Dragons, Produced and Tickled, and Other Pleasantries

[pippin_999]

Kneasy:
> Ah. That's a relief. The statement was made with such certitude that
> I was worried that 'd missed something, that a chapter or two had 
> been excised from my copies while I was looking the other way.

Pippin:
I did say 'if'. 
> 
> The 'we' - mmm... does not include myself, I'm afraid. Though I do 
> agree that Snape was deliberately and probably with malice afore-
> thought sent into harms way, the idea of magical compulsion doesn't
> sit comfortably. Oh, it's not impossible, but the odds are against IMO.
> 
> Confundus - my reading is that is causes confusion so that the victim
> can't quite recall what he was meant to be doing and can't concentrate
> well enough or long enough to get himself sorted out; induces a
> sort of random uncoordinated action, in other words. Bit difficult to use
> that and expect someone to pop down a glorified rabbit-hole I'd think.

Pippin:
Snape seems to think Sirius and Lupin used it to convince HRH that
he, not Sirius, was the enemy. Their attack on him was hardly random
and uncoordinated. 

Kneasy:
> Which, SFAWK leaves James and Sirius playing at Imperio!
> Where did they/he learn it? They don't even *see* it until the 6th year.

Pippin:
Where did they learn to be Animagi? Nothing like having an I-cloak at
your disposal if you're planning to raid the restricted section.
Besides which, Voldemort was active and giving people quite a bit of 
trouble with the I-curse. And *he* was making animals obey him 
without training at the ripe old age of eleven, without even a wand.

 My theory holds, however,  that James and Sirius  didn't have any part 
in seeing that Snape entered the willow just when he'd encounter 
transformed Lupin. Which is why Dumbledore's questioning never
produces any evidence to back up Sevvie's contention that they
must have known. 

One of our missing pieces of evidence is *how* James heard what 
Sirius had done. Supposing Lupin had heard too, (unbeknownst to either
James or Sirius) then he could ambush Snape, hex him, and trot 
off to the willow knowing that Snape would show up just in time 
for a midnight snack. 

Snape's credulity isn't the only wrinkle that would be smoothed out.
Lupin's transformation is supposed to be accompanied by howls 
and shrieks of pain -- you'd think Sevvie would hear them and 
run, instead of which he hurtles onward towards his doom and 
has to be pulled back by James. Curious, very curious.

I think Lupin learned Imperius on his own--
he's a bookish kid, in ill health -- plenty of time to read and not 
ashamed to be seen doing it.  

Pippin