... but some of us are looking at the stars. (The Dog Star, that is.)

*Screenname: Celestial_Sirius
*Nickname: Celestial or Celest
*Date: 24/07/06
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Gender: Female
Date of Birth: 16th of November
Age: 15
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Country: Ireland
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A little Oscar Wilde to start us off. I know I can go a little crazy about my hatred for Snape and my obsession with Sirius and Dumbledore, but if you give me a chance I will try to be good, honest! I can give really detailed answers and - oh no I'm pleading!
Did it work?

Well, it wasn't so much your pleading as your lots of good posts that got my attention

Wow, and never a good idea to tell us that Snape is your Achilles' heel when you ask for your questions! How about one question you'll love to love and one you'll love to hate?

1. Did 'Snape's worst memory' change your mind about the Marauders at all? If so, how, and if not, why not?

2. (I'm making this one up just for you! Hope Ife doesn't mind!) Is there any evidence to suggest that Dumbledore knew/suspected all along that Sirius was innocent in James and Lily's murder? Should Dumbledore be praised or blamed for his involvement in Sirius' life overall? Explain your answers using details from the books.

Those are your questions. Please use correct grammar and spelling at all times, and be creative. Use as much detail as you can, use quotes, scenes, examples, whatever you want. You may use Book 5 in your answers. WRITE A LOT! There's no such thing as writing too much. Let's put it like this: You haven't got a shot unless you write your heart out. Be creative, be thoughtful, be organized, and write as much as you can. Good luck.

In your responses, correct grammar and spelling count (a lot!), so please proofread and use spell-check. Be creative. Use as much detail as you can: use quotes and examples from the books (break out the canon!) to support your theories and arguments. On the other hand, don’t just hand us 200 lines of quotes with only three lines of YOUR thoughts. You may use books 1-6 in your answers.

WRITE A LOT! If you look at our examples of successful application responses, you’ll see that they range from 500 words to over 10,000 words per question (okay, that person was a bit of a Hermione). There's no such thing as writing too much, but there is such a thing as writing too little. Aim for at least 500 words per question—just take your time, use examples, and write your little heart out!


Time Limit: While we want you to take your time, we also want you to finish. Therefore, we are setting a generous time limit: you have 6 weeks to answer these questions, though the sooner, the better, obviously. After 6 weeks, we will lock your application. Should you wish to reapply later, you will be issued two new questions.

Remember to have fun and enjoy the process of becoming one of the few, the proud, the card-carrying Immeritans. Good luck.

Tree

You really think my posts are good? Aww...Thanks Tree! I have been working really hard for the past two days on my answer to the first question, and I am rather ashamed to admit that it is the best I can do for now. Alright, here it goes.

1. Did 'Snape's Worst Memory' change your mind about the Marauders at all? If so, how, and if not, why not?

'Snape's Worst Memory' did not change my mind about the Marauders as such, but it did make me see different sides of their personalities. I shall go through each Marauder, and go through whether my mind changed about them or not.

James
James Potter had, for the first four books, been presented to us as a troublemaker at school but as an excellent wizard who was liked by many.
Professor McGonagall had this to say about him and Sirius:

"Both very bright of course-exceptionally bright in fact-but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers."

However, if you would recall, she wept upon hearing of James and Lily's deaths. She was obviously very fond of both of them. James was portrayed to us as a heroic figure who died fighting Lord Voldemort to protect his family. Snape was the only character in the books that had anything bad to say about James.

"How uncannily like your father you are Potter. He too was exceedingly arrogant".

But I doubt any of us took Snape's words to heart. No other character had a single bad word to say about James. Snape always took every available opportunity to make Harry as miserable as possible. I, for one did not think snape was above making things up about James to hit Harry where it really hurt-insulting his father, who Harry could not fully defend because he did not know him or anything about what transpired between Snape and James.

Then, in 'Snape's Worst Memory', we discovered that James was indeed arrogant, so arrogant that Lily could not stand him. James attacked Snape for the sole purpose of entertaining Sirius and the crowd around them. According to Lily, James would 'hex people in corridors just because he could'. When she refused to go out with James, he took it out on Snape, possibly by taking his pants off in front of everyone.

We were introduced to a side of James that we had never imagined him to have, and, if one took it at face value, one would find it very difficult to like James after that. However, Sirius said he was not proud of what had happened, therefore James most likely was not proud of it either. They were fifteen, admired by many, and they let it all get to their heads. We all make mistakes. James, it seems, settled down after this. Lily went out with him, and he stopped hexing people for the fun of it, according to Remus. Many people are very fond of James, despite what he was like at Hogwarts, and there is every indication that he was a good man and a loving father. The fact that he settled doen shows that he realised what he did was wrong, and I have always been very fond of him. So my mind was not changed about James after reading 'Snape's Worst Memory'.

