Snape's Culpability in the Prank (WAS: James and Sirius)

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 181368

> Mike:
> This does bring up an interesting question. Do you think Severus 
> *only* wanted to confirm his Lupin!werewolf suspicions, or do you 
> think there was more behind his tunnel excursion? I suspect, based on 
> his "what ... Potter and his mates get up to" comment to Lily, that 
> he had more in mind. What, it's hard to figure. Was he thinking he 
> could lay in wait somewhere and catch them somehow? He doesn't know 
> beforehand where the tunnel leads and/or what sort of cover might be 
> available to him.


Montavilla47:
I think that it was partly to confirm his suspicions about Lupin and 
partly to confirm his suspicions about the Marauders being somehow
"up to something."  Perhaps he thought that the Marauders were 
involved in Lupin's *being* a werewolf?  That they had turned their
friend into a werewolf for a lark and Imperio'ed Pomfrey into aiding
their nefarious scheme?

<g>  That's suitably silly, isn't it?

> Mike:
> I see this whole Prank thing as having two parts, and I suspect you 
> see it as one. 

Montavilla47:
I agree with both parts, Mike.


> > Carol:
> > Whether he would also have felt remorse for what he'd done to 
> > Severus, I don't know. I rather doubt it given his attitude 
> > in PoA.
> 
> Mike:
> See, this is the part I don't get. Noboby wants to entertain what MAY 
> have happened if Severus had learned about the Willow from his spying 
> on whomever. And it's not like he hasn't already been spying on the 
> Marauders. Everyone instead focuses on what MAY have happened if 
> James was not there. But James was there, and he went there on 
> information from Sirius. 

Montvilla47:

Speaking only for myself, I don't see much point in imagining what 
might have happened had Snape found out about the willow from
someone else, because he didn't.  It's hard enough to figure out
why Sirius was so stupid as to tell their deadly enemy in the first 
place.  And why Snape was silly enough to act on information from 
an enemy.

A lot would matter on how Snape found out.  If he hadn't learned
the secret from Sirius, he might not have connected the Marauders
to the willow at all, and might not have been so tempted to 
find out what they were up to.  Consequently, he might never
have gone down under the willow at all.

Or, if his main interest was in proving the werewolf theory, he 
might have gone at a different time, since he wouldn't need
to go at a specific time in order to catch the Marauders red-
handed.  

Or, he might have gone at precisely the wrong time and without
Sirius being forewarned about his appearance and consequently,
he might have discovered that the Marauders were animagi--and
they would all have been expelled for breaking the law.  

Or he might have met up with Lupin with no James around to 
save his behind and ended up dead or a werewolf.

Which would be a fun Snape/Lupin slash fanfic, since they'd 
probably have to share the Shrieking Shack every full moon 
and end having hot Werewolf wrestling matches.

Montavilla47