Sirius' anger (long)

[catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 20920

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Monika Huebner" <monika at d...> wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vicky Ra [mailto:andromache815 at h...]
> > Sent: Friday, June 15, 2001 12:41 PM
>  
> > I didn't take it as a rant. You're just defending Sirius, which 
is perfectly
> > natural. I'm sorry. It's just, I tend to liken him to Ron, and 
for the
> > record, I don't much like Ron, either, so...it's somewhat 
fair...You're
> > right about no evidence so far of Sirius' maturity or lack 
thereof in canon.
> 
> was one of those who didn't think that Sirius and Ron were much 
alike.
> I don't want to repeat it all here, but Ron's temper is something 
entirely
> different from Sirius' temper (IMHO). Suffice to say that I think 
that
> Ron is just still a bit immature and has been overshadowed by his
> brothers all his life. I *really* hope he will mature soon because 
I like
> him, and at least at the moment, I don't mind it too much. Now, 
Sirius.
> It seems that he was quite immature at 16 when he told Snape about
> the Whomping Willow (but he did *not* drag him into the tunnel,
> Snape's own behavior was just as immature, let's face it), but I am
> still convinced that Sirius' violent outbursts in PoA have
> *nothing* to do with overall poor impulse control. (If I bore you,
> just don't read on.) They look way more like a pretty classic 
symptom
> of post-traumatic stress disorder. I'd like to see the individual 
that
> would go through what Sirius has gone through and get away 
> without being traumatized. > But Sirius is definitely *not* evil 
IMO. And I am convinced that he wouldn't
> even think of killing Snape even if there hadn't been this stupid 
handshake
> ordered by Dumbledore. He still hates Snape, that's true, but he's 
not
> interested in killing him, he wouldn't go looking for him. 

<lots of good points made by Monika snipped>

I agree with this.  I think that sending Snape to the Whomping Willow 
was an immature teenage prank, in which the ramifications hadn't 
properly been thought through.  On to Sirius in PoA, everyone has 
debated at length why he slashed the Fat Lady etc.  I am pretty sure 
that it is a case of PTSD, but I would go further and say that 
current circumstances were also at play here, making Sirius even more 
angry and frustrated.  He has spent 12 years in Azkaban for something 
he didn't do, although he does feel responsible for the death of Lily 
and James, so guilt is a factor here as well.  He knows that Wormtail 
is alive and close to Harry - giving him the impetous to escape, as 
he a) wants to protect Harry b) bring Wormtail to justice (by killing 
him, I know, but the law hasn't served Sirius very well, so this 
vigilantism seems here to be almost reasonable and c) on some level 
he wants to atone - assuage his guilt over James and Lily by 
protecting their son.  

Circumstances prevent him from doing this adequately.  He couldn't 
risk going to Dumbledore, although I have always wondered why he 
doesn't try to do this.  It would surely have been possible to get 
Dumbledore to give him the benefit of the doubt and send for Ron and 
Scabbers, to see if there was any truth in what Sirius is saying.  
But this takes us back to the PTSD - 12 years in Azkaban means that 
Sirius is incapable of initially acting in a rational way - and he 
probably doesn't trust anyone at this point - even Dumbledore, who 
afterall did confirm to the Ministry that Sirius was secret keeper.

I would have been surprised if Sirius had shown less hatred than he 
does.  He is single-mindedly pursuing Wormtail - and takes risks in 
doing so, although he isn't stupid enough initially to enter the 
boys' dormitory when they are there - he waits for Hallowe'en to 
attempt this.  The second attempt he makes shows how desperate he has 
become.

Finally, Sirius in GoF.  At great personal risk, he comes back to 
Hogwarts because he is worried about Harry and wants to keep an eye 
on him.  He acts extremely maturely in all his dealings with Harry - 
ensuring that Harry does not take risks by making him promise not 
to.  He is there to offer counsel when Harry is very low over Ron's 
temporary defection and his lack of popularity before the first 
task.  

The only anger he shows is when he talks about being sent to Azkaban 
by Barty Crouch without a trial, and when he and Snape confront one 
another in the final chapters.  Considering how the last 13years have 
been spent for Sirius, it is not surprising that any animosity he 
felt for people prior to his incarceration are magnified.  I don't 
know whether this is correct, but I thought that the Dementors suck 
away happy, positive thoughts, leaving those affected to dwell more 
on the negative, unhappy thoughts, and I therefore think it possible 
that anger (a negative emotion) is one such emotion which may be 
magnified.  Even if this is not the case, Sirius's childhood 
animosity towards Snape, which is wholeheartedly reciprocated, is in 
no way diminished by Snape's behaviour in the Shrieking Shack - Snape 
refuses to listen, and wants to feed Sirius straight to the 
Dementors.  This would be understandable if he really believed that 
Harry et al  were suffering from a confundus charm.  But I didn't 
think at the time this was the case - I thought it was Snape 
spitefully revelling in having the upperhand over Sirius, Lupin and 
Harry.  So I am not surprised that the shared animosity between them 
has not abated.

Phew, this was a bit long and rambly - sorry.  As you can see, I am 
also a Sirius fan, and find a lot to admire in the way he behaves in 
GoF.  This is partly to do with the fact that I am desperate for 
Harry to have a father figure, but also, because I have never seen 
him as the womanising, immature figure that many on this list  seem 
to believe in.  Apart from the scene when he lures Snape to the 
Whomping Willow, I can't really see how Sirius is differentiated from 
James in JKR's descriptions of them both.  They are both described as 
very bright, charming, trouble-makers, popular.  The only real 
difference is that James got married and had Harry - and this could 
just as well be the circumstance of meeting the right person sooner 
rather than later, not due to any womanising immaturity on Sirius' 
part.  I always wonder if Sirius was in a serious relationship before 
he was sent to Azkaban.

Catherine