Sirius
We knew from the very beginning that Sirius was short-tempered, and that he hated Snape intensley. In Prisoner of Azkaban, we learned that Sirius sent Snape after Remus to the Shrieking Shack, where he was transforming into a werewolf. After hearing about this incident it came as little surprise to me that Sirius attacked Snape for the fun of it. I would like to wander a little off topic for a moment to justify what Sirius did, if one can really justify it. Severus Snape has a deep vicious streak. He knows what to say to hurt or provoke someone. Here is an example from Order of the Phoenix:

" 'How touching,' Snape sneered. 'But surely you have noticed that Potter is very like his father?'

'Yes, I have,' said Sirius proudly.

'Well then, you'll know that he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him,' Snape said sleekly."

Snape knew that insulting James and Harry was the best way to provoke Sirius. Is it not entirely possible that he did the same thing at school? I would say, contrary to Remus' belief that it was for amusement that Sirius sent Snape into the Whomping Willow, that he acted out of anger, and did not think it through. I doubt Sirius found the thought of Snape being bitten or killed amusing. That would make him very sick, which he is not.

Besides, Snape invented the Sectumsempra spell, which causes the victim to bleed severely, as we know from Half-blood Prince, when Harry used it on Malfoy. Had Snape not arrived when he did, Malfoy would have bled to death. Snape created this spell and knew what it was capable of, and he intended to use it on the Marauders. He did so in 'Snape's Worst Memory', but then, fortunately, the spell just deeply cut James' cheek.
Had it been used properly, it could have killed him. No matter how badly he humiliated Snape, he did not deserve to die for it!

What I am getting to is this: After what I have just written, does Snape really seem like the type of person who is bullied? He is a powerful wizard. I would say, rather, that he and the Marauders took every chance to attack each other. This was most definitley not a one-sided affair, although I admit that two against one was not fair odds, and that attacking Snape when he was just reading a paper was underhand.

However, Sirius said that he 'was not proud of it', which more or less says he was sorry for doing it. Would it not be worse if Sirius had said he was proud of it? It shows that he changed. He may still have been quick tempered, but he did not attack or find it amusing to attack anyone for fun anymore.

'Snape's Worst Memory' showed that Sirius was arrogant too, and could be underhand. But I still love him.

Remus
Remus is a strong and kindly person. He comforts Mrs. Weasley in her times of sorrow in Order of the Phoenix. However, there are times when he accepts things as they are. 'Snape's Worst Memory' is an example. While Remus did not participate in humiliating Snape, he made no effort to stop it. I was rather surprised that although he clearly did not approve, and that as a Prefect it was his duty to stop them anyway, he sat there and did nothing. I thought he would stand up to them.

"Lupin was still staring down at his book, though his eyes were not moving and a faint frown line had appeared between his eyebrows."

This line showed that remus disapproved of what they were doing, but preferred not to interfere. Also he and Lily were the only ones who did not laugh as James and Sirius humiliated Snape.

However, Remus acknowledged he was in the wrong in the next chapter.

"But Lupin shook his head. 'Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape?' he said. 'Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?'

I sort of understand why he did not interfere. I believe he may have thought that even if he did try to stop them they would not have listened and may have teased him about it.

Remus does seem to have changed though. He has been very firm with Sirius when he was about to do something stupid. When Sirius was about to kill Peter in the Shrieking Shack, Remus stopped him, insisting that Harry and the others needed to know the truth before they killed him.

"We can explain afterwards!" snarled Black, trying to throw Lupin off, one hand still clawing at the air as it tried to reach Scabbers, who was squealing like a piglet, scratchting Ron's face and neck as he tried to escape.
"They-have-a-right-to-know-everything!" Lupin panted, still trying to restrain Black. "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand! And Harry- you owe Harry the truth Sirius!"

He was absolutely right to do so. Imagine how it would have looked to the Trio if Sirius killed Peter as a rat right then and there, with no proof that he was who Sirius claimed he was. I do not think they could change him back if he was dead. Remus stood up to Sirius and did not let him do as he wanted.

Remus changed. So did the others. I still like him very much, although I thought he would have shown more backbone. I suppose they were going through phases, being teenagers. They all, I reckon, saw the error of their ways. Now, onto a different kettle of fish.

Peter
Peter was the one who my mind changed for the most. For the first time, I felt sorry for him. I had always wondered why Sirius, James and Remus would befriend someone like Peter. I believed they saw past his obvious lack of skills as a wizard and saw something in him that they liked.

