someone really was in danger, and then James went 
> to the rescue.
> 
> Sherry
>

To some extent, I agree that continued exposure to a werewolf may have
lessened Black's appreciation of the danger Lupin posed to others.  On
the other hand, he *was* a serious danger, as is drinking and driving.
 Teenagers in our society can pay a penalty for engaging in dangerous
behavior and posing a threat or actually harming another.  Given that,
and considering the potentially very great harm possible in the Prank,
I wonder how Sirius Black avoided expulsion, and why Snape presumably
agreed to keep Lupin's secret.  What in the world was Dumbledore doing?

I hope this is explained in DH.

lealess