The real Sirius

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 19137

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Magda Grantwich <mgrantwich at y...> wrote:
> > I don't know about that!  Boy, I sure get tired of hearing how
> > great James, Remus, and Sirius were/are.  Aaarrrggghhhh!  
> 
> I agree.  Lupin's alright and the jury's still out on James (respect
> for the dead and all that) but even after reading GoF, I haven't
> changed my opinion of Sirius Black.  He strikes me as one of those
> charming guys that are great in their 20's but don't marry or mature
> like their friends.  The kind of guy who'll still show up on his
> motorbike in a black leather jacket (which is getting a tad snug
> around the waist) and expect his married buds to join him at the pub
> on the night that their kids are playing a semi-final soccer game.  
> 
> He doesn't seem too bright either.

Hoo boy.  I should get the heck out of the way before I get run over 
by a stampeding Carole, but I'm gonna get my 2 knuts in before I dive 
out of the crossfire, if I may mix a metaphor.

I was joking when I said he was the person kissing Florence.  I said 
it because in fanfic he has the "Hunk of Hogwarts" persona which, IMO, 
does not contradict canon but is in no way suggested by it.  

Magda's view seems to be a negative take on the same fanon Sirius.  I 
might share it if I accepted that Sirius was as much of a "god's gift 
to witches" as fanfic makes out, since, as I've said before when this 
topic came up, I don't have a high opinion of self-styled studs and I 
enjoy imagining them being washed-up immature jerks at 35.  But 
why do we think he was either the stud or the jerk?

Also, if canon does reveal that Sirius was something of a sex god in 
youth, it seems a bit stereotypical for JKR to then make him a 
washed-up immature jerk 15 years on.  It would also be a bit 
stereotypical for her to make him a 35-year-old sex god.  She seems to 
be doing neither:  her 35-y-o Sirius is mature, kind, patient (I just 
love it that when he urgently needs to warn Harry about Karkaroff and 
he might get burst-in-on by the hearth's owners at any moment, he sits 
there listening to Harry's troubles with his best friend), rising 
remarkably well to the job of godfather, and pretty emotionally 
together for someone who's just been through 12 years of torture.

Amy Z