However, it seems that Sirius and James treated him rather badly, and again Remus did not intervene.

Peter is not a very bright wizard. Although he ran around with a werewolf once a month, he still could not think of five signs that identify one. When he expressed his concern about this question to his friends, James said "How thick are you Wormtail?" I know that the fact that Peter could not answer the question made him rather dim, but if that were my friend I would never call them thick. Peter was probably very aware that he was not as intelligent as his friends.

Sirius, as Peter cheered James' captures of the Snitch said " Put that thing away will you, before Wormtail wets himself with excitement". It then says that Peter flushed pink. Peter possibly did not know that he was making a fool of himself. He was showing his appreciation for James' talent.

Professor Mcgonagall said in Prisoner of Azkaban that Peter "hero-worshipped" James and Peter. He looked up to them, was in awe of them.
I do not think he would ever disagree with anything they did. I really thought that James and Sirius would have treated a friend better. Imagine how it must have hurt him to hear his idols insult him.

However, Peter did display a disturbing liking for watching people suffer in 'Snape's Worst Memory'.

Wormtail was on his feet now, watching hungrily, edging around Lupin to get a clearer view.

I think he was sadistic. This comes as no surprise, seeing as he became a Death Eater. He loved watching his big strong friends pick on someone.
That he watched 'hungrily' is very unsettling.

All in all, I pitied him a bit. But I still hate him. No decent person would ever join the Death Eaters.

Alright, there it is. Note how I worked my hatred of Snape into my answer. I could write a novel on how much I hate him. Hope Ife did not mind you making up that question for me. Thanks by the way. You guys are the greatest. I am looking forward to getting my claws into it.
Sorry about the quotes, but I just can't get the quote button to work.

Oooh! Great Start! We eagerly await Question 2!

I only hope it was a good start. Okay, round two.

2. Is there any evidence to suggest that Dumbledore knew/suspected all along that Sirius was innocent in James and Lily's murder? Should Dumbledore be praised or blamed for his involvement in Sirius' life overall? Explain your answer using detail from the books.

To the first part of the question. There is indeed some evidence to suggest that Dumbledore at least suspected all along that Sirius was innocent in James and Lily's murder. Dumbledore was a trusting man, but he was certainly no fool. He is the most intelligent wizard there is. He knew that someone close to the Potters was passing information to Lord Voldemort.

"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters was keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor Mcgonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."

Dumbledore knew someone close to the Potters was passing information about them to Lord Voldemort. Look at his options. Could it be Remus, who was a loyal friend to the Potters and had nothing to gain from an alliance with Lord Voldemort? I would say he may have been a member of Greyback's group of werewolves acting as a spy then also, but all they had to gain was the promise of human flesh. Could it be Sirius, who was like a brother to James and whom James had said would "die rather than betray them"? Then again, Sirius was a pureblood who had much to gain from an alliance with Voldemort. But Sirius did not seem to care about his pure blood. Dumbledore would know that he had run away from his family, who were obsessed with their pureblood and nobility. Or, could it be Peter, whom Dumbledore probaly noticed had always chosen powerful wizards as his friends, whose willpower was not as strong as that of his friends, who could have been a pureblood for all we know (was there a Pettigrew on the Black family tree?), and could be more tempted to join the dark side and whose will could be easily broken? I would say very few people were close to the Potters during the war. It may have just been these three and Dumbledore. Therefore, Peter was most likely to be the traitor.

However, as I said before, Dumbledore was a trusting man. He may have been unsure if it really was Peter, if Peter was really clever enough to pull the wool not only over his, but his best friends' eyes also. James would insist that none of his friends would ever betray him. Dumbledore could not be certain. Hence he could not act. Perhaps he was afraid too that if Voldemort thought that his spy ws in danger of being discovered, he would attack the Potters straight away.

Then, I believe, Dumbledore decided that the Fidelius Charm ws the way to go. He most lilkely intended to be the Secret Keeper himself; it says in Prisoner of Azkaban that he volunteered to do it. James' insistence on using Sirius ruined his plan, for he would know in his abundant wisdom that Secret Keepers cuold be changed, and that even if it were not Sirius and it were Peter, the Potters would still be in danger. But what could Dumbledore do? James would believe in his friends. He would not assume for a second that they were traitors.

The switch was definitely made without Dumbledore knowing about it; otherwise he would have told the Ministry and Sirius would have been freed. If Peter was the traitor, then he was capable of pulling off that explosion and the transformation. Sirius was not tried; we know this from Goblet of Fire.

