Chapter Discussion: Prisoner of Azkaban Ch 18: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Pron

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 190539

Alla: 
> Now raise your hand, if somebody has ANY doubt that Snape would have gone there no matter who gave him that information. Does his responsibility in the matter gets any less just because the party who actually gave him the information may have wanted to harm him?!
> 
> I just do not think so.
> 

Pippin:
Now raise your hand if you have any doubt that Voldemort would have gone to the Potters no matter who gave him the information about the prophecy. Does that mean Snape didn't have any responsibility for what happened?

Conversely,  if Dumbledore had used Snape's information to  trap  Voldemort, Snape would have gotten that Order of Merlin, First Class. 

The general principle, enshrined  in law and ethics for thousands of years, is that the person who acts in good faith is responsible only for the consequences of his actions that he could reasonably foresee.  So, for example, even though Harry told Cedric to take the cup,  Cedric's death is not his fault. But it *is* Fake!Moody's fault, even though he didn't want Cedric to take the Cup and would have prevented it if he could.

That's because the person who acts out of malice is responsible for everything that happens as a consequence, whether intended or not. Snape is responsible for Lily's death because he was acting maliciously (towards the wizarding world)  in bringing the prophecy to Voldemort. That doesn't take away Voldemort's choice, or mean that Snape *made* Voldemort attack Lily. He certainly didn't entice Voldemort to do it.  It just means that both Snape and Voldemort have responsibility for what happened, along with Peter Pettigrew and any other DE's that were involved. 

Sirius was acting maliciously when he told Snape how to enter the willow, and so, IMO, he would be responsible for anything that happened to Snape as a consequence of that action, whether it was intended or not. That Snape himself may have intended some malice towards Lupin is not relevant. Sirius still had no right to dispose of Snape's life as he chose, carelessly or otherwise.

Does anyone doubt that what Sirius should have done, when he found out that Snape had seen Lupin and Pomfrey going to the willow, is report it? But that would have meant Lupin's refuge would be moved, and probably placed out of reach of the animagi and their criminal escapades. 

 Snape's death in the Shrieking Shack is supposed to be a karmic reward for his ingratitude to James for saving him? Really?  Being ungrateful is loutish, certainly. But a sin??? 

Yes, he gets killed by a monster in the same place where he might have died if James had not saved him. But JKR's point is that sooner or later there's a monster waiting for us all. Our only choice is whether to meet death like a fool, as Snape would have done if he'd encountered Lupin, or like a hero. And even the man who did not live  life as a hero can still die like one.

"its bitter teeth
closed on his neck, and covered him
with waves of blood"
--Beowulf

Pippin