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

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 190556



> Julie:
> I also agreed that Snape was stupid to go there, and if he was
> killed it would be partly his own fault for going somewhere 
> an "enemy" sent him without considering the source of the 
> information. The difference between us I think, is that I see
> Sirius as more at fault than Snape. Especially so since he 
> put Remus in equal danger, and Remus was totally unaware. 

Alla:

Right, I see Sirius as much more at fault in regards to Remus for sure, but no, I see Sirius and Snape as equally at fault, but for different things in regards to Snape's fate. Without Sirius giving information, Snape would have still wanted to go, but could not. However without Snape going he would not have put himself in danger and he knew he was not supposed to go there.

And I guess we will also never find out why the heck did Snape *believe* anything that his enemy would say? To me it only confirms my thought that he was desperate to go and would have gone no matter who would have supplied him with information.

Julie: 
> What the prank really means to me is that Sirius was not a 
> nice guy as a teenager, in fact a worse person at the time
> than Snape. As an adult, obviously Snape was a worse person
> for a time, while he was a Death Eater. By the time the two
> met up again, after Sirius got out of Azkaban, I'd probably
> consider them about even. Snape was a reformed Death Eater,
> a spy, working for the good, but still a mean and bitter man.
> Sirius was out of Azkaban, but still unrepentant about his
> teenage ways in relation to Snape, and as unforgiving and 
> unwilling to look at anyone or anything outside his own
> preconceived notions as was Snape. Which makes neither of 
> them people I could actually like in person, and both of
> their lives ultimately tragic, IMO.


Alla:

I totally understand your POV and see the reasonableness of it. Of course I admire Sirius' breaking up with his family as teenager  so much that as Sirius' fan, I will take him over Snape any time, flaws and all whether he was a nice guy to Snape or not. I have zero problem with the man just out of Azkaban, whose happy memories were mostly eaten by Dementors not feeling remorse towards Snape who just promised to send him back to Dementors. I think that he may have been physically uncapable of doing it, when he was literally just out. Now, when he would have been functioning normally for few years and still said Snape deserved it, yes, sure fan or not, I would have had plenty of problems with it. And hey, I first fell in love with Sirius' character not because of anything he did or did not do, because sure I agree with you that in RL I would have run away from both of them (Sirius till years of therapy and Snape like forever). I fell in love with Sirius because he gave kindness to Harry, same as I hated Snape for hating Harry. I liked that again after years of Azkaban Sirius was able to feel something positive and hated that being sheltered by Dumbledore instead of going to Azkaban, Snape could not find a drop of kindness to the kid he already hurt so very much IMO.

Anyway, those are just views and inferences of us fans. You see Snape as better man overall, I see Sirius as better man overall. My only point of contention is in discarding Snape's responsibility for deciding to go into Shack, that is all. As I said, I totally see where you are coming from in everything else and what I am saying is myself willing to give Sirius benefit of the doubt, thats all.

This was not an argument by the way, at all, just rambling, which I am sure you have heard many times over the years :)

Alla