"Oh, I know Crouch all right," he said queitly. "He's the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban-without a trail."

Dumbledore, if he was uncertain Sirius was the traitor, which I would say he was, would have wanted a trail, but Crouch was determined to send plenty of Death Eaters to Azkaban as quickly as possible to make himself look good. Also there was so much evidence against Sirius already. Dumbledore knew Sirius was the one James chose to be Secret Keeper. What we do not know is whether or not Dumbledore spoke to Sirius before he was sent to Azkaban. If he had then he may have believed him, but he could not do anything without proof. Dumbledore, in his own words, "could not overrule the Ministry of Magic."

Dumbledore believed Sirius' story in Prisoner of Azkaban without any proof and without seeing Pettigrew himself, and before talking to the Trio and Remus. He was not naive and he had no reason to believe Sirius. He himself said:

"There is not a shred of evidence to support Black's story, except your word- and the word of two thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eye-witnesses swore they saw Black murder Pettigrew."

Dumbledore may have been very fond of Harry and Hermione, but Snape had come up with a better story than theirs and Sirius'. He said he was certain Sirius had Confunded them, making them believe he was innocent. Dumbledore said that "Snape's version of events was far more convincing than theirs". Snape was also a law-abiding (or so they thought) authority figure.

But Dumbledore believed Sirius. He would not have done so if he had not been absolutely positive. He must have suspected something before hand. He must have figured it out. Just look at Dumbledore. Do you think someone as dull as Peter could have avoided arousing Dumbledore's suspicion? No chance.

Now, for the second part of the question. Dumbledore is to be praised for his involvement in Sirius' life overall.

We do not know anything really about their relationship while Sirius was at school. We know, however, that Dumbledore knew that Sirius had sent Snape to meet a werewolf in the Whomping Willow and possibly his Maker.

"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.
"I wish to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.
Snape took a step towards Dumbledore.
"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen', he breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"
"My memory is as good as it ever was Severus," said Dumbledore quietly.

This was a terrible thing to do (in a teacher's eyes). Dumbledore could have expelled Sirius had he saw fit. But he did not. Dumbledore allowed Sirius to finish his education at Hogwarts. Had Sirius been expelled, he would be no better off than a muggle, forced to live without magic.

Dumbledore knew all about Sirius' bad temper and his recklessness. But he let him join the Order, which would require one to be calm and careful.

Dumbledore could not have saved Sirius from Azkaban. Crouch would not have heeded even him, there was so much evidence against Sirius and there was no proof that Peter had ever been an Animagus. Dumbledore may not have had the chance to think of ways to defend him before he was sent to Azkaban.

Dumbledore believed Sirius' story in Prisoner of Azkaban without any evidence to support it. He came up with the way to save him. He saved Sirius from a fate worse than death and bought him two more years with us. We should be grateful to Dumbledore for this.

Of course, he made Sirius stay in Grimmauld Place against his will, but it was for his own good. Every Death eater would have known about Sirius' Animagus form and he would have been spotted. He was, the very first time he left the house.

'Speaking of dogs,' said Snape softly, ' did you know that Lucius Malfoy recognized you the last time you risked a little jaunt outside?'

There was an article in the Dailey Prophet about it. There are Death Eaters everywhere, and some of them, like Malfoy, have influence. If Sirius was allowed to go outside,it would have drawn attention to London as being Sirius' location. It would have drawn attention to the Order. What if he had been killed on one of his trips outside the house? Dumbledore was right to tell him to stay put. It may have been very hard on Sirius, but there really was not a lot Dumbledore could do about that.

As for Dumbledore not telling Harry the whole truth from the beginning, and this possibly being the cause of Sirius' death, look at the facts. There is never a good time to tell someone they must kill or be killed. How was Dumbledore to know that someone would die as a result? He insisted to Harry that learning Occlumency was really important. Harry should have listened to him. He should have practised. When Dumbledore says something is really important, than it is. He should not have needed a reason, and he should not have gone charging off to the Ministry. I do not blame him though. I do not blame anyone except Voldemort and Bellatrix. There was not anythung Dumbledore could have done to prevent it. Even if Harry knew everything, do you really think he would have practised occlumency? I doubt it.

Well there it goes. I really enjoyed doing that question. Again this is the best I can do for now. All I can do is sit back and wait...

Great job! As soon as Ife and I meet up, we'll let you know!

Tree and I have had our little chat and...



Nice job on the essays! You've truly earned membership, so be proud. Good job!

ife

Congrats !

Oh wow! Thank you sooo much! You guys are the best! You have no idea how happy I am right now! Thank you! Thank you!