Rita - Luna and the Qubbler?Prank and various responsibilities

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 169699

Dana wrote:
> <snip> 
> It is your opinion that I'm re-writing things but the problem with
this suggestion is that Lupin did state that Snape was interested in
knowing were Lupin went *every* month and that Snape *saw* Lupin 
being brought to the willow by Madam Pomfrey and we see that the DADA
OWL included information about werewolves and that a third year with 
that same information could reveal Lupin's furry problem without ever
 having to go to Lupin's office to have a look if she was right. And 
she only observed Lupin for less then a school year when she found
this out. Snape had at least 5 years to come to a conclusion about 
where Lupin went and even if he never wondered about this before then
he still had enough information to make a well informed conclusion on
what he could find.

Carol responds:

I'm familiar with this theory, but it remains a theory at this point
since canon points in the opposite direction, as Alla and others have
noted. That could change, of course, but the characters seem to
believe that Sirius tricked Severus into entering a tunnel where he
would encounter a werewolf he didn't know was there. And while I'd be
interested in discussing the merits of this theory in relation to the
degree of blame it would place on Severus (which would depend in part
on whether he intended to kill the werewolf or just subdue
it--Hermione's story about the Troll, anyone?), his intentions still
wouldn't clear Sirius of providing him information that would lure him
into terrible danger, either death or becoming a werewolf himself). 

But that aside, I want to point out that the question on the DADA exam
is significantly different from the essay that Snape assigned. One is
simply listing the five traits that differentiate a werewolf from a
true wolf--characteristics that Severus had not yet had a chance to
experience in person. There was no reason for him to associate a
tufted tail or a differently shaped snout (OoP am. ed. 643) with Remus
Lupin, whom he had seen going to the Shrieking Shack accompanied by
Madam Pomfrey. We don't know when he saw that happen (you're assuming
the first year, but that seems like a long shot--not even his own
roommates found out about it until third year, IIRC) or how often it
happened. It may have only happened once. Nor would Severus, bright
though he undoubtedly is, would have necessarily associated a
full-moon night with Remus's removal to the tunnel behind the Whomping
Willow, which he wouldn't have known led to the Shrieking Shack.
(Harry would have been equally curious, I imagine. Remember him
following Draco Malfoy to Knockturn Alley?) Nor would Severus suspect
even the open-minded Dumbledore of allowing a werewolf into the
school, risking death and worse than death for any student
encountering him on a full-moon night. Seeing Remus being led away on
a full-moon night would not lead inevitably to such a conclusion. far
from it, IMO.

Hermione, in contrast, has seen Lupin's full-moon Boggart and no doubt
wondered about both it and his absence from the classroom. (She also
saw him looking ill and shabby, sleeping in the Hogwarts Express and
knew about the potion Harry was preparing for him.) that information
would come into her mind as she researched and wrote Snape's essay,
which, far from requesting a list of characteristics that distinguish
a werewolf from a true wolf, requires the student to "two rolls of
parchment on the subject [of how to recognize and kill a werewolf]"
(PoA am. ed. 173), a completely different subject as it would involve
recognizing the werewolf in human as well as werewolf form. (Kill the
werewolf sounds a bit over the top, but this is a DADA class and if it
attacked them, killing it might actually be necessary.  And if canon
is to be trusted, he believed that this particular werewolf was trying
to help Sirius Black kill Harry.) Hermione would have figured out that
the potion was Wolfsbane potion, that the "crystal ball" Boggart was a
full moon, that the absences always occurred at the time of the full
moon--and she would understand, at least in part, why Snape always
seemed so distrustful of Lupin. IOW, she had a lot more information to
work with than Teen!Severus did, including an essay specifically
designed to help her arrive at that conclusion. (I don't think Snape
really expected anyone but Hermione to write two rolls of parchment
for a substitute teadher.)

Dana: 
> Snape at least could have known that Sirius telling Snape how to get
passed the willow so Snape could spy on his friend could never have 
been well intentioned. <snip>

Carol responds:

That much I agree with. But even the usually logical Snape was not
necessarily logical at sixteen, an age not associated with common
sense even in highly intelligent kids. (I've always thought that his
reckless courage and determination were a match for any Gryffindor's
and that the traits he shared with James and Sirius probably
intensified their mutual detestation.) 

Carol, noting that no matter what Severus's motives for entering the
tunnel, he could not have done so if Sirius hadn't told him how to
stop the Whomping Willow