Headmaster for a day (was Prank WAS :Re: CHAPDISC: DH33, The Prince's Tale

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 184925



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/184889
> Magpie:
> This is a different situation, though, because as a reader I do 
know 
> more than DD did--while at the same time I don't know exactly what 
DD 
> did know. He didn't know the Marauders were going out with Lupin 
and 
> didn't know they were Animagi. If all he knew was that Sirius told 
> Snape how to get in the willow...well, he's just dealing on a 
totally 
> different level. Does he assume all the boys even know Lupin is a 
„« werewolf?

Potioncat:
Well, what I'm really playing at is to take a different look at the 
boys than what we tend to do. We're all judging them--and intentional 
or not, we judge with a bias. Let's try it from a position of neutral 
authority. A person that only knows the boys, not the men they will 
become.  It's up to you to decide what the Headmaster might find out.

[Does canon tell us if Severus saw Remus going to the willow before, 
or if he ever saw the Marauders going to the willow? I'm not sure he 
knew they went in.]

As Potioncat the Reader, I think that the Marauders were planning an 
outing as usual and were on their way to the willow to join Remus 
when Sirius mentioned his conversation with Severus. James ran ahead 
to save Severus. So I'm placing Peter, Sirius, James and Severus in 
the office. Remus is still a werewolf in the Shack. I think this 
interview is happening within an hour of the event. I don¡¦t think the 
boys were very quiet when they returned to the castle and a teacher 
discovered them.

Sticking as close to canon as I can, here is what Headmistress Cat 
has determined at the end of the interview.

James, Peter, and Sirius have learned the truth about Remus and know 
that he goes under the willow to the Shrieking Shack. They also know 
how to disarm the tree. It is unclear if they have gone into the 
tunnel themselves. Although the Gryffindor boys know not to go into 
the Shrieking Shack, and HM Cat knows the werewolf can't get into the 
tunnel, it's still too close for comfort. The Whomping Willow is a 
secondary system to keep the werewolf in. (as well as to keep others 
out.)

There has been a long running feud between Severus and the other 4 
boys.  Severus has seen Remus go to the willow with Madam Pomfrey. He 
doesn't know where they are going. Sirius gave Severus the 
information about the knot and Severus used the information to follow 
Remus into the tunnel. James went in after Severus to prevent him 
from reaching the shack. HM Cat manages to get Sirius to admit he 
expected that Severus would use the information to enter the tunnel. 
HM Cat gets Severus to admit he suspected Remus was a werewolf.


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/184892
Pippin:
 
> One problem I have as hypothetical headmistress is that nobody is
> going to tell me anything. The other is that I don't have a lot of
> leverage to use against spoiled, wealthy James and independently
> wealthy Sirius -- they're probably no more worried about being
> expelled than Fred and George were. 


Potioncat:
Right. And if you did have to expel the group--Remus and Severus 
would be the ones to suffer. Lack of OWLs or NEWTs would severely 
affect their potential to make a living. So a Head may prefer not to 
expel or threaten to expel any of the students for this event.

As I played Headmistress Cat, and listened to what I imagined the 
Marauders would have told me---well, HM Cat ended up giving them 
points for loyalty and courage. Then Potioncat the Reader put an end 
to it. That's when I realized how much of my own bias about the boys 
was coming into play. Not that I think they deserved points, but that 
I think James and Sirius were very charming and good at spin.

So, Headmistress Cat would remind the boys very firmly that each 
person is responsible for his own actions and the consequences of his 
actions. Therefore Sirius is being punished for telling anyone about 
the knot---he knows the tree is there for a reason.--and particularly 
since he expected Severus to use the information on this particularly 
dangerous night. Severus is being punished for going out of bounds, 
especially since he suspected the tunnel contained a werewolf. Now, 
it's obvious that Peter and James were also out of bounds, it's after 
hours and they were off school grounds. So they are also being 
punished.

Since HM Cat may not find out about the escapades the Marauders have 
had, she may think Remus simply told them about the knot. So she will 
punish him for breaching that piece of security--reminding him how 
important it is that he is kept secure during the full moon.