Sirius/Lupin, GoF Dursleys

[hfakhro at nyc.rr.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 17246

Morag wrote:
I suppose so.  I think Harry does appreciate Lupin, but Sirius is 
just the 
kind of not-too-demanding, glamourous, cool, father-figure Harry 
wants just 
now.  A father-figure who was able to be around more of the time 
might be a 
bit much to cope with all of a sudden.  I know he wants to go and 
live with 
Sirius, but he is not devastated when he can't.  Sirius is also the 
anti-Vernon - he's a wizard, owns (or owned - what happened to it?) a 
flying 
motorbike, has long hair and is on the wrong side of the law.  
Perfect.  I 
think Lupin's a little too old-looking and acting (though he and 
Sirius must 
be of an age) and a little too tired and sad for the role.  Finally, 
Sirius 
was the closest to Harry's real father - "You'd have thought Black 
and 
Potter were brothers!...Inseparable!", as Harry has heard Flitwick 
say in 
the Three Broomsticks.  They are compared to the Weasley twins in 
closeness 
and capacity for trouble.  He has seen them in the same photo, Sirius 
was 
his father's best man and is Harry's own godfather.  Sirius tells 
Harry he 
would have died for James and Lily, thus linking himself with the one 
thing 
Harry has always known about his parents - they're dead.  It's as 
close as 
Harry can get to having his own father back.


All these why Sirius/not Lupin points have been very enlightening and 
I agree with all the excellent points you made here. However, I think 
there's one more thing that should be taken into account - I have the 
feeling that Lupin sort of pushes Harry away at the end of Prisoner 
of Azkaban, and Harry is not the sort to aggressively pursue a 
relationship (IMO) especially with an adult. And I get the impression 
that Harry does try to get close to Lupin running up to his office 
when he finds out that Lupin is leaving, he says, 

"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever 
had!" said Harry. "Don't go."
Lupin shook his head and didn't speak. He carried on emptying his 
drawers. Then, while Harry was trying to think of a good argument to 
make him stay, Lupin said <snip>"

Then later on, when Lupin is leaving,

"Well - goodbye, Harry," he said, smiling. "It has been a real 
pleasure teaching you. I feel sure we'll meet again sometime. 
Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates, I can manage..."

Harry had the impression that Lupin wanted to leave as quickly as 
possible. (POA)

In addition, we must remember that Lupin never told Harry he was a 
friend of James until it came out by accident I think during the help 
with the dementor/boggart scene. It happens when Harry says he heard 
James and Lupin is overcome with emotion, but I get the feeling he 
may not have told him that he knew James otherwise - it seems to be a 
painful subject. We do see Harry reaching out to Lupin at the end of 
the book, but there's something (maybe the werewolf thing, but maybe 
something we will find out later) that is holding Lupin back from 
embracing Harry as a father figure. Sirius on the other hand, 
actively reaches out to Harry, first by inviting him to live with him 
in the Shrieking Shack and then by keeping in touch with him, whereas 
Lupin dismisses him with a "I'm sure we'll meet again, Harry" - and I 
think many of us can agree that it is not in Harry's nature to push 
for adult relationships.

Catherine wrote:
Harry will be spending a great deal of time on his own, giving him 
ample opportunity to brood, dwell on past events, worry about the 
future, when he could be with friends he loves, and who love him,  
who will do their best to protect him and try to keep his mind 
occupied on other things.

I agree that it does seem unusual that he won't be at the Weasleys 
who will nurture him. Unfortunately I don't have GoF with me at the 
moment, but I get the impression that Harry wouldn't want to be 
treated with fragility and people trying to keep his mind occupied on 
other things, and the wizarding world in general. In the beginning of 
GoF when his scar hurts for the first time, doesn't he consider 
telling Ron and Hermione about it, and then changes his mind because 
he predicts that Ron would panic and Hermione would tell him to go to 
Dumbledore? Harry doesn't like a lot of attention in this respect. 
And after his ordeal with Voldemort at the graveyard, I get the 
feeling that he sort of withdraws into himself, and doesn't want to 
speak to anyone about it. Does he even tell Ron and Hermione the 
details of what happened in the graveyard? Although the Dursleys 
aren't exactly healing people, I don't know if Harry even *wants* to 
deal with people "gawping" at him and Ron and Hermione panicking and 
worrying about him. It might be good for him to get away from all 
that for a while, although at first sight it certainly doesn't seem 
that way.