asktheboywholived:

Let’s talk about “The Prank” vs. “Snape’s Worst Memory” timeline…

Okay… I’m sorry… but HOW does it make sense for “The Prank” to take place BEFORE “Snape’s Worst Memory” ??? 

I will never get over this botched timeline. Like, just from a progressive, coherent, story-development standpoint. 

Sirius and James would have to be the biggest assholes on the planet to go from nearly killing Snape and risking Remus’ condition being exposed… to embarrassing and tormenting the guy who they nearly killed… while Remus just sits there and lets it happen. 

It makes NO SENSE! Why, after years of keeping Remus’ secret, would they risk angering the dude that could expose him RIGHT AFTER??? Why is there ZERO remorse for their actions? Are we supposed to believe that the boys are just so void of any sort of conscience that they just go “Well, we got away with it, time to go drop some pants”. 

If Rowling’s goal was to have them progress towards betterment, wouldn’t it be far more plausible, from a character development and natural progression standpoint… for SWM to happen first???

Here’s my argument…

Severus, on top of being humiliated and harassed, just got into deep shit with Lily because of the Marauders, so of course he’d want to do everything in his power to get them expelled… including stalking them in the middle of the night in hopes of catching them in the midst of something expulsion-worthy. 

Sirius’ motivation in sending Severus after a wolfed-out Remus is NEVER EXPLAINED! So maybe, an added factor (not only, just additional) in him having it out for Severus could be the fact that he called Lily a mudblood… there needs to be something to help drive his motivations other than “It was just a prank, he deserved it”. 

James’ decision to go after Severus would be much more profound, and a much more believable defining moment for his character’s eventual change and progression, if it was following the confrontation. The intensity of the situation and the risks involved could be utilized as a wake-up-call for James.

AND…  a moment of learning-the-hard-way for Sirius. 

It would lead perfectly into the next major crisis of Sirius running away from home. What better way to cause the level of distress needed than to have his closest friends mad at him, leaving him stuck at home with his abusive parents and no one to keep him sane? 

It would also help with bringing the marauders back together… because goddammit, do you think Remus would sit back and be like “Well, you almost had me murder someone and expose myself, the two things that I’ve feared the most since I was a child, but I guess it’s fine and we can just move on now and be buddies.” 

Remus can be a vindictive little bitch when he’s crossed, which we see first-hand in POA. Why the hell would he just let that go and continue on as if nothing had happened? 

If instead, they have a falling out and cut off contact… what better way to bring them back together than to have Sirius thrown into a crisis? That could be the perfect defining moment for the rest of the marauders to be like “ah shit… he’s a dick… but he’s my dick and he’s in trouble.”  

Rowling makes a point of mentioning that the marauder’s change for the better,  but you don’t get that at all from the timeline that’s presented. James and Sirius are just complete assholes for apparently no fucking reason, and clearly don’t give a shit about their friends… and then suddenly, magically, they decide, “Hey… let’s chill out now and be good guys.” 

It. Makes. No. Sense??? 

I vote we veto.