Question about Sirius

[Phyllis]

deenazeeba asked:

<<How many of you feel that Sirius is indeed dead? Could he still be 
alive? <snip>  However in the Order of the Phoenix movie, when 
Bellatrix uses the AK curse on Sirius..he floats away ...I don't 
understand that part?>>

imamommy:

<<I think this was a filmmaker screw-up. In the book, Sirius is not 
hit with an AK; the spell is a stunning spell, IIRC. Thus, he is 
stunned and sort of falls into the archway. My guess was that they 
used AK in the film to make sure the audience knew he was really 
dead.>>

In the book, Sirius is hit by a "jet of red light" that is 
presumably a stunning spell, but the book never calls it a stunning 
spell.  I think you're right in thinking that the moviemakers were 
trying to make it clear that Sirius was indeed dead by changing the 
spell from red to green, presumably to indicate an avada kedavra 
curse rather than a stunner.

In the book, at first, it's not really clear whether or not Sirius 
is dead, as stunning spells usually don't kill.  He does appear to 
be alive when he falls through the archway.  At first, Harry 
believes he's still alive and will reappear on the other side.  But 
then Harry realizes that if Sirius didn't come when he (Harry) 
called, he must be dead.  In addition, the book reinforces that 
Sirius is indeed dead when Phineas' portrait asks whether Sirius is 
dead and Dumbledore responds yes; when Harry asks Nearly Headless 
Nick whether Sirius will come back as a ghost and NHN says no, that 
he will have moved on; and when Harry fails to be able to reach 
Sirius when he tries to use the 2-way mirror.  Since the movie 
omitted all of those reinforcements, I can understand why this would 
be confusing.

arcturusfelire wrote:

<<I'm one of those that feel that Sirius is alive and well in 
whatever place that the Veil takes one to. He was alive when he fell 
into it and thus he is alive wherever it goes.>>

I also think that Sirius is alive and well behind the Veil, but I 
think the Veil represents the portal to the afterlife, so it is only 
in the afterlife that Sirius can be alive.  I think Harry will find 
him there when Harry dies at the end of the seventh book – but we 
will all know for sure come this Saturday!!

Phyllis