Editor's Note: Welcome to the Letters from Remus special series. This is
the second set of letters given to the Daily Prophet for publication. These
letters ran on 2, 9, and 16 October. Some letters have been edited for
content by the Prophet. All edits should be clearly recognizable. Please be
reminded that the opinions expressed in these letters are the personal
opinions of Sirius Black and should not be accepted as fact. Thank you.
About Snape
To this day I don't think I'm sorry for what I did to the poor bastard. I'm sorry I got you involved, Moony, but not for him. He deserved every bit of it, and more. If you had been there at the beginning...I will never forgive him for what he did. Never, ever. And if that sounds childish that's because it is, and I don't regret it. Here's what happened: He cornered Lily after dinner one night and asked her where we (Peter, James, and I) were off to that night. When she didn't tell him, he hit her. By the time I got there she was half-dressed, kicking and screaming at him, and he kept hitting her and ripping at her clothes. God, I could have killed him right then and there. As it was, I only half-killed him. But I told him then: If you really want to know, meet me at the Whomping Willow tonight. And if you touch Lily ever again, I will kill you.
About Lily
This is where it gets interesting, Remus. Because I'm not as jealous as James was. I only ever wanted one thing of his. That is, if she ever really was his. Just in case you never noticed, I was madly in love with Lily, and still am. And make no mistake: this is not 'I want you because you're his'. This is 'I would die for you, no questions asked, even though you're not mine'. I think that scared her a bit. But she knew it was true, which was why she wanted me in the Fidelius Charm. And for one other reason, but that comes later.
About Fidelius Charms
They're all about loyalty. It says so right in the name. And with Lily & James and their family, I'm as loyal as they come. Lily knew I would die before I gave her up to them. James knew I wasn't a rat. That was Peter's job. (Come to think of it, why didn't we figure that out earlier? Shouldn't the concept of having a rat for an inner animal be a bit of a clue?) Besides, James and I were brothers. And I think he might have noticed my habit of staring at his wife like the world was ending. But at the time I was half-crazy for various reasons, most of which I promise I will explain. I didn't know if I could trust myself. I didn't know if I could be held responsible for something so precious. So against everyone's better instincts, I made them switch. Dumbledore would have approved. It goes to show...well, that's not very fair. Hindsight is clear. And in hindsight, it was 110% MY FAULT.
About Snape
To this day I don't think I'm sorry for what I did to the poor bastard. I'm sorry I got you involved, Moony, but not for him. He deserved every bit of it, and more. If you had been there at the beginning...I will never forgive him for what he did. Never, ever. And if that sounds childish that's because it is, and I don't regret it. Here's what happened: He cornered Lily after dinner one night and asked her where we (Peter, James, and I) were off to that night. When she didn't tell him, he hit her. By the time I got there she was half-dressed, kicking and screaming at him, and he kept hitting her and ripping at her clothes. God, I could have killed him right then and there. As it was, I only half-killed him. But I told him then: If you really want to know, meet me at the Whomping Willow tonight. And if you touch Lily ever again, I will kill you.
About Lily
This is where it gets interesting, Remus. Because I'm not as jealous as James was. I only ever wanted one thing of his. That is, if she ever really was his. Just in case you never noticed, I was madly in love with Lily, and still am. And make no mistake: this is not 'I want you because you're his'. This is 'I would die for you, no questions asked, even though you're not mine'. I think that scared her a bit. But she knew it was true, which was why she wanted me in the Fidelius Charm. And for one other reason, but that comes later.
About Fidelius Charms
They're all about loyalty. It says so right in the name. And with Lily & James and their family, I'm as loyal as they come. Lily knew I would die before I gave her up to them. James knew I wasn't a rat. That was Peter's job. (Come to think of it, why didn't we figure that out earlier? Shouldn't the concept of having a rat for an inner animal be a bit of a clue?) Besides, James and I were brothers. And I think he might have noticed my habit of staring at his wife like the world was ending. But at the time I was half-crazy for various reasons, most of which I promise I will explain. I didn't know if I could trust myself. I didn't know if I could be held responsible for something so precious. So against everyone's better instincts, I made them switch. Dumbledore would have approved. It goes to show...well, that's not very fair. Hindsight is clear. And in hindsight, it was 110% MY FAULT.